Fallen Mt. Vernon Tree Stood the Test of Time-- Part 1: George Washington's Tree

From the Nov. 24, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Michael E. Ruane, the Washington Post.

It was probably a sapling when George Washington returned triumphant to Mt. Vernon in1783 after the American Revolution.  It was probably there in 1787 when he left for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and it grew during his terms as the country's first president.

It was there when he came home for good and when he died in 1799.

Droughts came and went, along with two centuries of American history.  During the Civil War, soldiers carved insignia into its bark

Then,late one night, earlier this month the tired old white oak gave out and came crashing down across a road in the woods.

Caretakers at Mount Vernon heard it fall just before midnight November 4.

--Cooter