Why Is It Named Centreville?
In 1792, landowners founded Centreville to be the geographic center point between Alexandria, Georgetown, and Leesburg.
1790s
Washington was barely a city in the 1790s. The decade opened with L’Enfant laying out his grand plan for the federal capital and closed with the government finally picking up stakes from Philadelphia and moving in. These posts cover the founding years, from the placement of the boundary stones to the earliest buildings that defined the city.
A Foreigner’s Impressions of Washington in 1801
Cows in the streets and woods all around. Traveler John Davis saw Washington in March 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was sworn in at the half-built Capitol.
Map of Everywhere George Washington Traveled
This is one of the more fascinating maps we have come across. It shows every single location George Washington visited during his life, all up and down the east coast. From Savannah in the south to Kittery, Maine in the north. The map below was done by the National Geographic Magazine in honor of the first president’s 200th birthday.
Washington Monument Almost Built As Pyramid
What if the Washington Monument was built as a pyramid instead of an obelisk? It could have been if this design came to fruition.
Arlington County Map From the 18th Century
How cool is this? A Library of Congress map showing Arlington County as it looked in the 18th century, plus a link on why it’s named Arlington.
Washington DC Boundary Stones: The 40 Original Markers Ellicott and Banneker Set in 1791
The 40 sandstone markers Ellicott and Banneker planted in 1791 and 1792 still stand at the original corners of Washington, D.C. Here is where to find them.
Exploring the Plan for the Federal City with a Terrific Old Map
![Plan of the city intended for the permanent seat of the government of t[he] United States : projected agreeable to the direction of the President of the United States, in pursuance of an act of Congress, passed on the sixteenth day of July, MDCCXC, "establishing the permanent seat on the bank of the Potowmac"](https://ghostsofdc.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/06/ct001333.jpg)
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.
1793 Map of Carroll Family Land in Washington
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.
Territory of Columbia on an Early Map of Maryland
The Territory of Columbia and City of Washington, surrounded by Maryland, on a map dated June 20th, 1794, engraved by J. Thackara & J. Vallance.