The first mention of the upper Potomac and adjacent regions to Indianhead, about 35 miles south of Washington, is made by Capt. John Smith, who explored this region from the Jamestown settlement in Virginia in 1608. In 1634 Henry Fleet, who was taken captive by Indians, visited the falls of the Potomac. In 1635 a tract of land (400 acres) called Rome was laid out for Francis Pope, gentleman. The Capitol is said to be on this land. In 1790 the region in which the city of Washington has been built was in the form of 17 large farm tracts, as is shown on the following page. They were covered with woods and streams; the arable portions were tilled and produced wheat, maize, and tobacco. Two hamlets, Carrollsburg (where the War College now stands), and Hamburg (about where the Naval Hospital is located), which was then southeast of the thriving port of Georgetown, were within the limits of the early survey.

On April 30, 1783, 19 days after the proclamation of peace between the American Colonies and England, the subject of a permanent capital for the General Government of the States was brought up in Congress. The act of July 16, 1790, heretofore cited, provided for the selection of a permanent site on the upper Potomac River for the National Capital—

On January 22, 1791, President Washington appointed three commissioners—Daniel Carroll and Thomas Johnson, of Maryland, and David Stuart, of Virginia.

By proclamation of January 24, 1791, President Washington directed that the three commissioners appointed pursuant to the act approved July 16, 1790, “proceed forthwith to run the said lines of experiment and, the same being run, to survey and by proper metes and bounds to define and limit the part within the same,” which were substantially in accord with the lines subsequently adopted, moving the southern boundary point of the 10 miles square farther south, so as to include a convenient part of the Eastern Branch and also the town of Alexandria.

When President Washington arrived in the future National Capital he found the great task before him was to bring into harmony the rival interests of the Eastern Branch, or Carrollsburg, and of Georgetown. The property holders of Carrollsburg appeared to be anxious that the new public buildings be located in their town. David Burnes, who owned much of the land that now lies between the White House and the Capitol, was keen to have, on condition that he give up part of his property, the public buildings located there. Thus from the beginning of the history of the city there has been rivalry between various sections of the city while the Government was planning for its development.

The controversy between the landholders led Thomas Jefferson to make a rough outline plan for a city one-fourth less in size than that which George Washington had in mind, to be built in the vicinity of Georgetown. This sketch showed the Capitol building at the site of the town called Hamburg, about where the Naval Hospital is now located; from there eastward public walks or a Mall was planned, with the location of the President’s House at about the present Nineteenth Street, south of Pennsylvania Avenue. Jefferson also proposed a rectangular system of streets, in contrast with the open spaces and radiating avenues planned by L’Enfant, who also reversed the position of the Capitol by placing that to the east of the President’s House on Jenkin’s Hill.

TERMS OF ORIGINAL AGREEMENT

The terms of the sale of land to the Government were agreed to on March 30, 1791, under which the original owners agreed to convey to the United States Government, free of cost, such portions of their farms as were needed for streets, parks, and other public reservations; and to sell such land as was needed for Government buildings and public improvements at £25 per acre (about $67). The remaining land was to be laid out in building lots and apportioned equally between the Federal Government and the original owners. Rufus R. Wilson, in Washington, the Capital City, says:

The following is a copy of the agreement:

The land which was being considered for the city proper consisted of about 6,000 acres. In laying out the streets 3,606 acres were taken, and about 540 acres were bought by the United States as sites for the public buildings and grounds. The lots laid out numbered 20,272. Of these the United States took half and the property owners were given back the remainder. The United States sold its share of the lots and from the proceeds paid for the 540 acres on which it was to put the public buildings.

The United States also took a fee-simple title to the streets and avenues.

BOUNDARY STONES OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

A survey of an outline of the District of Columbia was made by Andrew Ellicott. From the initial point at Jones Point, on Hunting Creek, at the Potomac (just south of Alexandria), a line was run due northwest 10 miles; thence (into Maryland) due northeast 10 miles to a northern boundary point (now called Sixteenth Street Heights); thence due southeast 10 miles; thence due southwest 10 miles, or back to Jones Point.

This survey was approved by Congress with the amendment that all public buildings should be erected on the Maryland side of the Potomac River.

On March 29, 1791, President Washington arrived on a visit to the Potomac and stayed at Suter’s Tavern in Georgetown. The next day, accompanied by the three commissioners and Maj. Pierre Charles L’Enfant and Andrew Ellicott, he rode over the ground. Washington met the owners of the land the same night, and the general terms were then agreed upon and signed by the 19 “original proprietors.” The area of 100 square miles embraced about 64 square miles of Maryland soil (ceded previously in 1788) and about 36 square miles of Virginia soil (ceded in 1789).

Thereupon the three city commissioners were ordered to have the boundary lines permanently marked by monuments placed 1 mile apart. One of these boundary stones can be seen to-day near the north corner of the District of Columbia. Each stone was quite large, and this particular one is well preserved.

PRELIMINARY STUDIES

When the city of Washington was planned under the direct and minute supervision of President Washington and Secretary of State Jefferson, the relations that should exist between the Capitol and the President’s House were closely studied. On August 7, 1791, L’Enfant sent a sketch to President Washington, with a note, “the plan altered agreeable to your suggestion.” Indeed, the whole city was planned with a view to the reciprocal relations that should be maintained among public buildings. Vistas and axes; sites for monuments and museums; parks and pleasure gardens; fountains and canals—in a word, all that goes to make a city a magnificent and consistent work of art were regarded as essential. Thus, aside from the pleasure and the positive benefits to health that the people derive from public parks in a capital city like Washington, there is a distinct use of public spaces as the indispensable means of giving dignity to Government buildings and of making suitable connections between the great departments.

The original plans were prepared after due study of great models. The stately art of landscape architecture had been brought oversea by royal governors and wealthy planters, and both Washington and Jefferson were familiar with the practice of that art.

On September 8, 1791, it was decided by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, and James Madison, in conference with the Commissioners of the District of Columbia—

The city had also been divided into four sections—namely, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest—with the Capitol as the center and North and South Capitol Streets dividing the east and west sections and East Capitol Street and the Mall the north and south sections.