In an 1876 depiction of Valentine Corners, just before the Hall was built, the tree is a prominent landmark in the scene, with a distinctive mound at its base which is still there today. For some reason when all the rest of the land was cleared, someone decided to spare this one tree. Even then the signs of development & progress were all around it. The once deer trails & footpaths were now widened roads for carriages & wagons & local residents passed by it daily on their way to their destinations.