Tipton County’s only official arboretum is getting a birthday party, and so is the country.

The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will dedicate a Liberty Tree at the Drummonds Park Arboretum on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m., as part of a celebration of America’s 250th birthday, according to the Covington-Tipton County Chamber of Commerce.

The dedication also marks two milestones for the arboretum itself: its Level II accreditation and its 10-year anniversary, the chamber said.

Why a Liberty Tree?

The chamber describes the Liberty Tree as an emblem of American independence. The original Liberty Tree was a Boston elm where colonists gathered to protest British rule in the years before the Revolution, and the name has been carried on by trees planted and dedicated in its honor.

About the arboretum

Drummonds Park is a 30-acre county park at 261 Tate Road, behind the Tipton County Fire Department and next to Drummonds Elementary School. Along with a playground, pavilions, a disc golf course, a soccer field and an amphitheater, it has paved, lighted nature trails that wind through the woods, according to Tipton County government.

The arboretum along those trails is a joint effort of the Tipton County Extension Master Gardeners, Boy Scouts of America Troop 260 and others, the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council and Tipton County. The county calls it the first and only official arboretum in Tipton County. Thirty-five trees have been identified and marked with posts and name labels, as approved by the state, from red maples and white oaks to a tulip poplar, Tennessee’s state tree, according to the county and the Master Gardeners’ arboretum brochure.

If you go

  • When: Saturday, Nov. 14, 1 p.m.
  • Where: Drummonds Park Arboretum, 261 Tate Road, Drummonds
  • Contacts: The Covington-Tipton County Chamber of Commerce is at (901) 476-9727, and the Tipton County Extension Master Gardeners are at (901) 476-0321.

Sources: Covington-Tipton County Chamber of Commerce (Sept. 13, 2026), Tipton County Government: Drummonds Park, and the Drummonds Park Arboretum brochure.

Photo: A tulip poplar in autumn (file photo, not taken at Drummonds Park). Steve Knight / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)