Treaty Oak (Washington, D.C.)

The oak tree earned its nickname due to local legends that a treaty was signed there between early settlers and Native Americans.

In 1922 a Masonic group purchased the estate for what was then a significant amount of money to build a massive complex that would include temples.

The plans were never carried out, and in 1940 the site was chosen for the large Crystal Heights mixed development designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The area where the Treaty Oak once stood was originally part of a 600-acre (243 ha) tract of land known as Widow's Mite.

During a raid against local white settlers, Manacasset is said to have captured a woman named Magdalena Noyes and her infant daughter.

In her will, she allegedly wrote: "I, Magdalena Noyes, bequeath to my daughter, Gwawa, and her husband Tschagarag, all my property, consisting of the 17.5 acres [7.1 ha] of land, the hut I live in and all therein.

"[3] The second legend involves members of the Nacotchtank tribe and white settlers signing a treaty beneath the tree.

[4] When the City of Washington was laid out, the land where the Treaty Oak stood was part of a 16-acre (6.5 ha) farm owned by settler Anthony Holmead.

The following owner, the Dean family, sold Oak Lawn in 1922 to the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons for $900,000, a significant amount at the time.

Due to lack of funding, local zoning laws, including the Height of Buildings Act of 1899, and the outbreak of World War II, the project was canceled.

[8] Following numerous abandoned plans for the former Oak Lawn property, in the 1960s, the Washington Hilton and two office buildings were built on the site.