Boundary Stones
of the District of Columbia
Recent News
Nov. 15, 2011: Nation's Capital Boundary Stones Committee met in Anacostia.
Oct. 22, 2011: Restoration project led by ASCE's Stephen Powers covered by Mt. Vernon Estate, Greater Greater Washington, and the NW Current.
Oct. 07, 2011: WETA's "More Unusual Attractions" featured the stones at 22:41-24:30.
Sep. 28, 2011: Boundary Stone Public House opened.
Nov. 15, 2011: Nation's Capital Boundary Stones Committee met in Anacostia.
Oct. 22, 2011: Restoration project led by ASCE's Stephen Powers covered by Mt. Vernon Estate, Greater Greater Washington, and the NW Current.
Oct. 07, 2011: WETA's "More Unusual Attractions" featured the stones at 22:41-24:30.
Sep. 28, 2011: Boundary Stone Public House opened.
The Residence Act of July 16, 1790, as amended March 3, 1791, authorized
President George Washington to select a 100-square-mile site for the national
capital on the Potomac River between Alexandria, Virginia, and
Williamsport, Maryland. President Washington selected the southernmost
location within these limits, so that the capital would include all of
present-day Old Town Alexandria, then one of the four busiest ports
in the country. Acting on instructions from Secretary of State
Thomas Jefferson, Major Andrew Ellicott began surveying
the ten-mile square on February 12, 1791.
Ellicott, a prominent professional surveyor, hired Benjamin Banneker, an astronomer and mathematician from Maryland, to make the astronomical observations and calculations necessary to establish the south corner of the square at Jones Point in Alexandria. According to legend, "Banneker fixed the position of the first stone by lying on his back to find the exact starting point for the survey ... and plotting six stars as they crossed his spot at a particular time of night." From there, Ellicott's team embarked on a 40-mile journey, surveying ten-mile lines first to the northwest, then the northeast, next southeast, and finally southwest back to the starting point, clearing twenty feet of land on each side of the boundary.
The Alexandria Masonic Lodge placed a stone at the south corner on April 15, 1791, in ceremonies attended by Ellicott, federal district commissioners Daniel Carroll and David Stuart, and other dignitaries. Other stones, made of Aquia Creek sandstone, were placed at one-mile intervals along the boundaries, resulting in 40 stones total. On each stone, the side facing the District of Columbia displayed the inscription "Jurisdiction of the United States" and a mile number. The opposite side said either "Virginia" or "Maryland," as appropriate. The third and fourth sides displayed the year in which the stone was placed (1791 for the 14 Virginia stones and 1792 for the 26 Maryland stones) and the magnetic compass variance at that place. Stones along the northwest Maryland boundary also displayed the number of miles they fell from NW4, the first stone placed in Maryland. Stones placed at intervals of more than a mile included that extra distance measured in poles.
The boundary stones are the oldest federal monuments. Although several boundary stones have been moved or severely damaged, 36 original stones and 2 substitute stones (SW2 and SE8) are in or near their original locations, including all 14 in the land that was returned to Virginia in the 1846-1847 retrocession. A 39th is in storage (SE4) and the 40th (NE1) is marked by a plaque. This site describes the locations of the stones as of 2011, updating the information provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution (1976) and the National Register of Historic Places (1996).
Click on any of the map markers below for photos and information about each stone. A printable list appears at the bottom of the page.
Ellicott, a prominent professional surveyor, hired Benjamin Banneker, an astronomer and mathematician from Maryland, to make the astronomical observations and calculations necessary to establish the south corner of the square at Jones Point in Alexandria. According to legend, "Banneker fixed the position of the first stone by lying on his back to find the exact starting point for the survey ... and plotting six stars as they crossed his spot at a particular time of night." From there, Ellicott's team embarked on a 40-mile journey, surveying ten-mile lines first to the northwest, then the northeast, next southeast, and finally southwest back to the starting point, clearing twenty feet of land on each side of the boundary.
The Alexandria Masonic Lodge placed a stone at the south corner on April 15, 1791, in ceremonies attended by Ellicott, federal district commissioners Daniel Carroll and David Stuart, and other dignitaries. Other stones, made of Aquia Creek sandstone, were placed at one-mile intervals along the boundaries, resulting in 40 stones total. On each stone, the side facing the District of Columbia displayed the inscription "Jurisdiction of the United States" and a mile number. The opposite side said either "Virginia" or "Maryland," as appropriate. The third and fourth sides displayed the year in which the stone was placed (1791 for the 14 Virginia stones and 1792 for the 26 Maryland stones) and the magnetic compass variance at that place. Stones along the northwest Maryland boundary also displayed the number of miles they fell from NW4, the first stone placed in Maryland. Stones placed at intervals of more than a mile included that extra distance measured in poles.
The boundary stones are the oldest federal monuments. Although several boundary stones have been moved or severely damaged, 36 original stones and 2 substitute stones (SW2 and SE8) are in or near their original locations, including all 14 in the land that was returned to Virginia in the 1846-1847 retrocession. A 39th is in storage (SE4) and the 40th (NE1) is marked by a plaque. This site describes the locations of the stones as of 2011, updating the information provided by the Daughters of the American Revolution (1976) and the National Register of Historic Places (1996).
Click on any of the map markers below for photos and information about each stone. A printable list appears at the bottom of the page.
After Ellicott's team, the next to survey the stones was Marcus Baker, who visited each
stone's location during the summer of 1894. Baker reported his survey
to the Columbia Historical Society (available below).
Following Baker, Fred E. Woodward
photographed 39 of the boundary stones--all but SW2, which had been lost
even before Baker's survey--starting in
1906. In his reports to the Columbia Historical Society (available
below), Woodward described
the extent to which the stones had deteriorated and proposed
that they be protected for the enjoyment of future generations.
In 1915, the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), citing Woodward's work, voluntarily assumed the responsibility of protecting the stones by erecting a tall iron fence around each one. For decades afterward, DAR members visited the stones periodically to perform routine maintenance. Despite DAR's care and attention, however, many of the stones fell on hard times during the mid-1900s. Several were repositioned, removed, lost, or buried during construction projects. Thankfully, a resurveying team led by David Doyle to celebrate the District's bicentennial in 1990-1991 located two of the then-missing stones, SE8 (which already had been lost once before and replaced with a replica) and SE4.
In 1994 and 1995, the Northern Virginia Boundary Stones Committee (NOVABOSTCO), under the leadership of chairman Ric Terman, documented the status of the fourteen stones in Virginia. Since 2000, NOVABOSTCO's successor, the Nation's Capital Boundary Stones Committee (NACABOSTCO), has worked with government agencies, historical societies, professional associations, and others to ensure the preservation and appreciation of all of the stones. NACABOSTCO's partners include the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Society of Civil Engineers - National Capital Section, and the District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyers.
In 1915, the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), citing Woodward's work, voluntarily assumed the responsibility of protecting the stones by erecting a tall iron fence around each one. For decades afterward, DAR members visited the stones periodically to perform routine maintenance. Despite DAR's care and attention, however, many of the stones fell on hard times during the mid-1900s. Several were repositioned, removed, lost, or buried during construction projects. Thankfully, a resurveying team led by David Doyle to celebrate the District's bicentennial in 1990-1991 located two of the then-missing stones, SE8 (which already had been lost once before and replaced with a replica) and SE4.
In 1994 and 1995, the Northern Virginia Boundary Stones Committee (NOVABOSTCO), under the leadership of chairman Ric Terman, documented the status of the fourteen stones in Virginia. Since 2000, NOVABOSTCO's successor, the Nation's Capital Boundary Stones Committee (NACABOSTCO), has worked with government agencies, historical societies, professional associations, and others to ensure the preservation and appreciation of all of the stones. NACABOSTCO's partners include the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Society of Civil Engineers - National Capital Section, and the District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyers.
Absolutely Required Reading
A. Morton Thomas and Associates, Inc.: The Hunt for Southeast 8 (Apr. 29, 1991).
Alexander, Mrs. Sally Kennedy: "A Sketch of the Life of Major Andrew Ellicott," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 2, pp. 170-182 (1896).
Baker, Marcus: "The Boundary Monuments of the District of Columbia," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 1, pp. 215-224 (1897).
Chase, Louise Coflin: Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia (1930) [unpublished manuscript in the Washingtoniana Collection of the District of Columbia Public Library], later reprinted (minus one paragraph) in
Records and History of the Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia (no date) [unpublished manuscript in the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.].
D.C. D.A.R.: Records and History of the Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia (no date) [unpublished manuscript in the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.].
Harris, Gayle T.: Biographies of the Boundary Stones (2001) [unpublished manuscript in the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.]:
cover and bibliography,
south,
west,
north,
east.
Miller, Mrs. Charles S., State Historian, D.C. D.A.R.: Correspondence with National Park Service regarding the disappearance and replacement of SE8 (1962).
National Capital Planning Commission: Boundary Markers of the Nation's Capital: A Proposal for Their Preservation & Protection (Summer 1976).
National Park Service: National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Jones Point Lighthouse and District of Columbia South Cornerstone (Mar. 1980).
Northern Virginia Boundary Stones Committee: 1994-1995 Findings and Recommendations of the Northern Virginia Boundary Stones Committee (Sep. 1995).
Nye, Edwin Darby: "Revisiting Washington's Forty Boundary Stones, 1972," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 48, pp. 740-751 (1973).
Robinson, June: "The Arlington Boundary Stones," The Arlington Historical Magazine, Vol. 9, pp. 5-19 (Oct. 1989).
Shuster, Ernest A.: "The Original Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia," National Geographic, pp. 356-359 (Apr. 1909).
Stewart, John: "Early Maps and Surveyors of the City of Washington, D. C.," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 2, pp. 48-61 (1895).
Woodward, Fred E.: "A Ramble Along the Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia With a Camera," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 10, pp. 63-87 (1907).
Woodward, Fred E.: "With A Camera Over the Old District Boundary Lines," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 11, pp. 1-15 (1908).
Woodward, Fred E.: "The Recovery of the Southern Corner Stone of the District," Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Vol. 18, pp. 16-24 (1915).
Woodward, Fred E.: "Boundary Mile Stones" (1916) in
Records and History of the Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia (no date) [unpublished manuscript in the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.].
Additional Sources
American Society of Civil Engineers: Letter to Senator Charles M. Mathias supporting legislation to protect boundary stones (1979).
Arnett, G. Ray, Assistant Secretary, Department of the Interior: Letter to Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs opposing legislation (H.R. 2638 / S. 569) to protect boundary stones (1984).
Bedini, Silvio A.: "The Survey of the Federal Territory," Washington History, Vol. 3, No. 1: pp. 76-95 (Spring/Summer 1991).
Bedini, Silvio A.: "Conserving the Boundary Stones," Washington Post, p. A18 (June 20, 1998).
Caemmerer, H. Paul: "Washington The National Capital," Senate Document No. 332 (1932).
Claudy, Carl H.: Your Masonic Capital City, p. 25 (1950).
Council of the District of Columbia: "Federal Legislation on the Original Boundary Stones in the District of Columbia Support Resolution of 1984," (June 26, 1984).
Cowan, Gene:
SW5 (2003).
Cowan, John P.: "Boundary 'Error'," Washington Post, p. 12 (Jan. 3, 1951).
Crowe, Cherilyn: "Stone Age," American Spirit, pp. 10-11 (May/June 2011).
De Cola, Lee: October Field Trip (2001).
E.M.A.: "Return Arlington County?," Washington Post, p. 6 (Feb. 10, 1936).
Fairlington Historic District:
Original District of Columbia Boundary Marker is Next to Fairlington (2011).
Falls Church Historical Commission: Federal Territory Boundary Stone No. Southwest 9 (July 1999).
Fernandez, Manny: "Humble Monuments to Washington's Past," Washington Post, pp. B01, B04 (July 10, 2001).
Gifford, Bill: "On The Borderline," Washingotn City Paper (Mar. 28, 1993).
Glassie, Ada Boyd: "Belt Line Highway Around Washington Should Follow Boundaries of 'Ten Miles Square.'," Washington Post, p. 6 (Oct. 9, 1929).
Hansard, Sara E.: "Old Stones Mark D.C. Boundaries," Washington Post, p. B1 (June 27, 1976).
Howder's Site:
Washington, DC Boundary Stones (Sep. 2000).
Kanon, Matthew: Stoned Out of My Mind: A Guide to and Personal Reflections of the Boundary Stones for the District of Columbia (2003).
Kaye, Ruth Lincoln: "The District's Boundary Stones," Washington Post, p. A18 (July 28, 2001).
Kelly, John: "Arlington Man Watches Over Unsung Monuments to D.C.'s Origins," Washington Post, p. B3 (May 14, 2009).
Lawrence, Kenneth: "Record of the Present Condition and Location of the Mile-Stones" (1949) in Records and History of the Boundary Stones of the District of Columbia (no date) [unpublished manuscript in the Kiplinger Research Library of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C.].
McCormick, Gene: "D.C.'s Southern Boundary Stone," Washington Post, p. A16 (July 15, 1998).
Muller, John: "Boundary Stones: The Oldest Monuments in the District," Greater Greater Washington (October 25, 2011).
National Capital Planning Commission: "Boundary Markers of the Nation's Capital," National Capital Planning Commission Quarterly, pp. 1-4 (Fall 1976).
National Register of Historic Places:
East,
NE2-NE9, North, NW4-NW9,
NW1-NW3, SW4-SW9,
SE1-SE3, SE5-SE7, SE9, South, SW1-SW5, SW9, West.
SE1-SE3, SE5-SE7, SE9, South, SW1-SW5, SW9, West.
Nye, Edwin Darby: "Boundary Stones," The Washington Star Sunday Magazine, pp. 6-9 (June 23, 1963).
Pegoraro, Rob: "At Boundary Stones, Today's Virginia Meets Yesterday's D.C.," The Washington Post Sunday Source, p. M8 (July 1, 2007).
Powers, Stephen C.: "The Boundary Stones of the Federal City," ASCE Newsletter National Capital Section, Vol. 53, No. 7 (Mar. 2007).
Powers, Stephen C.: "The Boundary Stones of the Federal City - Speaker: Stephen C. Powers, P.E.," ASCE Newsletter National Capital Section, Vol. 54, No. 3 (Nov. 2007).
Sadler, Christine: "D.C. Boundary Stones Historian's Nightmare," Washington Post, p. F2 (Dec. 10, 1939).
Saul, Ana: "The Most Interesting Thing in Bradbury Heights," Washington Post, p. JP2 (Sep. 8, 1929).
Socotra, Vic: The Northeast Stones (1993).
Straumsheim, Carl: "On D.C. Border, History Hides Along Wayside," The Northwest Current, Vol. XLIV, No. 43, p. 7 (Oct. 26, 2011).
Sunday Star: "Fence is Dedicated at Milestone No. 8," Sunday Star (Oct. 15, 1916).
Todaro, Richard M.: "The Four Cornerstones of the Original D.C.," Washington Post (June 7, 1998).
Twomey, Steve: "Lesser Known Monuments Map Out the Original D.C.; Team Marking Stones That Set Boundaries," Washington Post, p. B01 (Oct. 9, 1990).
U.S. Geological Survey: "Federal District Boundary Markers in Northern Virginia: Condition and Preservation Issues" (1994).
Van Mathews, Catherine Cortlandt: Andrew Ellicott: His Life and Letters (2010).
Washington Post: "Surveys of District," Washington Post, p. 32 (July 13, 1902).
Washington Post: "District Not Plumb," Washington Post, p. E2 (May 27, 1906).
Washington Post: "Old North Corner-stone Stands in Big Corn Field," Washington Post (Sep. 9, 1906).
Washington Post: "Talk on Boundary Stones," Washington Post, p. 13 (Jan. 9, 1916).
Washington Post: "To Dedicate Boundary Stone," Washington Post, p. 5 (May 29, 1916).
Washington Post: "Dedicate Boundary Stone," Washington Post, p. R2 (June 4, 1916).
Washington Post: "News of the Club World," Washington Post, p. ES14 (June 4, 1916).
Washington Post: "Washington Unique in that it is the Only World Capital Founded by the Government Itself," Washington Post, p. 45 (Jan. 9, 1921).
Washington Post: "D.A.R. Activities," Washington Post, p. 45 (Apr. 10, 1921).
Washington Post: "Society Will Observe 'District' Day April 15," Washington Post, p. 2 (Feb. 19, 1922).
Washington Post: "D.A.R. Records Deed for Historic Tract," Washington Post, p. 2 (July 1, 1926).
Washington Post: "Gov. Welles, C.A.R.," Washington Post, p. S10 (Dec. 22, 1929).
Washington Post: "Boundary Stones Washington Laid Here Still Stand," Washington Post, p. M15 (June 28, 1931).
Washington Post: "Ancient District Boundary Marker Set by Washington," Washington Post, p. S7 (Dec. 27, 1931).
Washington Post: "Boundary Stone Plaque Unveiled," Washington Post, p. C1 (Jan. 14, 1961).
Washington Post: "Boundary Stone of DC Rededicated," Washington Post, p. A5 (June 6, 1965).
Washington Smart Growth Alliance: "Regional Conservation Priorities," pp. 12-13 (2008).
Washington Times: "Location of Original Cornerstone of the District," Washington Times (June 23, 1912).
Wheeler, Richard S.: The Boundary Stones (April 1963) [unpublished manuscript in the D.A.R. D.C. History collection].
Whitaker, Joseph D.: "Funds Sought to Preserve Original D.C. Boundary Markers," Washington Post, pp. B9-B10 (Mar. 6, 1983).
Zimmermann, Mark:
Guide Maps
and
Photos and GPS Coordinates (2006).
Boundary Stone Locations
Jones Point Lighthouse: in an opening in the seawall of the lighthouse at
Jones Point Park on the Potomac River in Alexandria, VA. The lighthouse
was built in 1855 and a seawall was constructed in 1861. As documented by
Woodward and others, the stone was hidden behind this seawall until
June 1912. Because the stone remains in an enclosure in the wall,
it still is not possible to view it in its entirety.
According to the Records of the Columbia Historical Society (Volume 2), on March 25, 1794, the district commissioners requested that the city surveyor "have a large stone lettered 'The beginning of the Territory of Columbia,' prepared and fixed at the beginning of the territory, in the presence of some of the gentlemen who were present at the fixing of the small stone now there." By June 21, 1794, this new corner stone had replaced the original ceremonial corner stone from 1791.
As Woodward noted in a reading before the Columbia Historical Society on March 18, 1913, "The stone is slightly varied in shape from the remaining ones, being about eleven inches by nearly fourteen inches, instead of the usual twelve by twelve." Additionally, as observed in a Washington Times article from June 23, 1912, "The inscriptions are almost illegible, only portions of the letters being visible, these being on the southwest side, the southeast side bears a part of the date, the figure '7' being discernible. ... The two remaining sides are unmarked and bear no evidence of ever having been inscribed."
According to the Records of the Columbia Historical Society (Volume 2), on March 25, 1794, the district commissioners requested that the city surveyor "have a large stone lettered 'The beginning of the Territory of Columbia,' prepared and fixed at the beginning of the territory, in the presence of some of the gentlemen who were present at the fixing of the small stone now there." By June 21, 1794, this new corner stone had replaced the original ceremonial corner stone from 1791.
As Woodward noted in a reading before the Columbia Historical Society on March 18, 1913, "The stone is slightly varied in shape from the remaining ones, being about eleven inches by nearly fourteen inches, instead of the usual twelve by twelve." Additionally, as observed in a Washington Times article from June 23, 1912, "The inscriptions are almost illegible, only portions of the letters being visible, these being on the southwest side, the southeast side bears a part of the date, the figure '7' being discernible. ... The two remaining sides are unmarked and bear no evidence of ever having been inscribed."
1220 Wilkes Street: SW corner of the intersection of Wilkes and S. Payne
Streets in Alexandria, VA. Around 1904, the stone was moved 225 feet
from its original position. When it was reset in the ground, it was rotated
such that the sides of the stone marked "Virginia" and "Jurisdiction
of the United States" no longer face their respective jurisdictions.
The letters on the District face of the stone are smaller than those
of the other stones and in a different script.
7 Russell Road: east side of Russell Road just north of King Street. This is
neither the original stone nor the original location.
Baker and Woodward reported the original stone to be missing as of the
late 1800s, and DAR records show that the current stone was placed at this
location in 1920. The original stone was located about 0.35 northwest
of this replacement. According to Woodward, the original "stone was
evidently placed
on the east side, and very close to, [King Street], on the eastern side of
Shuter's Hill, in a subdivision known as Spring Park," which is now called
Rosemont.
2932 King Street: north end of parking lot of the First Baptist Church,
south of Scroggins Road in Alexandria, VA. This stone has been removed
from the ground and reset in concrete. Note that the address is not 2952
King Street, as some sources state.
Adjacent to Fairlington Village at the edge of east side of King Street
between S. Wakefield Street and Route 395. According to Woodward, farm plows
had destroyed the top of this stone by the early 1900s. After being
repositioned when the highway was widened, the remaining portion of the
stone has sunk very low into the ground.
North side of Walter Reed Parkway 100+ feet east of intersection with King
Street. Only the stump of this stone remains. Its current condition is
consistent with Woodward's 1908 report that the "stone is broken, and the top
seems to be lost. The entire base, with a few inches of the finished portion,
was found lying on the ground in approximately the same spot where it had
originally been placed." This stone is now nearly 45 feet from its original
position.
Median strip of Jefferson Street 0.1 miles south of Columbia Pike in
Arlington, VA. This stone has been repositioned several times. It
also has been hit by a car and cemented back together.
5995 5th Road, Arlington, VA: Carlin Springs Elementary School, parking
lot C, near the fence. You also can reach this stone by going around the
tennis courts to the private park behind the apartment building at 3101 S.
Manchester Street, Falls Church, VA.
A short distance from the intersection of John Marshall Drive and Wilson
Boulevard: 100 feet southeast of water tower behind the Patrick Henry Apartments. The stone is at the edge of the parking lot across from units 6184 and 6172. As the informational sign near the stone states, this is not the original location.
Benjamin Banneker Park on Van Buren Street south of 18th Street in Falls Church, VA.
Andrew Ellicott Park: 2824 N. Arizona Street (sometimes listed as
2824 Meridian Street), south of West Street in Falls Church, VA.
3607 Powhatan Street, north of 36th Street in Arlington, VA:
west side of back yard, 200 feet from the road.
5298 Old Dominion Drive or 5145 N. 38th Street, Arlington, VA: in the fence
separating the back yards of two homes.
4013 N. Tazewell Street, Arlington, VA: back yard of home.
Within the fenced Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant grounds, 100+ feet
east of the Capitol Crescent Trail (from the "Entering Montgomery County" sign)
and several hundred feet north of the intersection
of Norton Street and Potomac Avenue. The easiest way to see this stone
is through the fence along the Crescent Trail because the treatment plant
is closed to the public. It is also possible to schedule a visit to the
stone during normal business hours
by calling Patty Gamby of the Army Corps of Engineers at (202) 764-2693.
If she is unavailable, call the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant's main
number at (202) 764-2753.
Older sources list the stone's location as 5906 Dalecarlia
Place. The "government dwelling" once located at that address has
been demolished and the street formerly known as Dalecarlia Place has
been converted to an access road.
600 feet west of Dalecarlia Parkway and 300 southeast of concrete
culvert, within the fenced Dalecarlia Reservoir property. Starting
from Westmoreland Circle, travel south on Dalecarlia Parkway until
the road crosses over a creek near Warren Place. Follow the creek
west into the forest.
After some time, the creek and the chain link fence run parallel to
each other. When the fence crosses over the creek, the concrete culvert
is easily visible within the fenced area. Shortly before the crossover,
there once was a large hole cut into the fence. The stone is several
hundred feet south of this hole, over the crest of the hill and too
deep into the forest
to see from outside the fenced area. Unfortunately, entering through
the hole constitutes trespassing on federal property. Thankfully,
it is possible to schedule a visit to the stone during normal business
hours by calling Patty Gamby of the Army Corps of Engineers at (202) 764-2693.
If she is unavailable, call the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant's main
number at (202) 764-2753.
150 northeast of intersection of Park and Western Avenues in small park,
across from intersection of Western Avenue and Fessenden Street.
5600 Western Avenue: front yard of home near intersection with Cedar
Parkway, McKinley Street, and 41st Street. The owners of the home removed
the protective fence in the 1940s. In the mid-1960s, the stone was repositioned
and a plaque was affixed directly to it.
6422 Western Avenue, southwest of Pinehurst Circle: front yard of home,
within circular driveway. This stone does not have a protective fence.
2701 Daniel Road, Chevy Chase, MD: 165 feet northwest of the center line of Daniel Road and 5 feet southeast from the edge of the driveway. Near the intersection of Western and Oregon Avenues next to Rock Creek Park.
1880 block of East-West Highway (west of 16th Street), immediately south of the highway in the edge of a forest near townhouses. Please note that the
marker in the traffic circle where 16th Street, Eastern Avenue, and
Colesville Road intersect, more than a quarter of a mile away, is not a
District of Columbia boundary stone.
7847 Eastern Avenue, northwest of intersection with Georgia Avenue:
bronze plaque in place of stone in the sidewalk in front
of a shop. The stone was accidentally bulldozed and removed during the
construction of the storefront in September 1952.
6980 Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, MD: front yard of home near intersection of Maple and Carroll Avenues.
144 feet northwest of intersection of Eastern Avenue and Chillum Road at the edge of a commercial parking on the Maryland side of Eastern Avenue, just south of New Hampshire Avenue.
5400 Sargent Road: side yard of home on Maryland side of Eastern Avenue just north of Sargent Road.
4609 Eastern Avenue, northwest of Varnum Street: front yard of home.
3601 Eastern Avenue, near intersection with 34th Street: front yard of
home. This stone has been reset in concrete.
Fort Lincoln Cemetery: along the fence in Block 18, 75 feet
southwest of Garden Mausoleum near Garden of the Crucifixion.
To view the other side of the stone, go through the hole in the
fence about 100 feet southwest of the stone.
Along fence in forest 500 feet northwest of the intersection of Eastern
and Kenilworth Avenues, southwest of Andalusia Lane. There are two
trails that lead directly to the stone.
1) One trail begins at a separation in the fence along the north side of Kenilworth at the intersection with Eastern. It immediately winds to the right where it follows another fence northwest along the edge of a gravel distribution lot. The trail forks when the gravel lot fence begins to turns to the right; turn left here. The left fork roughly parallels another fence, this one with barbed wire along the top. The trail leads to a dwelling surrounded by bicycles. The stone is along the fence to the right, about 50 feet before you reach the dwelling. View route.
2) From the intersection of Eastern and Kenilworth, head southwest on Kenilworth and turn right on Quarles Road. Turn right again, before reaching 45th Street, onto a road leading to a smokestack across the street from an apartment complex. As Kanon explained in Stoned Out of My Mind: A Guide to and Personal Reflections of the Boundary Stones for the District of Columbia, "Just E of parking lot, look for a hole in the black fence. Follow a trail for about 300 ft. to another fence. Near a pool of water."
1) One trail begins at a separation in the fence along the north side of Kenilworth at the intersection with Eastern. It immediately winds to the right where it follows another fence northwest along the edge of a gravel distribution lot. The trail forks when the gravel lot fence begins to turns to the right; turn left here. The left fork roughly parallels another fence, this one with barbed wire along the top. The trail leads to a dwelling surrounded by bicycles. The stone is along the fence to the right, about 50 feet before you reach the dwelling. View route.
2) From the intersection of Eastern and Kenilworth, head southwest on Kenilworth and turn right on Quarles Road. Turn right again, before reaching 45th Street, onto a road leading to a smokestack across the street from an apartment complex. As Kanon explained in Stoned Out of My Mind: A Guide to and Personal Reflections of the Boundary Stones for the District of Columbia, "Just E of parking lot, look for a hole in the black fence. Follow a trail for about 300 ft. to another fence. Near a pool of water."
919 Eastern Avenue, 0.1 miles south of Sheriff Road: front yard of home.
100 feet southeast of intersection of Eastern and Southern Avenues.
30 feet south of intersection of D Street and Southern Avenue, near corner of wall around National Capitol Hebrew Cemetery.
4345 Southern Avenue, near intersection with Rail Street: front yard of
home. Note that this is not 4245 Southern Avenue, as some sources state.
Across the street from 3908 Southern Avenue, near Suitland Terrace.
SE3 is unusually tall for an intermediate stone. Woodward, observing
that the West corner stone is much shorter than the
other corner stones, hypothesized that there was a mixup
between the tall stone that became SE3 and the short stone that
became the West stone.
Formerly located along Southern Avenue a few feet southeast of the
intersection with Naylor Road (and not at the intersection of Naylor Road
and Suitland Parkway, as some sources state). Nothing remains to mark
this stone--not even a plaque. The stone is not
lost, however. David R. Doyle of Silver Spring, MD, has had it (only
a stump remains) in his garage since 1991. Mr. Doyle explains,
"SE 4 is in my possession. The stone was recovered some years ago by
volunteers from the Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS) working on a
resurvey of the DC line. As an employee of the National Geodetic Survey
(NGS), a member of MSS and the District of Columbia Association of Land
Surveyors (DCALS) and the geodetic survey liaison for the City of
Washington it was felt that I was in the best position to ultimately
coordinate having this mark reset on-line as close to its original
location as possible."
280 feet northeast of the northernmost intersection of Southern Avenue and Valley Terrace (the roads intersect twice within a quarter mile). This stone is next to the sidewalk along Southern Avenue in front of the Southern Avenue metro station.
901 Southern Avenue: The Master's Touch Praise Ministries. In 2008,
an out-of-control car broke this stone in half and destroyed the
protective fence. The stone now consists of two parts
attached at ground level.
25 feet south of intersection of Southern Avenue and Indian Head Road
on the east side of Indian Head Highway. This stone has been repositioned.
Note that the National Register of Historic Places
incorrectly states that the stone is northeast of the intersection.
Blue Plains Impoundment Lot: southeast corner of the lot on the
Maryland side of the fence. This stone, a replacement, is located
nearly eight feet below ground level at the bottom of a narrow concrete pipe and
surrounded by dirt and forest debris, such that only
the very top is visible. The pipe is embedded in a mound of gravel
a short distance from the lightposts
at the rear of the parking lot. In mid-2006, the pipe was helpfully
spraypainted with "MON 8" and marked with two small wooden stakes that read
"MD. / D.C. BOUNDARY MON. #8."
The original stone was removed in 1958 during construction and then either lost or stolen from a storage facility before it could be reset in the ground. On March 23, 1962, DAR placed a new inscription-less stone in the same location along with the original stone's iron fence. By 1972, it too was in trouble, as described by Edwin Darby Nye in a paper read that year before the Columbia Histrocial Society: "SE8, at the far end of the D.C. Village Area, has become a victim of a large land-fill operation, involving the D.C. auto impounding area, the new sewage treatment plant, and an eighteen-hole golf course being constructed by the National Park Service. SE8 is covered with some eight feet of landfill. A sixty-inch concrete pipe has been placed over the stone, iron fencing and all, and a cover placed over it to protect it. The stone has been uncovered and after excavation has been completed it will be reset in a proper location." Unfortunately, nothing of the sort occurred, and the stone was completely covered by landfill until 1991 when the bicentennial resurveying team dug it back out of the ground, using old photos to approximate its location. The team then decided that the best way to preserve the stone was to put it back into the earth, this time protected by a taller pipe that was visible above ground. To reach this stone, start on the paved path that leads from D.C. Village Lane toward Oxon Run, and then follow the fence along the Maryland border southwest until you arrive on the access road behind the impoundment lot. Bring a flashlight.
The original stone was removed in 1958 during construction and then either lost or stolen from a storage facility before it could be reset in the ground. On March 23, 1962, DAR placed a new inscription-less stone in the same location along with the original stone's iron fence. By 1972, it too was in trouble, as described by Edwin Darby Nye in a paper read that year before the Columbia Histrocial Society: "SE8, at the far end of the D.C. Village Area, has become a victim of a large land-fill operation, involving the D.C. auto impounding area, the new sewage treatment plant, and an eighteen-hole golf course being constructed by the National Park Service. SE8 is covered with some eight feet of landfill. A sixty-inch concrete pipe has been placed over the stone, iron fencing and all, and a cover placed over it to protect it. The stone has been uncovered and after excavation has been completed it will be reset in a proper location." Unfortunately, nothing of the sort occurred, and the stone was completely covered by landfill until 1991 when the bicentennial resurveying team dug it back out of the ground, using old photos to approximate its location. The team then decided that the best way to preserve the stone was to put it back into the earth, this time protected by a taller pipe that was visible above ground. To reach this stone, start on the paved path that leads from D.C. Village Lane toward Oxon Run, and then follow the fence along the Maryland border southwest until you arrive on the access road behind the impoundment lot. Bring a flashlight.
0.225 miles southwest of the southern end of Oxon Cove Bridge and
about 120 feet east of the Potomac River. Oxon Cove Bridge is the
bridge that I-295 crosses just north of
the intersection with I-495. You can reach this stone on foot by following
the partially-paved path that leads to Oxon Hill Farm from either
D.C. Village Lane in Washington or the intersection of
Oxon Run Drive and Audrey Lane in Maryland. Leave the path when it
turns away from Oxon Cove; then follow the Oxon Cove shoreline
to the base of Oxon Cove Bridge, where you must cross underneath I-295 to
get to the Potomac River. From the endpoint of the large rocks that
surround the base of the bridge,
follow the Potomac shoreline about 1,000 feet southwest until
you are just past due west of the Masonic Memorial (across the river)
and the bridge is no longer visible behind you.
If you are on a sandy beach with many car tires, you are in the right place.
The stone is 120 feet to the east in the forest at the foot of a
hill. From the shoreline, it is just possible to make out the
fence protecting the stone, although less so in spring and summer.
View the
walking route from Audrey Lane.
The terrain along this route is marshy and occasionally rough, so it may be much simpler to cross Oxon Cove Bridge by car from the north heading south on I-295, park on the right shoulder, and walk down the hill toward the Potomac to reach the stone.
Originally, this stone was next to the Potomac River at Fox Ferry Point, the terminus of an 1800s ferry line from Jones Point in Alexandria to Maryland. In 1969, it was placed some distance away to save it from being damaged by the tides of the river. The National Register of Historic Places incorrectly states that the stone is east of Shepherd Parkway, when, in fact, it is west (and nearly a mile south) of the end of Shepherd Parkway.
The terrain along this route is marshy and occasionally rough, so it may be much simpler to cross Oxon Cove Bridge by car from the north heading south on I-295, park on the right shoulder, and walk down the hill toward the Potomac to reach the stone.
Originally, this stone was next to the Potomac River at Fox Ferry Point, the terminus of an 1800s ferry line from Jones Point in Alexandria to Maryland. In 1969, it was placed some distance away to save it from being damaged by the tides of the river. The National Register of Historic Places incorrectly states that the stone is east of Shepherd Parkway, when, in fact, it is west (and nearly a mile south) of the end of Shepherd Parkway.