The Garden Club of America erected entrance markers in 1932 as part of the George Washington bicentennial celebration. These are stone pylons located at several entrances to the district. Some of them have been lost due to time, but these two in Chevy Chase Circle still exist.
From Wikpedia:
"The markers were designed by architect Edward Donn, who based them on the milestones set up in 1761 along the Mason–Dixon line denoting the Pennsylvania-Maryland boundary. Installed between April 1932 and October 1933, the markers are composed of Aquia Creek sandstone and bear the Seal of Maryland on one side and the Cartouche of the District of Columbia on the opposite side. The cartouche depicts George Washington with Lady Justice, a laurel wreath, the rising sun, and the capitol dome."
From the National Register of Historic Places registration form for these markers:
“The Chevy Chase markers are located well within the inside circumference of the circle and on-line with Western Avenue. The markers are sited in a grassy median between the benches and stone paving that encircle the centrally placed Newlands Fountain and the azalea planting forming a perimeter to the fountain.”
The registration goes on to describe that the western marker is at its original 5 foot height and a piece was broken but reattached. The eastern marker has been reset on a base of Pennyslvania limestone back to its orginal height. At some point, one of the markers disappeared; however the National Park Service was able to retrieve it from a private party. In 2000, a motorist crashed into the other marker and knocked it over. The Friends of Chevy Chase volunteer organization hired sculptors to restore both markers and they were reinstalled to their current locations in September 2003.
There are 7 markers (located at 4 sites) that still exist today. This multicache takes you to the location of the Chevy Chase Circle markers, as well as another example of many still existing historic DC structures. The markers are included as waypoints. Use caution in this area as this is a busy traffic circle. There are crosswalks to get into the circle located on Western Avenue and Chevy Chase Pkwy NW. I parked on Quesada St. NW while I was hiding this cache (including as a parking waypoint).
Finding the geocache:
The final is located at N 38° 58.ABC W 077° 04.DEF
At the posted coordinates, there is a plaque in the ground that describes the rededication of the fountain and circle.
A = First digit of the anniversary number on the plaque
B = The number of letters in the 6th word on the plaque
C = The number of letters in the 4th word on the plaque
D = The number of letters in the 1st word on the plaque
E = The number of letters in the 8th word on the plaque
F = The second digit of the anniversary number on the plaque
Checksum: A + B + C + D + E + F = 16
The final is a short (~ 0.2 miles) walk away.
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certitude.
Check out the other caches in this series: