Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The District of Columbia Boundary Stones
[Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 6]
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), July 18, 2019
1. The District of Columbia Boundary Stones Marker
Inscription.
The District of Columbia Boundary Stones. [Original Federal Boundary Stone, District of Columbia, Northwest 6]. In 1790, Congress authorized the establishment of a territory 10 miles square on the Potomac River to be the Capital of the United States. It was President Washington's recommendation to use land on both sides of the river. Surveyor Andrew Ellicott, notified in 1791 to proceed with designating the Federal Boundary by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, hired astronomer Benjamin Banneker, a free black man. Together they established the location of 40 sandstone markers set at one mile intervals on land ceded by Maryland and Virginia for the Nation's Capital. Virginia reclaimed her lands in 1846. The stone in this park, set in 1792 at the time of the Maryland Boundary Survey, is Northwest Number 6. Establishing the location at six miles north of the West Corner Stone. The Boundary Stones are considered the first monuments erected by the United States.
In 1790, Congress authorized the establishment of a territory 10 miles square on the Potomac River to be the Capital of the United States. It was President Washington's recommendation to use land on both sides of the river. Surveyor Andrew Ellicott, notified in 1791 to proceed with designating the Federal Boundary by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, hired astronomer Benjamin Banneker, a free black man. Together they established the location of 40 sandstone markers set at one mile intervals on land ceded by Maryland and Virginia for the Nation's Capital. Virginia reclaimed her lands in 1846. The stone in this park, set in 1792 at the time of the Maryland Boundary Survey, is Northwest Number 6. Establishing the location at six miles north of the West Corner Stone. The Boundary Stones are considered the first monuments erected by the United States.
Erected by Montgomery County Park Commission, Department of Parks.
Location. 38° 57.295′ N, 77° 5.613′ W. Marker is in Bethesda, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It is on Western Avenue east of Park Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4957 Western Avenue, Washington DC 20016, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Additional commentary. 1. About the marker The title used is the one verbatim from the marker. In addition, the secondary title, naming the specific marker has been added.
— Submitted April 9, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 9, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 687 times since then and 28 times this year. Last updated on August 15, 2020, by Roberto Bernate of Arlington, Virginia. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
