Near Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Old Telegraph Line

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 7, 2021

1. Old Telegraph Line Marker

Inscription. Telegraph Road took its name from one of the first telegraph lines in the United States, which passed near here. The line, completed by the Washington and New Orleans Telegraph Company in 1848, stretched for 1,500 miles and linked the nation's capital to the Deep South. Amos Kendall, a former U.S. postmaster general and an agent for inventor Samuel F.B. Morse, organized the company. Construction flaws made the line undependable in its early years, and it sustained extensive damage during the Civil War. In 1866 the line was absorbed by the American Telegraph Co., which merged with Western Union later that year.

Erected 2017 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-62.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Roads & Vehicles • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1848.

Location. 38° 42.605′ N, 77° 11.553′ W. Marker is near Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It is on Telegraph Road (Virginia Route 611) just south of Belvoir

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Woods Parkway, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9038 Telegraph Road, Fort Belvoir VA 22060, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pohick Church (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Old Telegraph Line (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Pohick Church (about 400 feet away); The West Family of Alexandria (about 500 feet away); Col. John Augustine Washington (about 500 feet away); Peter Wagener, III

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 7, 2021

2. Old Telegraph Line Marker

(about 500 feet away); Revolutionary War Patriots and War of 1812 Veterans (about 500 feet away); The Herris Stone (about 500 feet away).

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Linked is the original Old Telegraph Line marker, erected 1929, which is still standing about a block south.

Additional commentary.
1. New marker
This new marker stands about a block north of the original marker, originally erected in 1929, at the intersection of the Richmond Highway and Telegraph Road.

— Submitted March 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on March 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 2,777 times since then and 247 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 7, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.