Captain Joseph Wadsworth
Captain Joseph Wadsworth
Where You Are Standing
On October 31, 1687
Came Sir Edmund Andros to the
meeting house built on this site,
sent by the British Crown
to revoke Connecticut's Charter
and establish the Dominion of New England.
Captain Joseph Wadsworth, determined to
protect Connecticut's liberties,
stealthily removes the Charter from the room.
He tucks the precious document inside his cloak
and hurries through the night looking
for a safe hiding place.
Tradition says Wadsworth took the Charter
to a great tree a quarter mile from here
and placed it within its sturdy trunk.
Thus was born the Legend of the Charter Oak.
Joseph Wadsworth sculpture by Randy Nelson, 1996
Made possible through a grant from
The Hartford Courant Foundation.
Marker can be reached from the intersection of Main Street and Central Row, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
