<P> Pursuant to the Residence Act, President Washington appointed three commissioners (Thomas Johnson, Daniel Carroll, and David Stuart) in 1791 to supervise the planning, design and acquisition of property in the federal district and capital city . In September 1791, the three commissioners agreed to name the federal district as "The Territory of Columbia," and the federal city as the "City of Washington ." </P> <P> On March 30, 1791, Washington issued a presidential proclamation that established "Jones's point, the upper cape of Hunting Creek in Virginia" as the starting point for the federal district's boundary survey . The proclamation also described the method by which the survey should determine the district's boundaries . Working under the general supervision of the three commissioners and at the direction of President Washington, Major Andrew Ellicott, assisted by his brothers Benjamin and Joseph Ellicott, Isaac Roberdeau, Isaac Briggs, George Fenwick, and an African American astronomer, Benjamin Banneker, then proceeded to survey the borders of the Territory of Columbia with Virginia and Maryland during 1791 and 1792 . </P> <P> The survey team enclosed within a square an area containing the full 100 square miles (260 km) that the Residence Act had authorized . Each side of the square was 10 miles (16 km) long . The axes between the corners of the square ran north--south and east--west . The center of the square is within the grounds of the Organization of American States headquarters west of the Ellipse . </P> <P> The survey team placed sandstone boundary markers at or near every mile point along the sides of the square (see: Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia). Many of these markers still remain . The south cornerstone is at Jones Point . The west cornerstone is at the west corner of Arlington County, Virginia . The north cornerstone is south of East - West Highway near Silver Spring, Maryland, west of 16th Street . The east cornerstone is east of the intersection of Southern Avenue and Eastern Avenue . </P>

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