King James II of England threatened to revoke the precious Charter of Connecticut in 1687, and sent one of his men to retrieve it. That meant an end to the colony's limited democracy and independence.  But before it was exchanged during a key meeting, a hero slipped out of the room with it under his arm and hid it within the cavity of an old oak tree. That tree - the Charter Oak - is now a state icon. Get the full story here! Guest Co-Host and Researcher Jean Zimmerman Arborist and author jeanzimmerman.com "In the Hidden History of Connecticut's Charter Oak" (blog) Guests Robert Storm Honorary Governor General of the Society of Colonial Wars, Connecticut Society of Colonial Wars in Connecticut Jack Hale Chair, Hartford Tree Advisory Commission Christopher Martin Connecticut State Forester CT State Forestry - Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection Allan Fenner Consulting Arborist Robb Barnard (Voice of Mark Twain) Head of Performing Arts Lincoln School, Providence, RI lincolnschool.org Consulting Editor David Still, II Music Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.com Artwork Dahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/home Website thisoldtree.show Follow on Facebook or Instagram We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a 1-3 minute audio story for consideration for the "Tree Story Short” segment on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to: [email protected] This episode was written in part at the What Cheer Writers Club, Providence, RI https://whatcheerclub.spaces.nexudus.com/about