Southeast Boundary Stone 4

	Southeast Boundary Stone 4 - Quick Facts
HSP Category	Landmark
Period	1791-1792
HSP Style	Landmark
Construction	Stone
Original Use	Boundary Stone of Washington D.C.
Present Use	Boundary Stone of Washington D.C.

Historical Significance:

"The boundary stones are the oldest federal monuments. The Residence Act of July 16, 1790, as amended March 3, 1791, authorized President George Washington to select a 100-square-mile site for the national capital on the Potomac River between Alexandria, Virginia, and Williamsport, Maryland. President Washington selected the southernmost location within these limits, so that the capital would include all of present-day Old Town Alexandria, then one of the four busiest ports in the country. Acting on instructions from Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Major Andrew Ellicott began surveying the ten-mile square on February 12, 1791. In 1915 the District of Columbia Chapters adopted the Boundary Stones, acquired deeds from the property owners to install a footing for the iron protective fences." (Wording from www.boundarystones.org) They had identical fences designed and installed and finally in 1916/1917 dedication ceremonies took place to mark each stone with a plaque with the name of the Chapter who agreed to be its steward.

Formerly located along Southern Avenue a few feet southeast of the intersection with Naylor Road (and not at the intersection of Naylor Road and Suitland Parkway as some sources state.) Nothing remains to mark this stone--not even a plaque. The stone is not lost however David R. Doyle of Silver Spring, MD has had it (only a stump remains) in his garage since 1991. Mr. Doyle explains, "SE4 is in my possession." The stone was recovered some years ago by volunteers from the Maryland Society of Surveyors (MSS) working on a re-survey of the DC line. As an employee of the National Geodetic Survey, a member of MSS, and the District of Columbia Association of Land Surveyors and the geodetic survey liaison for the City of Washington it was felt that it was in the best position to ultimately coordinate having this mark re-set on-line as close as its original location as possible.

Acknowledgements: This stone originally was assigned to the John Lindsay Chapter in Oct. 1917 then transferred to American Eagle Chapter in 1949. Currently DC DAR is steward.

Form Submitted By: District of Columbia Daughters of the American Revolution 01/14/2013

Designations:

National Register of Historical Places

Historic Marker:

Marker Organization: D.C. DAR
Marker Date: 1916
Marker Text: No plaque exists now for this stone.

Funded By:

Maintenance assistance for renovation, installation, and repair of protective cages is managed by D.C. DAR and original Boundary Stones are managed by the D.C. DAR Historic Preservation Committee. This stone is currently not in the ground.

Information for the Visitors:

What you need to know if interested in visiting this destination:

Condition of Property: Preserve
Open to the Public? Yes
Public Fee: None
Public Hours: Daylight hours
Is it Family Friendly? Yes

Select a State to Explore our Historic Properties

Units Overseas

Directions and application forms can be found on this page or in the Forms section of the DAR members' website.

[ { "id": "context_mapping", "url": "" } , { "id": "US-AL", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/AL" } , { "id": "US-AK", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/AK" } , { "id": "US-AZ", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/AZ" } , { "id": "US-AR", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/AR" } , { "id": "US-CA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/CA" } , { "id": "US-CO", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/CO" } , { "id": "US-CT", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/CT" } , { "id": "US-DE", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/DE" } , { "id": "US-FL", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/FL" } , { "id": "US-GA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/GA" } , { "id": "US-HI", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/HI" } , { "id": "US-ID", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/ID" } , { "id": "US-IL", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/IL" } , { "id": "US-IN", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/IN" } , { "id": "US-IA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/IA" } , { "id": "US-KS", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/KS" } , { "id": "US-KY", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/KY" } , { "id": "US-LA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/LA" } , { "id": "US-ME", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/ME" } , { "id": "US-MD", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MD" } , { "id": "US-MA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MA" } , { "id": "US-MI", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MI" } , { "id": "US-MN", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MN" } , { "id": "US-MS", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MS" } , { "id": "US-MO", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MO" } , { "id": "US-MT", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/MT" } , { "id": "US-NE", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NE" } , { "id": "US-NV", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NV" } , { "id": "US-NH", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NH" } , { "id": "US-NJ", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NJ" } , { "id": "US-NM", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NM" } , { "id": "US-NY", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NY" } , { "id": "US-NC", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/NC" } , { "id": "US-ND", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/ND" } , { "id": "US-OH", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/OH" } , { "id": "US-OK", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/OK" } , { "id": "US-OR", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/OR" } , { "id": "US-PA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/PA" } , { "id": "US-RI", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/RI" } , { "id": "US-SC", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/SC" } , { "id": "US-SD", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/SD" } , { "id": "US-TN", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/TN" } , { "id": "US-TX", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/TX" } , { "id": "US-UT", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/UT" } , { "id": "US-VT", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/VT" } , { "id": "US-VA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/VA" } , { "id": "US-WA", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/WA" } , { "id": "US-WV", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/WV" } , { "id": "US-WI", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/WI" } , { "id": "US-WY", "url": "/national-society/historic-sites-and-properties/state-site-list/WY" } ]