Theodore Roosevelt Island, formerly known as
My Lord's Island,
Barbadoes Island,
Mason's Island,
Analostan Island, and
Anacostine Island, is a
national memorialNational Memorial is a designation in the United States for a protected area, that memorializes a historic person or event. National memorials are authorized by the United States Congress. The memorial is often not located on a site directly related to the subject and many, such as the USS Arizona...
located in the
Potomac RiverThe Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles . In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the...
in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
and was the gift to the American people of the
Theodore Roosevelt AssociationThe Theodore Roosevelt Association is an historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th president of the United States...
in memory of the 26th US president,
Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. He is well remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" image. He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Bull Moose Party...
. The site features a statue of Roosevelt in a memorial plaza — the surrounding landscape of the island is maintained as a natural park.
Theodore Roosevelt Island, formerly known as
My Lord's Island,
Barbadoes Island,
Mason's Island,
Analostan Island, and
Anacostine Island, is a
national memorialNational Memorial is a designation in the United States for a protected area, that memorializes a historic person or event. National memorials are authorized by the United States Congress. The memorial is often not located on a site directly related to the subject and many, such as the USS Arizona...
located in the
Potomac RiverThe Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles . In terms of area, this makes the Potomac River the fourth largest river along the...
in
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
and was the gift to the American people of the
Theodore Roosevelt AssociationThe Theodore Roosevelt Association is an historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th president of the United States...
in memory of the 26th US president,
Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. He is well remembered for his energetic persona, his range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" image. He was a leader of the Republican Party and founder of the short-lived Bull Moose Party...
. The site features a statue of Roosevelt in a memorial plaza — the surrounding landscape of the island is maintained as a natural park. The island lies just north of
Columbia IslandColumbia Island is located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. and is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. In 1968, the island was renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park in honor of Johnson and her First Lady's Committee for a More Beautiful Capital planting of hundreds of dogwood trees and...
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
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
. A small island named "Little 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 ArtsThe John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
can be seen.
History
The
NacotchtankThe Nacotchtank were an Algonquian people who lived in the area of what is now Washington, D.C. during the 17th century. Their principal village was situated within the modern borders of the District of Columbia on the east bank of the Anacostia River, the name of which derives from Nacotchtank...
Indians, formerly of what is now
AnacostiaAnacostia is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Its historic downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is the most famous neighborhood in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, located east of the Anacostia River, which the area is...
, temporarily relocated to the island in 1668, giving its first recorded name, "Anacostine." The island was patented in 1682 as Anacostine Island by Captain Randolph Brandt, who left the island to his daughter Margaret Hammersley, upon his death in 1698/99. The island was acquired by
George MasonGeorge Mason IV was an American patriot, statesman, and delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...
in 1724.
John MasonJohn Mason was an early American merchant, banker, businessperson, and planter. As a son of George Mason, a Founding Father of the United States, Mason was a scion of the prominent Mason political family....
, the son of George Mason, inherited the Island in 1792 and owned it until 1833. John Mason built a mansion and gardens there in the early 19th century. The Masons left the island in 1831 when a
causewayIn modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated on a sandbank, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :...
stagnatedWater stagnation occurs when water stops flowing. Stagnant water can be a major environmental hazard.-Dangers:Malaria and dengue are among the main dangers of stagnant water, which can become a breeding ground for the mosquitoes that transmit these diseases.Stagnant water can be dangerous for...
the water.
Aside from a brief period in the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
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. 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.
National park and memorial
The
Theodore Roosevelt Memorial AssociationThe Theodore Roosevelt Association is an historical and cultural organization dedicated to honoring the life and work of Theodore Roosevelt , the 26th president of the United States...
purchased the wooded island from the Washington Gas Light Company in 1931, with the intention of erecting a
memorialThe Presidential memorials in the United States honor the various Presidents of the United States and seek to perpetuate their legacies.-Living and physical elements:...
honoring Roosevelt.
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
authorized the memorial on May 21, 1932. Congress appropriated funds for the memorial in 1960 which was dedicated October 27, 1967. The memorial, designed by Eric Gugler, includes a 17-foot (5 m) statue by sculptor
Paul ManshipPaul Howard Manship was a prominent American sculptor of the 20th century.Paul Manship began his art studies at the St. Paul School of Art in Minnesota. From there he moved to Philadelphia and continued his education at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts...
. 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 ServiceThe National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
under the
George Washington Memorial ParkwayThe George Washington Memorial Parkway, known to local motorists simply as the "G.W. Parkway", is a parkway maintained by the U.S. National Park Service. It is located mostly in Northern Virginia, although a short section northwest of the Arlington Memorial Bridge passes over Columbia Island,...
. As with all historic areas administered by the National Park Service, the national memorial was listed on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 15, 1966.
Public access
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.
Parking is accessible only from the northbound lanes of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. The entrance to the parking lot is located just north of the Roosevelt Bridge. The closest
Washington MetroMetrorail, commonly called Metro, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C. and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
station to the island is the
Rosslyn stationRosslyn is a Washington Metro station in the business district of Rosslyn, in Arlington, Virginia. It is the station where the Blue and Orange Lines converge going east into Washington, D.C.; in the opposite direction, they split, the Blue Line heading south and the Orange Line west, with a...
.
External links