8 Secrets People Don't Know About Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom

2. Rooted in history

One of Liberty Square’s most iconic markers is an enormous Southern Live Oak tree that stands right outside Liberty Tree Tavern and is adorned with 13 hanging lanterns, symbolizing the 13 original colonies. And rightly so the tree is known as “Liberty Tree” after the song by the same name, which was featured in the 1957 Disney film adaptation of Johnny Tremain. The tree is over 130 years old, and at 38 tons it is the largest living thing in all of Magic Kingdom Park. Implanting the tree from its original location eight miles away was by no means an easy task. It called on the expertise of Bill Evans—a landscaper who, years earlier, implemented an innovative method for moving a Coral tree in Disneyland. Several holes were drilled into the oak’s trunk so pins could be implanted and the tree could be lifted without damaging the roots. And that is how Liberty Tree came to stand firmly in its current regal position.