Centreville, VA was established in 1792 by local landowners with the intent of creating a center point between the more established towns: Alexandria, Colchester, Dumfries, Middleburg, Georgetown, Warrenton, and Leesburg. Learn more about its fascinating origin story here.

What did the new capital look like in 1799? This is an account John Davis, an Englishman who spent four years in the late 18th century traveling up and down the east coast of the new country.

Pierre L'Enfant had originally planned the City of Washington around a right triangle, with the eastern portion at the Capitol, the northern portion at the White House and the 90 degree angle close to where the Washington Monument sits today. Thomas Jefferson marked this spot in 1793 with a wooden post, which was replaced in 1804 with the Jefferson Pier.

What if the Washington Monument was built as a pyramid instead of an obelisk? It could have been if this design came to fruition.

Working under commissioners that President Washington had appointed in 1790 in accordance with the Residence Act, Major Andrew Ellicott led a team that placed these markers in 1791 and 1792.

Discover the plan for the federal city with a terrific old map from the Library of Congress. Explore the projected layout of the city to gain insight into the history of the United States.

What did the land in and around Washington look like at the end of the 18th century? This map shows the Carroll family land in what would grow into DC.

Explore a rare map from 1795 showing the Territory of Columbia and the City of Washington surrounded by Maryland. Click to view a larger version and learn more about this piece of history.

The map was done in 1874 and represents Washington as it would have looked before 1792.

Check out this cool map of what would become the City of Washington. It was done around 1893 near the city's centennial. View the Patawmack River, not the Potomac, in this early map of Washington.