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.

The town of Centreville was established in 1792, near the intersection of present day Lee Highway and Sully Road. At the time, it was a village named Newgate.

That’s right, the Patawmack River, not the Potomac. Check out this cool map of what would become the City of Washington. It was done around 1893, near the city’s centennial. early map of Washington Source: Library of Congress

Check out this incredible find! We discovered a letter penned by President John Adams nominating George Washington of Mount Vernon to Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of All the Armies. Read the full story here!

How did Washington, DC get its name? Look to both George Washington and Christopher Columbus.

Explore the first official plan of Washington D.C., published by Andrew Ellicott in 1792. Courtesy of the David Rumsey map collection.

These are some great prints of Washington as it looked in the mid-1790s. They were done by George Isham Parkyns and they show a slightly different and more pastoral landscape. View of the suburbs of the city of Washington Here is the print of the Potomac and I’m guessing that island is Roosevelt Island. view of the Potomac River in the 1790s

In the English alphabet, the letter J looked too much like the letter I, so Pierre L'Enfant omitted J street in DC.

19 original landowners were negotiated with, directly by George Washington in March, 1791. He met them during the day and in the evening, closed the deal with them at Suter's Tavern in Georgetown.

Did you know the White House was once known as the President's Palace? Read on to learn the history of the White House and the story of the man who almost designed it - John Collins.

Are you a D.C. history nerd? Check out this fascinating production from UMBC's Imaging Research Center that takes a look at what the Capitol looked like in 1814. The voiceover is a little dry, but follow along and watch the whole thing. It's very interesting!