Historical Name: Liberty Hall
Common Name: Eastern Catalpa
Latin Name: Catalpa bignonioides
Liberty Hall is one of the most historic buildings in Union County. The home of New Jersey’s first elected governor, William Livingston, it is now open as a museum. One can take a guided tour through the mansion, and walk the beautifully landscaped grounds. Many of the trees there were planted back in the 1770’s when the house was built. One such specimen, a very old Catalpa tree, graces the front yard. Liberty Hall is located on Morris Avenue in Union, NJ, across the road from Kean University. The University was built on land that was once part of Liberty Hall’s working farm. A tree grown from a seed collected from the Liberty Hall Catalpa can be found in UCNJ’s Historic Tree Grove. It was planted into the Grove in 2003.