The Pickens County 250 Committee and the Pickens County Historical Society invite everyone to attend a special ceremony on Sunday, April 19, 2026 to dedicate a Liberty Tree and a Patriot tree. This ceremony is one of several special events that these organizations have planned to celebrate our nation’s 250^th birthday. As previously published by The Pickens County Chronicle, the event will take place at 3 p.m. on the front lawn of the Pickens County Courthouse on Main Street in Pickens.

Wayne Kelley, Senior Vice President for the Pickens County Historical Society and a member of the Pickens County 250 Committee, told The Pickens County Chronicle, “The dedication of the two scarlet oaks on the front lawn of our county courthouse this Sunday is an exciting event for us in Pickens County as we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary. One of the trees represents the historic Liberty Trees of the Revolutionary Period that were designated in the colonies, and the second is in remembrance of the patriots of this area. In the fall, these trees will burst into bright red foliage, and the plaques will mark their significance for decades to come. This will be a memorable event.”

The two Scarlet Oak trees were chosen by the late Dennis Chastain, who served as a member of the Pickens County 250 Committee and as the Blue Wall Vice President for the Pickens County Historical Society. “Dennis Chastain picked those trees out, thinking they would be lovely on the Courthouse lawn,” Pickens County 250 Committee Chair Carolyn Nations told The Pickens County Chronicle.

Several people are scheduled to participate in Sunday afternoon’s special ceremony, Nations said, including Kayla Culbertson, who will sing the national anthem; Master of Ceremonies Ron Masters, a member of the Pickens County Historical Society; Pickens Mayor Rev. Isaiah Scipio, who will deliver the invocation and benediction; Pickens County Administrator Ken Roper, who will welcome guests; Pickens County Clerk of Court Pat Welborn, who will share what the Liberty Tree stands for; Wayne Kelley, who will speak on behalf of the Pickens County Historical Society and will share about the origins of the Liberty Tree; Nations, who will speak on behalf of the Pickens County 250 Committee and will explain why the Liberty Tree is being dedicated;  Joyce Hansel, Regent of the Fort Prince George Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a member of the Pickens County 250 Committee, who will dedicate the Patriot Tree; Bud Starnes, President of the General Andrew Pickens Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and a member of the Pickens County 250 Committee, who will hold a bell-ringing ceremony, ringing a bell 13 times in honor of the 13 original colonies; and Heather Thompson, a Fort Prince George DAR Chapter member and Senior Leader of the Dicey Langston Society Children of the American Revolution (CAR), who, with her two children, Micah and Naomi, will speak on being Keepers of Liberty.

“We have dirt from Andrew Pickens’ grave,” said Nations. “The children will take a handful of that soil and put it around the Liberty Tree and also around the Patriot Tree.”

Nations explained why we celebrate the Liberty Tree. “The Liberty Tree stands as a living symbol of the courage, unity, and sacrifice that gave birth to our nation. Beneath its branches, ordinary citizens gathered, not as subjects but as patriots, to stand for liberty, to speak for justice, and to shape the future of a free people. The Liberty Tree reminds us that American freedom did not begin in halls of power but in communities, among neighbors who chose courage over fear.” On Sunday, she said, citizens will gather “not only to remember but to renew our commitment to liberty. This tree stands as a witness that freedom must be cherished, guarded, and passed on. Its roots remind us of the sacrifices made, its branches cost to carry that legacy forward. May all who stand beneath this tree remember freedom is not only a gift of the past, it’s a responsibility for the future. Liberty must be lived, not just remembered. Freedom is not something we simply inherit. It must be protected, honored, and passed on. It teaches the next generation, when children stand beneath the Liberty Tree, they don’t just hear history, they experience it.”

Joyce Hansel, Regent of the Fort Prince George Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and a member of the Pickens County 250 Committee, told The Chronicle, “I am excited to participate in this ceremony, which will honor the patriots that fought for our freedom. I think it will be an excellent reminder to all of us about the price of our freedom. I hope it serves as an inspiration to our younger generation to carry the torch of liberty forward.”