The Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia mark the four lines which form the boundaries between Maryland and Virginia, and the 100 square miles of federal territory that became Washington, D.C. The markers were placed by a survey team led by Major Andrew Ellicott between 1791 and 1792. Thirty-six of the original marker stones are still extant and are the oldest federally-placed monuments in the country. The North Corner Boundary Marker marks the furthest north point of the District of Columbia.
This was the first boundary stone placed in Maryland. Placing this stone at its correct location along the District of Columbia-Maryland border, four miles from the west cornerstone, would have put it in the Potomac Gorge. Therefore, the stone is 1650 feet, or 100 poles, northeast of the four-mile mark. One face of the stone reads "Var. 0° 3' W," the magnetic compass variance at this location. The Daughters of the American Revolution placed a fence and plaque here in 1915. The stone is visible from the Capital Crescent Trail and within the grounds of the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant grounds, who will grant access to the stone upon request.
The Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia mark the four lines which form the boundaries between Maryland and Virginia, and the 100 square miles of federal territory that became Washington, D.C. The markers were placed by a survey team led by Major Andrew Ellicott between 1791 and 1792. Thirty-six of the original marker stones are still extant and are the oldest federally-placed monuments in the country. This stone, known as the West Cornerstone and the West Jurisdiction Stone, marks the westernmost point of the diamond-shaped boundary.
Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) was a remarkable figure in U.S. history, and commemorated here at the boundary stone set after he assisted in surveying the original boundaries of the District of Columbia. Forty stones were placed around the four ten-mile edges of the original territory, each one placed at intervals of one mile. In 1976 this boundary stone was added to the List of National Historic Landmarks in Virginia.
Situated in the corner of the yard of this private residence is a cube-shaped stone surrounded by an iron fence. The stone is one of the original boundary stones dating from 1791-1792 to mark the original boundary of the District of Columbia. The stone is not in its original position; it was moved 225 feet to this spot in 1904 and rotated in such a way that the sides with "Virginia" and "Jurisdiction of the United States" do not face their respective jurisdictions.
The Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia mark the four lines which form the boundaries between Maryland and Virginia, and the 100 square miles (259 km²) of federal territory that became Washington, D.C. Under the orders of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, a survey team led by Major Andrew Ellicott and supported by the astronomical calculations of free African-American Benjamin Banneker placed the stone markers between 1791 and 1792. Thirty-six of the original marker stones are still extant and are the oldest federally-placed monuments in the country. The South Cornerstone is located at Jones Point and was the first stone to be set in place.
The Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia mark the four lines which form the boundaries of the federal district which were created between Maryland and Virginia. The markers were placed by a survey team led by Major Andrew Ellicott between 1791 and 1792. The resulting 100 square miles became the federal city of Washington, D.C. Thirty-six of the original marker stones are still extant and are significant as the oldest federally-placed markers in the United States. The Southeast No. 5 Boundary Marker is located along the the border between Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland, next to the sidewalk in front of the Southern Avenue metro station.
This boundary stone is unusual in its size, much larger than other boundary stones. Fred Woodward, who surveyed the stones in 1907, surmised that it was meant to be the west cornerstone, which is smaller than the other cornerstones. The lettering is extremely eroded. The Ruth Brewster Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a plaque and fence at the stone in 1916. The plaque and fence went missing at some point, and the DAR undertook new restoration efforts in 2014 and 2015.
In 1791-1792, surveyor Andrew Ellicott led a team which included African-American surveyor Benjamin Banneker to place boundary stones around the ten square miles of Washington, DC. The 40 boundary stones were about a mile apart. This cornerstone marked the easternmost point of the city limits at the time, delineating the jurisdictions of the United States government and the state of Maryland. The Daughters of the American Revolution's District of Columbia chapter placed a historical marker at the stone and built a fence around it in 1916. A century later, collaborative efforts restored the stone again, with a rededication ceremony taking place in 2017.
The Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia mark the four lines which form the boundaries of the federal district which were created between Maryland and Virginia. The markers were placed by a survey team led by Major Andrew Ellicott between 1791 and 1792. The resulting 100 square miles became the federal city of Washington, D.C. Thirty-six of the original marker stones are still extant and are significant as the oldest federally-placed markers in the United States. The Northeast No. 2 Boundary Marker is located along the D.C./Maryland line.
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In the early 1790s, surveyor Major Andrew Ellicott led a team, including African-American astromer and surveyor Benjamin Banneker, to survey the city of Washington, DC. This effort placed 40 marker stones along its boundary, each about a mile apart. Thirty-six of these stones are extant today and traveling this tour to a few of them will take you around the original borders of the city.
