JEFFERSON Pier near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.

monument

Jefferson Pier is a small granite monument near the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., marking the intended first meridian of the United States. It symbolizes Thomas Jefferson's vision for American scientific independence and the geographic center of the new capital. Though never officially recognized, it played a role in early U.S. surveying before the prime meridian shifted to the Naval Observatory and later to Greenwich. The pier was erected in 1804 and re-erected in 1889 and is located near several major national memorials.