Evening star., 1934-04-15
BIRTHDAY Of D. c.
OBSERVED ! TODAY
Corner Stone Was Laid
April IS, 1791-Natives
Plan Dinner April 23.
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT.
This is the birthday of the District

b1 JAMES WhLDo rhntLAA'
This is the birthday of the District
Of Columbia. It was on April Is,
1891, that the corner stone of the
Federal area was laid. Nearly GEN.
tury and half has passed since the
event. but 1t still is remembered. The
Society of Natives will have a dinner
at the Broadmoor Monday evening,
April %, in celebration of the ami
verSary.
Old records tell the story, and
George Washington was the first ac-
tor in the drama. 1t was his duty as
President to direct the preliminary
survey Of the territory. 40 miles
square" in which the Capital was to
be built He ordered that a line
should be run from Alexandria Court
House southwark half a mile and
thence southeastward to the north
ern shore of Hunting Creek. With
an initial point thus established, he
gave instructions that the lines OF the
District were to be laid as follows:
Beginning at Jones Point, being the
upper cape of Hunting Creek IN Vlr-'
einia, and at an angle in the outset
of IS degrees west of the north, ana
running in a direct line 10 miles for
the first line: then beginning again
at right angle with the t1rSt, across
the Potomac 10 miles for a second
line. thence from the termination OF
said first and second line, running
two other lines of 10 miles each, the
one crossing the Eastern Branch
aforesaid and the other the Potomac
and meeting each other in point"
Greek as it may be to the layman,
surveyors understood, and the DIS
trict was delineated as the Father OF
His Country commanded.
Corner Stone Ceremony.
The erection of the corner stone at
Jones Point, naturally enough, was
deemed worthy of ceremony. History
was being made, and there were those
who thought that it should be done
with formality appropriate to the cir
cumstances. Commissioners Danlei
Carroll and David Stuart took charge
of the arrangements.
An Alexandria correspondent OF the
Massachusetts Spy wrote to his paper:
"On Friday, the 18th inst, 1871. the
Hon. Daniel Carroll and DR.. David
Stewart arrived in this town to super
intend the fixing of the corner stone
of the Federal District"
Mr.. Wise's tavern was the place OF
assembly for the invited guests. The
party Joined in glass of wine to the
Stnnn are
about to place in the ground re-
main an immovable monument OF the
wisdom and unanimity OF NORTH
America"
The procession to Jones Point must
have been a stately affair. In the
line were the town sergeant, Mr.. Car
roll and the mayor, Mr.. Ellicott, and
the recorder, "such of the aldermen
and common council as were not Free
Masons," the strangers, the master
of Lodge No. %, with DR.. Stuart at his
right and Rev. James Muir at his left,
followed by the rest of the fraternity
in their usual form of procession, end
lastly, two by two. the citizens. Pre-
sumably, the weather was congenlal.
If so, the spectacle was brave show
The participants were men of dignity
and courtly bearing. the spectators a
representative cross-section of the
population of the new republic. Or.
Stuart was a celebrated physician; !;
Mr. Carroll young man of property
and position. Their friends and
neighbors were people of their own
type; they certainly must have
"looked the part" of founders. Many
of those present had served in the
Revolution; others had lived through
it-and known its courage and its fear
its sacrifices and its victories
Number of Toasts Drunk.
Mr.. Ellicott ascertained the precise
spot; the master of the lodge and Dr.
Stuart placed the marker A deposit
of corn, wine and oil then was made,
and Mr. Muir addressed the vast
concourse": May this stone long COM
memorate the goodness of God, in
tnose uncommon events which have
gwen America a place among nations.
e-nder this stone may jealousy and
selfishness be buried forever From
this tone may superstructure arise
whose glory. whose magnificence, whose
stability, unequaled hitherto. shall
astonish the world and invite even