For historical buffs - this is the tree upon which all US presidents carve their initials as they traverse Pennsylvania Avenue after his/her inauguration. It is thought that this tradition had grown out of the idea that an authentic president must have a little Huck Finn in the blood (Twain would be mortified). Some of the older initials have all but been grown over by bark and the Park Service is extremely concerned that the 4 year ritual of crude (artistically crude, that is...not profane crude) inscriptions negatively affect the health of the tree....either that or the constant pollution from the constant traffic up and down Pennsylvania Avenue. The Park Service has had to station a ranger 24/7 at the site to prevent tourists leaving their bogus presidential inscriptions. It will be interesting to see how much longer the tree hangs in. Check it out next time you are in DC. Fremiet ;-)