Gifford Pinchot Memorial Plaque

This plaque on the lawn in front of the Simsbury Library marks the birthplace of Simsbury native Gifford Pinchot.
Who was he? He dedicated his life to American conservation and forestry, and in 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him as the first Chief of the United States Forest Service. He also served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania.
The plaque’s lengthy inscription reads:
Gifford Pinchot Birthplace
Gifford Pinchot (1865 — 1946) was for more than 50 years a staunch advocate of forestry and conservation in the United States. He was born on this site on August 11, 1865 to James Wallace Pinchot and Mary Jane Eno; his maternal grandparents were natives of Simsbury. Gifford Pinchot was founder and first president of the Society of American Foresters, served President Theodore Roosevelt as the first Chief of the USDA Forest Service, with his family helped establish the Yale School of Forestry, became Pennsylvania’s Commissioner of Forestry, was a principal in creating the National association of State Foresters, and was a two-​term Governor of Pennsylvania.
Dedication
August 11, 2000
In the centennial year of the founding of the society of American Foresters, and on the one-​hundred and thirty-​fifth anniversary of his birth, this monument is dedicated to the memory and legacy of this pioneering forester.
This monument was made possible by the Society of American Foresters and its New England Society, Divisions and Chapters, National Association of State Foresters Foundation, Pinchot Institute for Conservation, Connecticut Urban Forest Council, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, USDA Forest Service-​Grey Towers Historical Site, Connecticut Forest and Park Association, and the Pinchot and Eno families