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All the United States Washington, D.C. Jefferson Pier Marker

Jefferson Pier Marker

A tiny monument to the unsuccessful attempt by Thomas Jefferson to place the prime meridian in Washington.

Washington, D.C.

Added By
Elliot Carter
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With Washington Monument in the background, looking East   Something Original/CC BY-SA 3.0
With Washington Monument in the background, looking East   Something Original/CC BY-SA 3.0
Surprisingly no marker or info nearby   notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
  IgFan / Atlas Obscura User
  MtnLady / Atlas Obscura User
  kmorgan6912 / Atlas Obscura User
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Closeup of marker   blimpcaptain / Atlas Obscura User
Jefferson Pier   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  ambentzen / Atlas Obscura User
  ambentzen / Atlas Obscura User
  ambentzen / Atlas Obscura User
  ambentzen / Atlas Obscura User
Look close, the little monument is easy to miss   https://www.google.com/maps/place/Washingt...
  e1savage / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the early days of the American republic, upstart patriots briefly pushed for the location of a navigational meridian passing through central Washington, D.C. This was a time before the international Prime Meridian at Greenwich was established, and many countries based their maps off prime meridians passing through their territory.

Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, ever intrigued by surveying, was a key player in the push. To choose the exact location of the latitudinal line, he lined up the White House front door with the Capitol rotunda in 1793, an intersection he marked with a small wooden post, steps from the present-day Washington Monument.

Eleven years later, Jefferson was president, and the wooden post was replaced with a stone block capped with Aquia sandstone. The Washington Post archive notes grandly that this point was “to serve as a first meridian from which to reckon longitudes in the very young and patriotic republic” for years to come.

That proved overly optimistic, however, and Jefferson’s stone was forgotten about within a few decades. In 1872 work was progressing on the Washington Monument, and the original stone was removed by General Babcock of the Army Corps of Engineers, who was oblivious of the history. Jefferson’s meridian dreams were smashed for good in 1884 when President Arthur convened a conference at the State Department to settle on one common international line.

Debate at the Meridian Conference was heated, with the strongest opposition to the English meridian coming from French representatives, who took a "Never Greenwich!” position. (The French favored the neutral but impractical Bering Straits). Economic expediency ultimately carried the day. Greenwich’s Royal Observatory already had astronomical equipment on site, so it was cheaper for all involved to convert their measurements to GMT. (The vote was 21 to 1, with France and Brazil abstaining.)

Five years later, a stone pier was re-erected at the site of the original Jefferson marker.

Update July 2018: The Washington monument is closed until 2019 for repairs. There is a fence and you can’t get close to this marker due to its proximity to the monument undergoing restoration.

Related Tags

History Maps Geographic Markers Instruments Of Science Surveyors Presidents Thomas Jefferson

Know Before You Go

Two minutes from the Washington Monument (at the exact intersection of the White House and Capitol).

Community Contributors

Added By

Elliot Carter

Edited By

e1savage, Edward Denny, notoriousFIG, breaingram...

  • e1savage
  • Edward Denny
  • notoriousFIG
  • breaingram
  • IgFan
  • blimpcaptain
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • MtnLady
  • ambentzen
  • kmorgan6912

Published

May 2, 2017

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Sources
  • Boundary stones Washington erected here still stand, Washington Post, June 28, 1931
  • The Prime Meridian Conference, Washington Post, September 20, 1884
  • Greenwich Meridian or none, Washington Post, October 3, 1884
  • France Will Never Consent, Washington Post, October 8, 1884
  • The Greenwich Meridian selected, Washington Post, October 14, 1884
Jefferson Pier Marker
Jefferson Pier Marker
Washington, District of Columbia
United States
38.889818, -77.036557
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Photo of Washington, D.C.

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