Last updated: March 29, 2024
Place
Information Panel: DC's First Building Block
Photo: NPS / Claire Hassler
Quick Facts
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Tactile Exhibit
In 1791, surveyors on Jones Point began to lay out the ten-mile square that would become Washington, D.C. The first marker for the survey- the south cornerstone- was set in place on this spot. Although the stone within this protective enclosure may be a replacement dating from 1794, it is nonetheless among the oldest existing physical monuments associated with the federal city of Washington, D.C.
In 1916, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) assumed responsibility for maintaining D.C.'s cornerstones and mile markers. In 1926, the DAR purchased the Jones Point lighthouse and later deeded it to the National Park Service (NPS). Today, the DAR and the National Park Service work together to preserve and interpret both the south cornerstone and adjacent lighthouse.
The inscription on the south cornerstone, worn by weather and water, is now illegible. The other cornerstones are inscribed with the name of the state (Virginia or Maryland), the year, the compass heading, and the phrase 'Jurisdiction of the United States.'
In 1916, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) assumed responsibility for maintaining D.C.'s cornerstones and mile markers. In 1926, the DAR purchased the Jones Point lighthouse and later deeded it to the National Park Service (NPS). Today, the DAR and the National Park Service work together to preserve and interpret both the south cornerstone and adjacent lighthouse.
The inscription on the south cornerstone, worn by weather and water, is now illegible. The other cornerstones are inscribed with the name of the state (Virginia or Maryland), the year, the compass heading, and the phrase 'Jurisdiction of the United States.'