The Federal District and Alexandria

The Federal District and Alexandria. . , On January 22, 1791, George Washington appointed Andrew Ellicott and Benjamin Banneker to survey the boundaries of the "District of Columbia," to be the home of the Federal government of the United States. The President instructed the surveyors to begin with Alexandria's Jones Point as the southern corner of a 10-mile square diamond to be laid out on a north-south axis. Each corner and mile mark along the boundary was indicated by a large stone. Today, 37 of the 40 old boundary stones survive, including one near the lighthouse at Jones Point. The District boundaries also encompassed the former Maryland port of Georgetown and the farmlands, forests and small settlements surrounding the confluence of the Potomac with the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. At the center of the diamond, the boroque plan for Washington City was designed and laid out by French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant., Alexandria did not prosper from its association with the District of Columbia. The District never became the major commercial and industrial center that had been envisioned. Congressional policies tended to favor Washington interests to the detriment of Alexandria and even Georgetown. In 1846, the District residents southwest of the river voted to accept the retrocession of Alexandria and "Alexandria County" to the sovereignty to the Commonwealth of Virginia., [Captions:] , This 1794 map of the "Territories of the District of Columbia," drawn by Andrew Ellicott, is the first published map that includes the town of Alexandria within the District's boundaries. The map shows the topography, drainage and roads that existed when the plan for the District was created. , (Illustration: Library of Congress), Plan of the Town of Alexandria in the District of Columbia, 1798. , (Illustration: Library of Congress), This portrait, The Washington Family by Edward Savage, shows Washington and his family with a map of the Federal District on the table and the Potomac River in the background. , (Illustration: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art), Pierre Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825) grew up at the Court of Versailles and was trained as an architect. He came to America to serve in the Corps of Engineers during the Revolution. In 1791, George Washington officially invited him to lay out plans for the national capital. , (Illustration: Library of Congress), Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) and Major Andrew Ellicott (1754-1820) were appointed by George Washington to survey the 100 square miles of the national capital, beginning in 1791. (Benjamin Banneker illustration: Library of Congress. Andrew Ellicott with permission from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), Life in Alexandria revolved around Market Square, shown in this sketch. Behind it is the 1817 City Hall. , (Illustration: The Lyceum)