Fallen Mt. Vernon Tree Stood the Test of Time-- Part 2: George Washington Probably Saw It

It fell just before midnight on November 4.  Said Dean Norton, Mount Vernon director of horticulture:  "Middle of the night.  No wind.  It just falls over."

It was about 115 feet tall, 12 feet around and roughly 230 years old, almost as old as the United States.

Witness to so much history, "trees just give up on occasion," Norton said.  It wasn't sick, "It was just its time."

The tree dated to at least 1780 according to Norton who then cut it and measured its rings that help date it and tell its story.  His count, he admits, is on the conservative side and it could be older.

George Washington owned the Mount Vernon plantation along with its home and more than 100 slaves.   He and his wife Martha are buried on the property, which is on the Potomac River about 15 miles south of Washington.

The Mount Vernon people said that wood from the tree will be used to make repairs.

--CootTree