ISSUE 29 – STEVE KOVACS FUN WITH MAPS
By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)
LOVELAND, OH (July 16, 2020) – In Issue 29 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps feature we learn about the birth of Washington D.C.
Steve Kovacs- ready to move it and shake it up on Capitol Hill (Provided)
The Birth of Washington DC
The US Congress approved the creation of a national capital 230 years ago on the banks of the Potomac River. Washington DC became the 9th and thus far final capital location. Philadelphia was the first and congress met in various cities after that. The District of Columbia Act of 1801 organized the land under federal control, and the rest is history. By the way, Columbia is the feminine variant of the name of explorer Columbus, the guy from Genoa who ‘discovered’ America.
One of the interesting points about this map of D.C. is the wide Potomac River itself. The Army Corps of Engineers worked on the Potomac shoreline in the late 1800s to shape the Tidal Basin and also to reclaim land. Some of the reclaimed land later became the site of the Lincoln Memorial. It is under water in this map illustration. . . This map of Washington is from 1878 and was created by Mitchell.
Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.
Click here to visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.
Map of Washington DC – 1878 created by Mitchell (Credit Steve Kovacs)
