Information Panel: An American Meridian

Information Panel: An American Meridian

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Location:

Meridian Hill Park

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Wheelchair Accessible

An American Meridian

Thomas Jefferson believed the surveyors of the nation's capital city should set a new American Meridian, a north-south line running through both poles and the American continent. This reference line, Longitude 0 0, would aid navigation, mapmaking, and the development of property boundaries, all key to settling the capital and new western territories. But most of all, Jefferson wanted to reinforce America's independence from Britain, where the Prime Meridian was established to service the Royal Navy's global navigation. Today, while there are many meridian lines running through many continents, the internationally recognized Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich, England, not Washington, D.C.

In the lower left corner is a three by four-inch black and white photograph of the upper portion of a spiked iron gate. In the center is a wrought iron sphere with a point on top. Text to the right of the image reads: Andrew Ellicott, the surveyor who worked with George Washington and designer Pierre L'Enfant to lay out the District of Columbia, established the American meridian along the center of 16th Street. At right is Ellicott's 1792 drawing of the District of Columbia based on L'Enfant's plan. Today, this American meridian is commemorated in the park by finials on the Euclid Street fence posts and plaque at the 16th Street entrance. This plaque was presented by the Daughters of the American Revolution to memorialize the location of the original marker.

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For more information about Meridian Hill Park, visit the Meridian Hill Park Landing Page on the Rock Creek Park Website.