Having heard that George Washington helped lay a boundary stone for Washington DC in Alexandria, where a lighthouse was built in the next century, I suggested a bit of history scavenging for the evening!
VIRTUE FEED AND GRAIN RESTAURANT
After an early dinner at my favorite place, Virtue Feed and Grain, we then walked along the waterfront, which I was certain would take us directly to the lighthouse…and it does, although the choice of driving works too, but that is a bit more rough in access.
Upon arriving, I realized nearly any photo I take would entail more than one historical story.
Who knew so much history was contained on this small point of land, now called Jones Point, south of Old Town Alexandria?
MARGARET BRENT, GENT.
In this open area is a historical marker commemorating the first owner of this land, Margaret Brent, Gentleman, a wealthy colonist from England who settled in Maryland.
Unique from most women in her day, she served as an attorney for herself and others, documented 124 times in court records.
As a close friend to Lord Calvert, governor of Maryland, Margaret became his executrix and inheritor.
After he passed away, Margaret approached the Maryland Council, requesting her right to vote as a member, not only for herself, but as representative to Lord Calvert.
Even though they refused her request, at some point she was honored with the title, gentleman, proving her legal stature in the community.
Lord Calvert and Margaret Brent raised a Piscataway Indian princess at the request of her father who asked them to educate her and teach her the Catholic religion.
Taking the name of Mary, the Indian princess later married Giles, brother of Margaret.
Mary has come to be known as the Pocahontas of Virginia.
Because Margaret Brent brought 1400 indentured servants to Virginia, she earned a 700 acre land grant along the Potomac River, in 1654.
1654 BRENT TRACT
Running roughly from the mouth of Hunting Creek to present day Queen Street in Old Town Alexandria, this section of land juts into the Potomac, as seen in the historical marker, below.
View of Hunting Creek…
TOBACCO
Due to England’s control over the colonies via mercantilism, Virginians grew prodigious amounts of tobacco, which necessitated tobacco ports for farmers to ship their goods to England.
Rolling their tobacco to port from their farms in barrels (see imagery in historical marker, above), the farmers called these “rolling roads”…a name which sticks today.
One of those rolling roads directly accesses this area, where a tobacco port was established near the mouth of Hunting Creek.
GEORGE WASHINGTON OBTAINS BRENT LAND
Although the Brents were related to Lord Baltimore, tensions ensued, so the Brents ultimately moved to Virginia soon after Giles’ marriage to the Indian maiden.
Margaret’s brother, Giles, earned is own land grant before hers, in 1651.
Two years later, his one year old son inherited an 800 acre tract on the Potomac, south of Margaret’s…later purchased by George Washington.
Upon her passing, her brother, Giles Brent, and his heirs inherited her land, while her niece received 6 silver spoons.
ALEXANDRIA BEGINNINGS
In 1669, John Alexander of Stafford County purchased 6000 acres (he thought) from Robert Howson (also from Stafford and who had recently received the land from Governor Berkeley, nearby and slightly overlapping Margaret’s.
Thus, Alexander paid Howson one pound of tobacco per acre of Howson land, as well as Brent land.
In that day, surveys were the responsibility of applicant.
Despite Alexander’s occupation as a surveyor, in his enthusiasm he merely trusted the description on the land grant.
While unknown to us are the ensuing details apart from land record entry documenting that on January 14, 1674/5, Alexander paid the Brents 10,500 pounds of tobacco and casks.
By 1740, the thriving tobacco port attracted nearby residents and promoters of desiring the establishment of a new town on the shores of the Potomac:
- Thomas, sixth Lord Fairfax and Baron of Cameron (recently arrived from England, cousin of Colonel Fairfax)
- Colonel William Fairfax of Belvoir, near Mount Vernon
- Lawrence Washington of Mount Vernon (older brother of George Washington, son-in-law of Colonel Fairfax)
- John Carlyle (merchant, son-in-law of Colonel Fairfax)
When Lawrence Washington proposed to the House of Burgesses the establishment of a town, he was met with resistance because the land belonged to the Alexander family.
After receiving an offer to be named as founders, with the town named after them, the Alexander family agreed.
The following year Lawrence’s younger brother George Washington assisted the county surveyor in laying out the town into eighty-four lots along ten streets around a central market square. –Mount Vernon
1856 JONES POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Beyond the historical marker to Margaret Brent stood the Jones Point lighthouse, first lit in 1856.
Sadly, the lighthouse is in a disrepair…unlike every photo I had seen on the internet and in my lighthouse book.
There used to be a charming white picket fence around the perimeter of the lighthouse and the building on the right, lending to its 19th century charm.
Even though we were there at dusk, I never noticed the lighthouse beacon come on.
GEORGE WASHINGTON CORNERSTONE
Indeed the charming white picket fence that surrounded this entire area was gone.
Between those orange cones is the remnant of the infamous George Washington cornerstone, sadly neglected.
Looking down between the orange cones, this was all we could see if the first laid cornerstone for the federal city in 1791, lost to the storms of time.
Like the missing picket fence, the protective covering, through which one could more easily enjoy viewing the stone had also disappeared.
In 1861, a retaining wall was built in front of the stone due to rising water levels of the Potomac.
Seemingly lost, a commemorative ceremony in 1921 celebrate the discovery of the stone.
CORNERSTONE MARKS WASHINGTON DC BOUNDARY
When the Residence Act of 1790 authorized the national capital along the Potomac River, George Washington’s dream came true.
Although the Residence Act laid out boundary limitations from the lands of Maryland and Virginia, such as not more than ten miles square, President Washington was free to choose the precise placement of the Federal City.
After Washington chose the southernmost cornerstone to lie somehwere along the lines of the Alexandria Courthouse and Hunting Creek, Andrew Ellicot arrived from Maryland to survey.
Beginning: at the southwest corner of Fairfax and Cameron Streets. He set up a Surveyor’s Camp on the outskirts of the town as he planned to spend most of the summer working in the Alexandria vicinity. –George Washington Walked Here by Mollie Somerville
Known for his fine surveying tools, Ellicott also enlisted the help of Benjamin Banneker, a free black from Maryland who taught himself math and science, and was writing his first almanac, for which he became famous.
While Banneker’s job was to take on-site measurements and around the clock astronomical calculations, its said that he’d lay on his back at night to observe the stars and planetary movements, to collect data…something he had long done which lead to his soon to be famous almanac.
After presenting the president with the data, Ellicott received Washington’s final decision of Jones Point as the beginning of the Federal City. –George Washington Walked Here, Mollie Somerville
FIRST MONUMENT FOR WASHINGTON DC LAID
To great fanfare on April 15, 1791, the southernmost cornerstone for the Federal City was placed at Jones Point by the Masonic Lodge of Alexandria, of which George Washington was a member.
Reverend Muir spoke at the ceremony: May this stone long commemorate the goodness of God in those uncommon events which have given America a name among the nations – under this stone may jealousy and selfishness forever be buried. –Columbian Centinel, May 7, 1791
Since the president was making a tour of the southern states, he was unable to attend.
SURVEYING THE WASHINGON DC BOUNDARIES
Creating a diamond shape, Ellicott and his team walked ten miles from Jones Point to Falls Church, laying boundary stones every mile.
For the next leg, Ellicott and his team again walked ten miles, this time from Falls Church to just north of Rock Creek Park in Maryland, again laying boundary stones at each mile.
Eventually completing a diamond shape, the last leg again met back at Jones Point. (see boundary stones map here)
1929 SURVEY FOR VIRGINIA-MARYLAND BOUNDARY
One stone marker with a metallic cap was especially unique.
In 1927 Maryland and Virginia tasked their state geologists to define a fixed boundary. Edward B. Mathews from Maryland and Wilbur A. Nelson from Virginia identified specific headlands on the southern bank that jutted out into the river, with embayments between them. Establishing a straight line between headlands as the state boundary would eliminate the need to interpret how the location of the riverbank changed by the natural processes of accretion and reliction (erosion), thus changing the location of the state boundaries. Maryland benefitted by avoiding legal disputes, while granting Virginia control over waters within embayments between headlands...
...the Virginia Highway Department placed 58 concrete boundary monuments with metallic caps on the shoreline to mark the Mathews-Nelson survey line
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS). –Virginia Maryland Boundary
Here is marker number 58, placed behind the Jones Point Lighthouse in 1929.
NEW BOUNDARY MARKERS
However, what are all these stones mere feet apart, marking the boundaries of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC, since the ones Ellicott laid are one mile apart.
These are also much newer, with inscriptions of: Boundary, Historic, Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland…all throughout the park.
Meanwhile the coolness of the evening breeze mingled with the Sweet Autumn Clematis, growing prodigiously throughout the park.
Returning to the open section of land behind the lighthouse, we walked towards the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to find more of these newer boundary markers.
ROPEWALK
As we returned to the lighthouse from the mouth of Hunting Creek as it empties into the Potomac, we passed an area where there was a 400 foot long ropemaking building from the early 19th century.
The ropes were used by all the ships that came to port in Alexandria.
Walking from the lighthouse, along the Potomac, we passed more Sweet Autumn Clematis…
As we approached the Woodrow Wilson Bridge spanning the Potomac…
WORLD WAR I SHIP BUILDING
…we found another boundary maker that led to a World War I trail…
…WWI ships were built on the length of the expanse of this trail, then once completed, it was pushed into the Potomac, near where the Woodrow Wilson Bridge now spans the river.
Walking to the other end of the trail returns us to the open expanse of land (seen at the beginning of this tour) where Margaret Brent was honored with a historical marker.
After retracing one’s steps, stunning views of the Potomac ensues…
From this trail along the river, one can continue walking into Old Town Alexandria.
Sinc we still have not seen everything, we plan to return.
