Geo-oddities exist everywhere. I thought I would focus some love and attention on a few of them near where I live. Likely you can find unusual features where you live too.
Let’s take a closer look at some of them.
Obsolete Boundary Stones
The District of Columbia once covered an exact ten miles square. In 1847, the government retroceded DC territory on the south side of the Potomac River back to Virginia. Many of the original Boundary Stones placed circa 1791 continue to remain in place. However, they mark a boundary for the District that no longer exists. Nonetheless, many of them still mark boundaries for some of Virginia’s counties and independent cities.
If you want to see more photographs and a map of many of the stones, please visit Mark Zimmermann’s wonderfully researched and compiled District of Columbia Boundary Stones: Photos & GPS Waypoints page.
The Multi-jurisdictional Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Travelers on Interstate 95 who drive along the eastern edge of the Washington beltway and cross the Woodrow Wilson Bridge over the Potomac River don’t have a clue. Yet, three separate jurisdictions retain authority for different portions of the bridge. The Potomac marks the border between the states of Maryland and Virginia.
Maryland actually “owns” the rights to the river in an arrangement that goes back to Colonial times. The same condition exists for the border between Virginia and the District of Columbia, with the District owning the rights to the river. Thus, the initial portion of the bridge starts on the Virginia shore and then cuts ever so slightly through the District of Columbia before entering Maryland. As a result, anyone who travels the eastern side of the beltway actually visits Washington, DC if only very briefly.
On the old bridge, since decommissioned, the drawbridge tower fell within the portion controlled by the District of Columbia. The person who operated the drawbridge was a Washington, DC city employee. I do not know if this holds true for the new bridge.
One may think of these anomalies as simply “interesting.” However, sometimes they result in real world implications. In 1998 one of the most infamous traffic jams in the history of Washington took place here. A would-be suicide jumper stood on the bride during the height of afternoon rush. Washington is so choked with traffic ordinarily that this was all it took to completely gridlock the entire metropolitan area for hours. Authorities had to figure out which police force should take the lead as the jumper moved along the bridge between jurisdictions, causing further delays. The situation ended in a fortunate way — while the man went off the bridge he didn’t injure himself.
Parts of Washington on the “wrong” side of the Potomac
The George Washington Parkway generally traverses Virginia’s side of the Potomac River. It offers a wonderfully scenic drive. However most of the Parkway between Interstate 395 and the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge is technically located within the District of Columbia. This includes most of the exit ramps to and from the Memorial Bridge. This portion of the GW Parkway crosses Columbia Island — separated from Virginia by a narrow boundary channel — although it’s not readily noticeable while driving along even at the speed limit. Washington, DC owns the river and all the river islands located between itself and Virginia. This also includes Roosevelt Island even though it can only be approached by land using a footbridge from the Virginia shore.
Sometimes it’s tough to give up the illusion of control
National Airport falls within the boundaries of Arlington, VA. However, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority lists its address as “Washington, DC 20001”. Even more strangely, they list Dulles Airport — some 35 miles outside of the District — as “Washington, DC 20041” If you want to send a letter to either airport you need to use a Washington, DC mailing address.
The same holds true for military components based at the Department of Defense headquarters at the Pentagon. The general mailing address for the Pentagon is: 1400 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1400. Nonetheless the Pentagon is and always has been located firmly on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.
Leave a Reply