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The design for the reverse (tails) of the Connecticut quarter was submitted by Andy Jones, an art teacher at the Eastern Connecticut State University. His design features the leafless Charter Oak tree, the words "The Charter Oak," and a stone wall.
The Charter Oak is famous as the hiding place of the state's charter. In 1687, a representative of Britain's King James II demanded that Connecticut surrender their charter, the document which recognized the boundaries of Connecticut and recognized it as a corporate state. In the middle of a heated discussion, with the Charter on the table between the opposing parties, the candles mysteriously went out. When they were re-lighted, the Connecticut Charter was gone.
Captain Joseph Wadsworth had saved the Charter from the hands of the British and hidden it in the safest place he could find - in a majestic white oak on the property of the Wyllys family.
The Charter Oak finally fell during a great storm on August 21, 1856.
The 50 State Quarters Program is a 10-year celebration of the United
States in which a series of five quarters is issued each year from 1999
through 2008, celebrating each of the 50 states. The coins are released
in the order in which the states were admitted to the union. The 2000 series
of quarters will honor the states of Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina,
New Hampshire, and Virginia. The New York State quarter will be the first
one issued in the year 2001.
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