File:Some old historic landmarks of Virginia and Maryland, described in a hand-book for the tourist over the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon electric railway (1902) (14803323113).jpg

Identifier: someoldhistoricl02snow (find matches)
Title: Some old historic landmarks of Virginia and Maryland, described in a hand-book for the tourist over the Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon electric railway
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Snowden, William H. (from old catalog)
Subjects: Washington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon electric railway. (from old catalog)
Publisher: Alexandria, Va., Printed by G. H. Ramey & son
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

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Text Appearing Before Image:
Columbia, ONE OF THE FORTY JURISDICTIONSTONES OF THE DISTRICT LINES. At Tones Point just before crossing Great Hunting Creek, a wide estuary of the Po-tomac, stands the Light House which marks the spot where was planted the initialstone of the boundaries of the District, which was ten miles square. The District of Columbia, was authorized by Congress in 1790. The survey of its 29 SOME OLD HISTORIC LANDMARKS boundaries was made in 1791. After the completion of the survey the line was clearedof trees to the width of twenty feet on each side of the line. Along this forty foot lanethrough the woods and over the hills and valleys, stone monuments forly in all wereset exactly one mile apart. They were of free stone, four feet in length, two feet inthe earth and two feet above, and on each one of them was the inscription—Jurisdic-tion ot the United States. After the lapse of a little more than a century, all buttwo of these monuments remain in place, but in various states of preservation.
Text Appearing After Image:
\t Jones Point w;:s also the site of Old Fort Columbia, a fortification of wood andearthwork, mounting some heavy guns, among them the < annon left by Braddocksarmy in 1755 as too cumbrous to transport over the mountains. This fort was the firstattempt by the government to guard the river approaches to the National Capital. Itwis not dismanteled until after the trouble with France in 1798-9. The heavy stonesthat made the battery, still he at the end of the point, and some of the guns which OF VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND. 23 made its armament are stuck up as posts at street comers along the river front. Justbefore this fort was demolished—for it was in 1794 only a ruin—Congress determinedto build another one on the Potomac. John Vermonnet was appointed by Gen. Knox, Secretary of War, in May, 1794 totake control and direction of the new fort, etc., to be built upon the Potomac river.General Washington selected the site for the new fort, a riverside knoll nearly oppositeMount Vernon, an

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