D.C. Boundary Stone NE No. 1
Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland
Marker Inscription
This plaque marks the site of the District of Columbia north-east boundary stone no. 1 originally placed here 1791-1792
Erected by Daughters of the American Revolution
The Story
This plaque marks the spot where one of the original boundary stones of the District of Columbia was set in 1791–1792. The stones were placed at intervals to mark out the ten-mile-square federal district for the new national capital. Together they form some of the earliest federal monuments in the country.
Why it matters
The boundary stones physically laid out the young republic's capital, a foundational act in creating the seat of the American federal government.
The story behind this marker
AI contextThe era
In the early 1790s, the United States was a brand-new nation deciding where its permanent capital should stand. The choice fell on a diamond-shaped tract of land along the Potomac, a fresh federal district carved out to be the seat of government, independent of any single state.
Before any grand buildings could rise, the district itself had to be defined on the ground. That meant surveying and physically marking the borders of a square measuring ten miles on each side, a precise geometric shape laid over farmland, forest, and riverbank.
To do that, surveyors set boundary stones at regular intervals around the perimeter, one for roughly every mile. Placed in 1791 and 1792, these were among the very first monuments the federal government ever established.
People & events
The stone remembered here was the first of the northeast boundary markers, part of that original ring set to define the new District of Columbia. Each stone was a small but deliberate act of nation-building, turning an idea drawn on a map into a fixed line on the earth.
The survey that placed them was a serious feat of early American science and craftsmanship, requiring careful astronomical observation and measurement to get the great square right. The team that carried it out worked through difficult country to plant each marker in its proper place.
Over the centuries, the city grew far beyond these humble stones, and many of the originals were lost, damaged, or forgotten. To keep the memory of this one alive, the Daughters of the American Revolution placed this plaque to mark the site where boundary stone number one was first set.
Its place in the American story
The boundary stones are among the oldest federal monuments in the country, older than most of the famous buildings of the capital they helped define. They represent the literal groundwork of the seat of American government.
They also tell a very American story: that a republic, before it can build its monuments and institutions, must first agree on a place and mark its edges. These modest stones did exactly that, laying out the ground on which the national capital would rise.
Because so many have been damaged or lost over more than two centuries, each surviving stone or marked site has become a small treasure, a direct physical link back to the founding era and the deliberate creation of the federal district.
If you visit
Do not expect a towering monument here; the reward of this site is in what it represents rather than its size. A boundary stone is a humble object, and finding one asks you to slow down and appreciate a quiet piece of history hiding in an everyday landscape.
Stand at the spot and consider that you are at a corner of the original survey that defined the nation's capital, a line drawn in the earliest years of the republic. The plaque is your invitation to picture the surveyors at work here in the early 1790s.
It makes a rewarding stop for anyone tracing the founding history of Washington and its surroundings. Seek it out the way collectors seek the boundary stones as a set, and you will see the edges of the capital in a way most visitors never do.
Written by AI to add context, grounded in the marker’s inscription and the historical record. The inscription above is the original, unaltered text.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Rock Creek Park Nature Center and Planetarium2.2 mi away · 5200 Glover Road Northwest, DC
- Lemon Collective3.0 mi away
- President Lincoln's Cottage3.2 mi away
- Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens3.2 mi away · 4155 Linnean Avenue Northwest
- Waverly Street Gallery3.5 mi away
- Pope John Paul II National Shrine3.5 mi away · 3900 Harewood Road Northeast, Washington, DC
Attractions
- Think Tank4.0 mi away
- The O-Line4.0 mi away
- Elephant Learning Center4.0 mi away
- Kid's Stop Tiger4.1 mi away
- Great Cats4.1 mi away
- Twin Oaks4.2 mi away · 3220 Woodley Road Northwest, Washington, DC
Food & drink
- Subway3.4 mi away
- Murphy’s Grill3.8 mi away · 620 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC
- Starbucks3.8 mi away · 620 Michigan Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC
- America's Best Wings3.8 mi away · 3746 10th Street Northeast, Washington, DC
- Pizza Boli's3.9 mi away · 3738 10th Street Northeast, Washington, DC
- San Antonio Bar & Grill III3.9 mi away · 3908 12th Street Northeast, Washington, DC
Places to stay
- Days Inn3.4 mi away · 4400 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC
- Corporate Suites Of Washington3.4 mi away · 3636 16th Street Northwest
- Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Chevy Chase Pavilion3.5 mi away · 4300 Military Road Northwest, Washington, DC
- Courtyard Bethesda Chevy Chase3.6 mi away · 5520 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD
- Ritz Carlton3.6 mi away
- Samaritan Inn4.3 mi away · 2523 14th Street Northwest, Washington, DC
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Themes & tags
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