The most famous tree in Connecticut was the Charter Oak in Hartford. According to legend, during a 1687 dispute over Connecticut’s status as a colony, the royal charter was hidden for safekeeping in a white oak tree, afterwards called the Charter Oak.

The Charter Oak was felled by a storm in 1856, but its story didn’t end there. Countless souvenirs were carved from the trunk and limbs, ranging from massive furniture to miniscule knick-knacks. The Cornwall Historical Society, like most historical societies in the state, has a collection of objects made from the Charter Oak.