In 1932 a dedication ceremony was held in front of Morgan Hall marking the planting of the “Washington Elm.” Dean Hoskins was the principal speaker. Katherine Carson made the dedication of the tree, and Dr. H. A. Morgan accepted it for the university. Mrs. A. W. McWhorter, accompanied by Professor L. S. Mayer, sang George Washington’s favorite song, “The Wayworn Traveler.” The bronze tablet at the tree’s base read: “Under the parent of this tree George Washington first took command of the American army at Cambridge, Mass., July 3, 1775. Planted by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in Tennessee in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his birth.”
The College of Agriculture tended the tree, which survived the elm disease. The tree was cut down by the Tennessee Department of Transportation in the early 1990s as part of the preparation of on/off ramps for Alcoa Highway, a project that was installed partially on university land.