Zero Milestone
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The Zero Milestone is a
zero mile marker monument in Washington, D.C., intended as the initial milestone from which all road distances in the United States should be measured when it was built. At present,[when?
] only roads in the Washington, D.C., area have distances measured from it.
Location
The monument stands just south of the
- Coordinates: 38°53′42.38736″N 77°02′11.57299″W / 38.8951076000°N 77.0365480528°W (NAD83)[2]
- Altitude: 8.382 m (27.50 ft) (NAVD88)[3]
Description
Designed by Washington
Milford granite from Milford, Massachusetts, light pinkish to greenish gray, with spots of black biotite mica. The bronze disk on top of the milestone is "an adaptation from ancient portolan charts of the so-called wind roses or compass roses from the points of which extended radial lines to all parts of the then known world—the prototype of the modern mariner's compass."[4]
The monument has engravings on four surfaces:
- North: Zero Milestone
- East: Starting point of Second Transcontinental Motor Convoy over the Bankhead Highway, June 14, 1920
- South: Point for the measurement of distances from Washington on highways of the United States
- West: Starting point of First Transcontinental Motor Convoy[5][6] over the Lincoln Highway, July 7, 1919
In addition, a "brass plate placed on the ground at the north base" shown below, contains the following inscription.[4]
- The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey determined the latitude, longitude and elevation of the Zero Milestone authorized by Act of Congress June 5, 1920 dedicated June 4, 1923
History
In his plan for Washington,
Washington meridian
, 77° 02' 11.56".
The current Zero Milestone monument was conceived by
Congress authorized the Secretary of War to erect the current monument, design to be approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and installed at no expense to the government. Dr. Johnson took charge of the details and raised donations for the design and construction. The permanent Zero Milestone was dedicated in a ceremony on June 4, 1923.[4][7]
See also
- Benchmarking (geolocating)
- Geodetic datum
- Kilometre zero
- Kilometre Zero (Bucharest)
- List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2
- Zero Kilometre Stone (Budapest)
References
- National Geodetic Survey. Archived from the originalon February 4, 2012.
- National Geodetic Survey. Archived from the originalon October 18, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2020..
- National Geodetic Survey. July 23, 1998. Archived from the originalon February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020..
- ^ a b c Weingroff, Richard F. "Zero Milestone – Washington, DC". United States Department of Transportation: Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020..
- ^ "DAILY LOG OF THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL MOTOR CONVOY; Washington, D.C. to San Francisco, Cal. July 7th to Sept. 6, 1919" (PDF). Eisenhower Presidential Library. 1919. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
July 7. - Departed Camp Meigs, 8:30 A.M. Dedicated Zero Milestone at the Ellipse, Potomac Park, 10 A.M. Departed Washington 11:15 A.M.
- ^ "1919 Transcontinental Motor Convoy". Eisenhower Presidential Library. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
In the summer of 1919, a young Lieutenant Colonel named Dwight D. Eisenhower participated in the first Army transcontinental motor convoy. [...] As an observer for the War Department, Lt. Col. Eisenhower learned first-hand of the difficulties faced in traveling great distances on roads that were impassable and resulted in frequent breakdowns of the military vehicles. These early experiences influenced his later decisions concerning the building of the interstate highway system during his presidential administration.
- ^ a b Veroske, Ariel (July 10, 2013). "All Roads Lead to Washington: The Zero Milestone". Boundary Stones: WETA's Local History Blog. WETA. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020..
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zero Milestone (Washington, D.C.).