Interestingly, our oldest federal monuments are not protected by designation as a national park or reserve. The 40 stone monuments that mark the border of Washington, D.C. are protected only by metal fences placed around the markers in 1915 by the Daughters of the American Revolution. Despite that, several stones have been repositioned, removed, lost, or buried over the years.

“Across 2 expansive wars and 2 transformative peace treaties, the surveyors eye changed the image of America in the British Atlantic world.” - Max Edelson is a professor of history at the University of Virginia.