Something was missing when I visited Mount Vernon last September. As I stood on the Potomac side of the mansion, looking at the same view pictured here, it took me a few moments to realize that the 160-year-old, 140-ft-tall pecan tree was gone! A docent informed me that the tree was damaged, and since it was not a part of the original estate, it was removed for fear that it would fall on the house and damage the home as well as many original artifacts inside. So glad to have this photo.