Theodore Roosevelt Island

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Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial
Location: Washington, D.C., USA
Coordinates: 38°53′50″N, 77°3′51″W
Area: 88.5 acres (0.36 km²)
Established: May 21, 1932
Total Visitation: 111,879 (in 2005)
Governing body: National Park Service
Fountain on Theodore Roosevelt Island
Fountain on Theodore Roosevelt Island

Theodore Roosevelt Island, formerly known as My Lord's Island, Barbadoes, Mason's Island and Analostan Island,[1] is a national memorial located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It features a statue of President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt in a memorial plaza — the surrounding landscape of the island is maintained as a natural park. The island lies just north of Columbia Island and can be accessed by a bridge leading to a paved trail and bike path that connects Columbia Island to the banks of the Potomac facing D.C. from Virginia. A small island named "Small Island" lies just off the southern tip. On the eastern shore at about the half-way point of the island, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts can be seen through the trees.

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[edit] History

The original American Indian inhabitants of the area called the island, "Analostan." The island was patented in 1682 as Analostan Island by Captain Randolph Brandt, who left the island to his daughter Margaret Hammersley, upon his death in 1698/99.[2] The island was acquired by George Mason in 1724.[3] John Mason, the son of George Mason, inherited the Island in 1792 and owned it until 1833.[2] John Mason built a mansion and gardens there in the early 19th century. The Masons left the island in 1831 when a causeway stagnated the water.

Aside from a brief period in the Civil War when Union troops were stationed there, the island has been uninhabited since the Masons left. Locals continued to call it "Mason's Island" until the memorial was built there. Around 1906, fire burned on the island and extensively damaged the mansion.[2] Part of the mansion's foundation is all that remains today. From 1913 to 1931, the island was owned by the Washington Gas Light Company, which allowed vegetation to grow unchecked on the island.[2]

Statue of Theodore Roosevelt sculpted by Paul Manship
Statue of Theodore Roosevelt sculpted by Paul Manship

[edit] Park and memorial

The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association purchased the 88.5 acre (0.36 km²)[4] wooded island from the Washington Gas Light Company in 1931, with the intention of erecting a memorial honoring Roosevelt.[2] Congress authorized the memorial on May 21, 1932. Congress appropriated funds for the memorial in 1960 which was dedicated October 27, 1967.[5] The memorial, designed by Eric Gugler, includes a 17 foot (5 m) statue by sculptor Paul Manship. Also included are four large stone monoliths with some of Roosevelt's more famous quotations and two large fountains. The island is now maintained by the National Park Service under the George Washington Memorial Parkway. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the national memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

Although the island is part of the District of Columbia, it is only accessible by a footbridge near the George Washington Memorial Parkway from Arlington, Virginia. No cars or bicycles are permitted on the island.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Analostan Island. George Mason's Plantations and Landholdings. Gunston Hall Plantation official website. Retrieved on 2007-03-01.
  2. ^ a b c d e Curry, Mary E. (1971-1972). "Theodore Roosevelt Island: A Broken Link to Early Washington, D.C. History". Records of the Columbia Historical Society of Washington, D.C.. 
  3. ^ James W. Foster, "Potomac River Maps of 1737 by Robert Brooke and Others," William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine 2nd Ser., Vol. 18, No. 4. (October 1938), 410.
  4. ^ National Park Service. Listing of area as of 09/30/2005. Retrieved on May 5, 2006.
  5. ^ The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.

[edit] External links

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