Existing comment:
The Land
The Residence Act of 1790 provided for a federal district of up to one hundred square miles. George Washington chose the location, just south of the deepest penetration of tidewater on the eastern seaboard. It lay at the precise geographic center of the United States, when considered from north to south.
For at least half a millennium, the indigenous Anacostians had resided in villages on what they called the "Petomek" -- "a trading place" or "a place to which tribute is brought." In 1633 English explorer Henry Fleete described the area as a place of abundance and health.
After 1660, Maryland's proprietors made speculative land grants in the area, which soon carried such colorful names as Rome, New Troy, Scotland Yard, Widow's Mite, and Cuckold's Delight. People thought that the area was destined for commercial greatness. Landowners soon planned to create towns and sell lots. Georgetown, laid out in 1751, was a major part for exporting tobacco. Two new towns, Hamburg (Funkstown) and Carrollsburg, were planned just before the Revolutionary War. |