Many wonder about the meaning behind the term ‘District of Columbia’. What does it stand for in Washington, D.C.? Many people don’t know the genesis of the the city on the Potomac River, the seat of our federal government. The ‘District of Columbia’ has a rich history, with its name having significance that many might not be aware of. After you read this, you’ll know how land taken from both Maryland and Virginia became our capital city, now just 68.3 square miles.
The Residence Act passed on July 6th 1790, giving President Washington the task of placing the capital on the Potomac. The cities of Georgetown, Alexandria and other smaller settlements like Carrollsburg, Hamburg, and Tennally’s Town fell into the new capital territory.
Congress recognized that Washington’s family owned significant property in and near Alexandria. To reduce conflicts of interest, they prohibited federal buildings from being erected on land within the new District that was formerly part of Virginia.
Today, we take the city’s name, streets, and layout for granted, but in the late 18th century, it was all just being planned. George Washington referred to the new capital as “the Federal City” until a meeting in Georgetown on September 9, 1791.
First Referred to as “the Federal City”
In attendance were three men important to our history: Thomas Johnson, David Stuart, and Daniel Carroll. Below is a letter that resulted from that meeting, wherein the city received its permanent name. The three men were writing to french born Pierre L’Enfant.
Sir: We have agreed that the Federal District shall be called ‘The Territory of Columbia,’ and the Federal City the ‘City of Washington.’ The title of the map will therefore be, ‘A Map of the City of Washington in the Territory of Columbia.’
We have also agreed that the streets be named alphabetically one way and numerically the other, the former to be divided into north and south, and the latter into east and west numbers from the Capitol. Major Ellicott, with proper assistance, will immediately take, and soon furnish you with, the soundings of the Eastern Branch, to be inserted in the map. We expect he will also furnish you with the proposed post road, which we wish to be noticed in the map.
We are respectfully yours,
Thomas Johnson
David Stuart
Daniel Carroll
Pierre L’Enfant Plans the New Capital
L’Enfant followed his orders, and his resulting design is largely what we see in our city today. Below is his map, titled “Plan of the City intended for the Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States…” Click on the map for greater details. You’ll notice that Rock Creek is labeled Pine Creek on the map.
Source: Library of Congress
Why is it Called the ‘District of Columbia’ and Not Washington, TC?
Back to the naming of the City of Washington and the Territory of Columbia. The city was named to honor our first president, George Washington. The latter, you may not know, is for Christopher Columbus, who “discovered” the New World. “Columbia” is the feminine form of Columbus. “Territory” was dropped in favor of “District” when the District of Columbia was incorporated as one entity in 1871 with the Organic Act. That’s why we’re DC, not Washington, TC. That would be weird.
So there you have it, the origins of our city’s name: Washington, D.C.
The only towns that were within the district were Georgetown and Alexandria. Hamburg, Carrollsburg never existed. Some of the sketches by Jefferson included the proposed naming the city Hamburg or Carrollsburg instead of Washington.
If you are into maps and how the city was designed, sold, built…I would highly recommend reading ‘Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.’
There is also an old book (can post the name later) that is a collection of letters between L’Enfant/Washington/Jefferson and the creation of DC.
But again, the cities/towns/hamlets of Hamburg and Carrollsburg never existed. The territory was basically full of farmers that owned pretty large pieces of land.
Also, Daniel Carroll, David Stuart and Thomas Johnson were the first Commissioners (3) of DC. They did not get a long with L’Enfant and were part of the reason why L’Enfant was removed from the project. Carrollsburg = Daniel Carroll who has a pretty elaborate history with the founding of this nation and DC. He owned lots of land in MD, which some of it was in the borders of modern day DC.
Nice post. Very informative.
I think I see the origin of Piney Branch here. It was a branch of Pine Creek! Though, if I read the note on the map correctly, it may have been labeled White’s Branch at the time of this map.
“The new capital was 10 square miles …”
I think you mean 10 miles square, or 100 square miles. The District is ten miles on each side (including the Virgina portion).
Check these records of the Columbia Historical Society
http://books.google.com/books?id=cNgRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&dq=washington+dc+%22carrollsburg%22+hamburg+history&source=bl&ots=_iwCQ5rQ3s&sig=Eyuq1kHq6AB6vH_mnZ6M8GaHaUs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uvfvUamoOObA4APB0oDwAw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=washington%20dc%20%22carrollsburg%22%20hamburg%20history&f=false
Columbia may be derived from Columbus, the city was not really named in his honor. It was a poetic name for the United States in use at the time. Think: “Hail, Columbia”, “Columbia University” (formerly King’s College), Columbia Record/Pictures/Broadcasting, etc. So it’s like the District’s name is “District of the United States”, which actually makes sense.
Thanks for the note. I will have to read through in further detail. All the books I have, quite a bit published throughout the last 100+ years never mention beyond it being proposed towns. Thanks again!
GoDC, can you clarify something? It seems like the city of Washington was a distinct entity from the District of Columbia in the early days. I’ve read that Washington had its own charter and laws, as did Georgetown and Alexandria. I think the borders of Washington city were the L’Enfant plan. After the second Organic Act (1871?) these entities ceased to exist and we were left with just the District of Columbia. We tend to use Washington to refer to the entire district now, but in reality, is any place officially named Washington anymore? Is this why the mayor removed Washington from DC license plates?
I believe the formal name is the District of Columbia and the major city in the District was Washington. Pre-1871, for example, people would refer to Georgetown, DC. In 1871 the borders of Washington City were moved from Boundary Road (Florida Ave – Old City) out to the District Border to make the city of Washington, the same as the District.
The “Territory” was replaced by “District” with the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801. The use of the acronym DC was in use on maps well before the Organic Act of 1871. I have some 1830’s correspondence addressed to Alexandria, DC.
Re: ‘Columbia’ as being the feminine form of ‘Columbus’:
I hope not to cavil against someone who has done so much valuable research, but ‘Columbia’ is not really the feminine form of ‘columbus,’ dove, which is ‘columba,’ but rather the admiral’s name converted into a toponym using the age-old suffix -ia, as in Mesopotamia, Assyria, Babylonia, etc. So it means ‘Land of Columbus.’
The first and only governor of D.C. was Riggs for whom Riggs National Bank was named.
Except that there are no official references to “Washington” in the current DC Code. The only official name is the District of Columbia. I believe all of the official websites indicate this too, that there is only a D.C., not a Washington.
Why would they “feminize” Columbus’ name; if true?
Tradition. Consider “America” was a feminized form of “Amerigo” (as in Amerigo Vespucci). The way we call a ship “she.”
The Queen’s Admiralty Law. The UNITED STATES, INC. is run by her and the US Constitution IS Admiralty Law! Here is the whole Constitution: https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution
See in Article 3, Section 2 that the US Constitution IS Admiralty Law / Maritime Law.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiii#section2
http://www.153WordsOfGod.com/
Knowing what we know now about the REAL ‘Christopher Columbus’ and his ruthless ways and the fact that he was utterly and completely lost when he “discovered” a land that never lost to begin with, his name should be erased from every part of the U.S. history because he was and is not deserving of credit of doing good things except for himself and Columbus Day be taken away as any sort of holiday. He was an evil man who couldn’t even get his own government to back his ventures, named the new people he encountered when he landed as Indians(showing how completely lost he was), he was an idiot who shouldn’t be praised especially when his ‘discovery’ brought on the beginning of what would be the largest genocide in the history of humankind. He should be praised no more than Hitler or any other insane egotistical maniac.
Since Leif Erikson “discovered” north America about 500 years prior to Columbus, I move we change the name to District of Erikson.
To men of old and even some now consider possessions feminine. Just my (unsolicited) 2 cents.