On Friday, April 28that 10:00am, the Town of Southbury will celebrate Arbor Day at the Settlers Park at 280 Crook Horn Road, Southbury. This annual spring, outdoor event, has special significance this year, as it will honor the Town’s 350thAnniversary. A ceremony will be held to dedicate the planting of a new White Oak Tree and repositioning of the historical marker that designates the site where the first settlers camped in 1673, in what was to become Southbury.
This year’s special ceremony will include a reading of a Proclamation by Southbury First Selectman, Jeffrey Manville and the presentation of a new Tree City USA flag that highlights Southbury’s long-standing participation in this national program.
The event is organized by the Southbury Historical Tree Restoration Committee with the support of Southbury’s Public Works Department, in conjunction with the 350th Anniversary Steering Committee.
The Historical Tree Restoration Committee is appointed by the Southbury Board of Selectmen, and serves as steward of the Town’s trees. With the support of the Southbury Public Works Department, the Committee replaces older, declining trees and plants new ones where few are present.
In 1673, a group of colonists from Stratford traveled up the river that we know today as the Housatonic in order to erect a new settlement in the Pomperaug Valley, which was negotiated with the Pootatuck Native Americans. After an initial day of exploration, these religious dissidents spent the night under a white oak tree on an old riverside path. That tree stood for many more years on Crook Horn Road by Settlers Park, in what was to become the Town of Southbury.
The Town of Southbury is holding events and activities all year long to celebrate 350 years of community, culture and history (1673-2023), aimed at highlighting the past and progress of the one and only Southbury.
The 350th Anniversary Steering Committee is John Dwyer and Kevin Bielmeier, co-chairs; Brian Jones, vice-chair; Justin Bette, Lynn Dwyer, Melinda Elliott, Michael Ganem, Kara Kenney, Mary Korsu, and Gosia Liedlich.
To learn more about the 350th Anniversary visit: https://www.southbury-ct.org/350.