Washington Before Washington

Washington Before Washington. . , In 1608 Captain John Smith sailed up the Potomac, the first European to lay eyes on this site. At that time, ships could sail up to this point, and beautiful bluffs led down to the water. Algonquin Indians lived here in great numbers, drawn by stone quarries, fertile soil, fish and waterfowl, buffalo and deer. They called the river the Patawmeck. By 1700, as more settlers arrived, the Indians retreated into the Blue Ridge. , , In 1751, George Town was formally established by the Maryland Assembly to provide inspection stations and shipping facilities for tobacco, the area's major crop. The land for the town was bought from two Scotsmen named George--George Beall and George Gordon--but the town was actually named after King George II. George Town proved an ideal port from which ships laden with tobacco could sail to Europe. Huge sums were made from the insatiable demand for tobacco in both Europe and America. Many who owned large tracts of land elsewhere lived in George Town, an economic powerhouse to which slaves were brought into provide labor and to serve the merchants' households. , , George Town was incorporated with an elected government in 1789. Two years later, President George Washington selected the location for the new capital city, and included the existing George Town. Washington met here with Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and others to plan the new capital and to secure land from the area's wealthy landowners. Washington appointed Andrew Ellicott to conduct the land survey. Ellicott was assisted by Benjamin Banneker, a free black man and self-taught mathematician. Washington also selected Pierre L'Enfant, a French-born American citizen who had served in Washington's Continental Army, to design what became a visionary plan for the new capital. , , In 1800 the government moved from Philadelphia to Washington City. George Town's businesses and institutions made it the social and economic center of the new Capital City. Many members of the First Federal Congress resided here. Even Abigail Adams, the White House's first First Lady, sent someone daily to George Town to do the marketing.