After the Revolutionary War in 1789, the constitution established a 10 square mile district as the site of the new capitol for the United States.  Subsequently, after much haggling in Congress, the “Residence Act” was passed and set the site of the new city on the northern and southern shores of the Potomac River at a location to be determined by President Washington.

Whenever President’s Day rolls around, we, as surveyors, can’t help but think of the historical importance of surveying in the United States – not only because Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson were all surveyors, but the impact surveying had on the development of the nation. I’ve touched on that in blogs I’ve done about colonial surveyors, but the depth of the subject calls for a look into how surveying developed in America.