Transatlantic relations
About
Cedars Park has a longstanding relationship with Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. The town of Waltham, MA was established in 1634 by settlers from Waltham Cross, England.
In August 1930, the Chairman of Cheshunt Urban District Council (Joseph B. Franklin Esq.) visited the American Waltham for an early celebration of the tercentenary of the town's founding. He was gifted an Amur cork tree, which was planted in Cedars Park on his return home — reportedly the only one in England.
This was followed up in 1941 with additional gifts from America to England of a mobile canteen worth $1500 ($21,000 today) to Waltham Cross and Waltham Abbey, which were joint at the time. A prominent American Walthamite wrote to the Chairman of the Council: 'We Americans admire the gallant fight you Englishmen are making for the cause of democracy'.
After the tree died from storm damage, the American Waltham kindly donated a new one in August 1980, which later died.
A new tree was planted in recent years, but unfortunately it was severely ring-barked in 2019 (likely by muntjacs) and died in 2020, despite repair efforts.