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 two can be found in Westmoreland Circle.
From the National Register of Historic Places registration form for these markers:
The first pair of entry markers was erected on April 24, 1932 on the Virginia side of Key Bridge. Over a year later, in October 1933, another pair of entry markers was dedicated at Chevy Chase Circle, along with the Newlands Memorial Fountain. According to the Evening Star, the Chevy Chase markers were the "sixth to be placed by the Garden Club of America at important gateways to the city." The article notes that the other pairs of markers were placed at the 16th Street entrance, at Wisconsin Avenue, at Georgia and Alaska avenues, and on the Virginia side of "both the Highway and Key Bridges." The article states, "It is hoped that the Garden Club of America will similarly mark other entrances to the city as they are developed into impressive gateways.”
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 Westmoreland Circle markers are located on either side of the grassy circle, at the inside of its circumference and generally on-axis with Western Avenue (on the west side of Westmoreland Circle the extension of Western Avenue is actually the Dalecarlia Parkway).”
The registration goes on to describe that the western marker is located beneath an oak tree and surrounded by its orignal chain link fence. The marker has also undergone a lot of weathering and wearing, but the cartouches are still visible. The eastern marker is not surrounded by a fence, slightly tilted, and “is more susceptible to out-of-control motorists.” It has been hit and reerected several times, but the Maryland seal is still visible.
Of all the remaining markers, these might have the most interesting backstory.
“Little is known about exactly when the Westmoreland Circle markers were erected, and there is some speculation that the pair of markers erected on 16th Street were moved to Westmoreland Circle. In any case, it is known that the Westmoreland Circle markers stood at the Circle by June 1935 when a Westmoreland Hills resident wrote to Charles Moore at the Commission of Fine Arts, stating,
‘I notice the nice Boundary stones which have been put on the circle of Massachusetts Avenue Extended. I like them very much, but if you will notice some time, you will see, I think, that they have not been rightly oriented. The Maryland District Line neither goes through the plane of either their surfaces, or through the corners. I think when you or your representative sees them you will see that they need turning so as to mark the boundary properly.’
A return letter from Moore to the concerned citizen explains that the Westmoreland Circle markers, like those at Chevy Chase Circle, were not meant to mark the actual boundary line, but were simply a notification that one was passing a boundary.
There are 7 markers (located at 4 sites) that still exist today. This multicache takes you to the location of the Westmoreland Circle markers, as well as another example of many still existing historic DC structures. Waypoints are given for the markers. Use caution in this area as this is a busy traffic circle. Unfortunately, there are no crosswalks to get into the circle, so it is not safe or recommended to cross traffic to get close to the stones; they must be viewed from a distance. I parked on Albermale St. NW while I was hiding this cache (including as a parking waypoint).
Finding the geocache:
The final is located at N 38° 56.ABA W 077° 05.CDA
At the posted coordinates, there is a road sign marking the various streets in the traffic circle. Use the sign to solve for the final coordinates.
A = The number of letters in the name of the “directional” AVENUE on the sign PLUS 1
B = The number of arrows on the sign.
C = The number of letters in the name of the only “ROAD” on the sign.
D = The number of times “AVENUE” appears on the sign TIMES 2
Checksum: A + B + C + D = 30
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.
Check out the other caches in this series: