The Charter Oak

The Charter Oak was a majestic, unusually large white oak tree growing on Wyllys Hyll in Hartford, Connecticut, from around the 12th or 13th century until it fell during a storm in 1856. In the 1630s, a delegation of local Native Americans is said to have approached Samuel Wyllys, the early settler who owned and cleared much of the land around it. The indigenous tribe encouraged the tree's preservation and described it as having been planted ceremoniously, for the sake of peace, when their tribe first settled in the area. According to tradition, Connecticut's Royal Charter of 1662 was hidden within the hollow of the tree to thwart its confiscation by the English governor-general around the time of the American Revolution. The oak became a symbol of American independence and is commemorated on the Connecticut State Quarter.

Source: Wikipedia