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Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel adds a shovelful of dirt during a tree planting ceremony as part of the Heritage Trees: Planting History program, part of the America 250-Ohio celebration, at the Mercer County Courthouse on Friday morning.
CELINA - A white oak that one day will bear the same trademarks of the Unites States - chiefly ruggedness, strength, durability, resilience and majesty - was planted on the northeast corner of the Mercer County Courthouse lawn Friday during a midmorning ceremony attended by a throng of elected officeholders, dignitaries and members of the public.
Mercer County has now joined several other counties throughout Ohio that have planted Heritage Trees furnished by America 250-Ohio to honor America's 250th birthday this year.
The Heritage Trees, officials underscored, draw inspiration from the historic Liberty Tree in Boston under which patriots gathered to protest amid the Revolutionary War.
"It honors everybody as their heritage here in the county. It honors all citizens involved," Mercer County Commissioner Rick Muhlenkamp declared over the roar of Main Street traffic on a beautiful, sunny Friday morning.
Indeed, the tree planting marked a momentous occasion, said Mercer County Historical Society director Cait Clark.
"We are here because 250 years ago this year, many decisions were made right here that would lead us to this moment - where we became the America that you know today," Clark said. "It was not always this way that we know it. Once there was tyranny from a country far across the sea, and then they planted this tree in Boston … the liberty tree, which led us to planting our own tree."
The 88 counties of Ohio, Clark said, are planting Heritage Trees in remembrance of the Founding Fathers who helped to establish the United States 250 years ago.
Clark then used the moment to call attention to the historical society's nascent Adopt a Patriot program to recognize American Revolutionary War patriots buried in Mercer County.
"Many people until recently did not know how many American Revolution patriots were buried right here in Mercer County, Ohio," Clark said. "It was believed for many years that perhaps we'd be lucky (for it) to be five or six."
But through research and preparation for the American 250 celebration, the historical society has positively identified 23 American Revolution soldiers buried in Mercer County. All told, there could be as many as 40 soldiers whose remains were placed under Mercer soil, Clark said.
"We are still confirming them, though. However, with this first 23 veterans that we have identified, we are going to start a new project called Adopt a Patriot," she revealed. "Through this project we are installing a permanent memorial, over just one street at the Mercer County Historical Society housing the Riley House."
The historical society wants to enlist the public's assistance in making the memorial a reality.
"If you are interested in helping us install this memorial, please check out our website," she said. "We are shortly going to be posting biographies of each of these veterans that are buried within our county boundaries."
A majority of these patriots were buried in a mass grave following Gen. Arthur St. Clair's defeat at the hands of a confederation of nine native tribes, made up mostly of Miami, Shawnee and Delaware warriors, Nov. 4, 1791, in present day Fort Recovery.
The Native Americans struck a decisive victory that fateful day. They first targeted officers, and in the ensuing chaos killed roughly 600 members of the U.S. Army and wiped out 300 camp followers.
"But some of (these Revolution veterans) just moved here and started lives after the American Revolution, much like many of our families did just moving here, just to start a life and to grow a bright future, hopefully a bright future that we can grow further into like the tree we are planting today," Clark said of other local veteran grave sites.
Mercer County's Heritage Tree. The 88 counties of Ohio are planting Heritage Trees in remembrance of the Founding Fathers who helped to establish the United States 250 years ago.
In addition to a proud symbol of the United States of America, trees in general represent the essence of our everyday lives, said Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel.
"We're a young country by and large," he said. "When you look at the countries across the globe, we're a young country. But we're a proud country, we're a strong country - and these trees are a part of who we are."
Hazel highlighted the reestablishment of the Celine Tree Commission in 2023.
The tree commission and city government landed a $50,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant to start an urban tree program in Celina. The federal funds were to be spent on tree care and planting contractors, supplies for tree care and plantings, educational and related professional services, and other costs associated with a tree program.
The City of Celina has expended $50,000 on those initiatives, and now it will be reimbursed the funds via the grant, State Rep. Angie King, R-Celina, said in a statement.
"The $50,000 investment in Celina's tree program will enhance the streetscapes and provide lasting improvements to the overall appearance and character of the community for generations to come," King said.
A plaque marking Mercer County's Heritage Tree. The 88 counties of Ohio are planting Heritage Trees in remembrance of the Founding Fathers who helped to establish the United States 250 years ago.
The Celina Tree Commission, in conjunction with the spin-off Celina Tree Project, will host an event celebrating both Arbor Day and Earth Day next Saturday, April 25, at the courthouse and Mercer County District Library, according to Marina LeJeune, a member of both organizations.
From 10 a.m.-noon, several events are planned, including a tree planting on the courthouse lawn.
"We're putting on a nice program for the community," LeJeune told The Daily Standard. "There will be some things for children and some things for the adults as well. There will be storytime for kids - and games. There will be a presentation by an Ohio Urban Forester that is basically going to talk about the roles of trees in our community, and there will be a movie.
"Ohio: Wild at Heart," will be shown in the library basement.
"It's a movie about different natural treasures you can find in our state," LeJeune explained. "Our state actually has quite a few great natural resources, and people might not know it. So this movie's going to highlight it."
This will be the third year the tree commission has hosted an Arbor Day/Earth Day Event, she said.
"I feel like it's getting bigger and better every year," LeJeune said. "We are coming up with different ideas, like we're inviting the urban forester to give a speech."
Mercer County commissioners and members of the historical society pose for a photo with Mercer County's newly planted Heritage Tree. The 88 counties of Ohio are planting Heritage Trees in remembrance of the Founding Fathers who helped to establish the United States 250 years ago.
The Celina Tree Project planted 12 trees last year and aims to put down another six this spring, following by another round in the fall.
"A lot depends on the amount of funds (we raise)," LeJeune said about the number of trees to be planted.
Celina Tree Project volunteers raise their own funds to buy and plant trees, and have set up an account at the Mercer County Civic Foundation. Meanwhile, volunteers have been going to neighborhoods where trees were removed during street projects, handing out applications for the first tree giveaway.
Applications are also available at the Mercer County District Library in Celina.
The city's ODNR grant application indicates Celina's tree canopy suffered greatly as a result of the devastation of two main street tree types, elm and ash, over the decades.
"Celina, which had beautiful treelined streets and a significant tree canopy, has lost most of its tree canopy environment," the application reads. "Over the past few years, new street reconstruction projects have increased the loss of street trees within the City drawing the community attention to the (loss) of the City's tree canopy."
Having a more vibrant tree population will provide numerous benefits to Celina, including reduced energy costs for homeowners, increased habitat and food availability for songbirds and pollinators, prevention of soil erosion, retention of rainwater and a reduction in storm runoff, and cleaner air, the tree project asserts.
Both the tree commission and Celina Tree Project have made great strides in recent years, LeJeune said.
"Compared to where we were two years ago, we've made great progress," she said.
