Gravelly Point: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 38°51′54″N 77°02′21″W / 38.8651°N 77.0391°W / 38.8651; -77.0391
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{{Short description|River cape in Virginia, United States}}
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[[File:MountVernonTrail GravellyPoint.jpg|thumb|Airplane taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as seen looking south from the Mount Vernon Trail at Gravelly Point.]]
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{{Coord|38.8651|-77.0391|type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink_region:US-VA|display=title}}
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'''Gravelly Point''' is an area within the [[National Park Service]]'s [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia]], in the [[United States]].<ref name=map1>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/maps.htm|accessdate=January 19, 2018|title=Maps|work=George Washington Memorial Parkway|publisher=[[U.S. National Park Service]]}}</ref> It is located on the west side of the [[Potomac River]], north of [[List of tributaries of the Potomac River|Roaches Run]] and [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]].<ref name=map1/>
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
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[[File:Gravelly Point airplane couple.png|thumb|A couple at Gravelly Point watching an airplane approach Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from the north.]]
[[File:Gravelly Point Park 34510.jpg|thumb|Airplane passing over Gravelly Point while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from the north.]]


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'''Gravelly Point''' is an area within the [[National Park Service]]'s [[George Washington Memorial Parkway]] in [[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington County]], [[Virginia]].<ref name="map1">{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/planyourvisit/maps.htm|access-date=January 19, 2018|title=Maps|work=George Washington Memorial Parkway|publisher=[[U.S. National Park Service]]}}</ref> It is located on the west side of the [[Potomac River]], immediately north of [[List of tributaries of the Potomac River|Roaches Run]] and [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport]].<ref name="map1" />[[File:AERIAL VIEW OF GRAVELLY POINT AND WATERFOWL SANCTUARY LOOKING NORTHEAST - cropped and recolored.tif|thumb|250x250px|Aerial view of Gravelly Point circa 1968 with the [[George Washington Memorial Parkway|George Washington Parkway]] in the foreground and the end of [[Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport|Reagan National Airport]] runway 19 at right.]]
==History==
[[File:Bicycling And Picnicking Along George Washington Parkway Which Is In The Glide Path To National Airport, April 1973 - restored.tif|thumb|Gravelly Point visitors watching an aircraft land in April 1973.]]
In 1746, a house, on a plantation later named [[Abingdon (plantation)|Abingdon]], existed near Gravelly Point on property that Gerrard Alexander owned. The name of [[Alexandria, Virginia]], commemorates Alexander's family.<ref name=Rose>{{cite book|last=Rose|first=C.B., Jr.|title=Arlington County, Virginia: A History|publisher=[[Arlington Historical Society|Arlington Historical Society, Inc.]]|year=1976|pages=26–32}}</ref><ref name="Alexander Family">{{cite web|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?MarkerID=8378|title=The Alexander Family Historical Marker|date=June 17, 2008|website=The Historical Marker Database|accessdate=March 18, 2011}}</ref> In 1778, [[John Parke Custis]], the son of [[Martha Washington]] and stepson of [[George Washington]], purchased the plantation.<ref name=Rose/> Martha Washington's granddaughter [[Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis|Eleanor Parke Custis]] was later born on the plantation.<ref name=Rose/> A house at Abingdon was destroyed by fire in 1930 and its ruins stabilized.<ref name=Rose/>
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[[File:MountVernonTrail GravellyPoint.jpg|thumb|Airplane taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as seen looking south from the Mount Vernon Trail at Gravelly Point in 2009.]]


Gravelly Point has served as an iconic spot for [[Aircraft spotting|plane spotters]], [[Picnic|picnickers]] and others to watch planes take off and land from National Airport for more than half a century.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Ripley|first=Amanda|year=2015|title=Washington: 10 Things to Do — 9. Gravelly Point |url=http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1852610_1852670_1852659,00.html|access-date=February 1, 2015|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ahmad|first=Zach|date=October 10, 2005|title=Plane-spotting: At Gravelly Point park, people stop to spot|work=[[The GW Hatchet]]|publisher=Hatchet Publications, Inc. |url=http://www.gwhatchet.com/2005/10/10/plane-spotting-at-gravelly-point-park-people-stop-to-spot/ |access-date=February 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013092038/http://www.gwhatchet.com/2005/10/10/plane-spotting-at-gravelly-point-park-people-stop-to-spot/|archive-date=October 13, 2013}}</ref> It sits directly under the [[Instrument landing system glide path|glide path]] of the airport's main [[Runway|runways]]; aircraft pass between 100 and 200 feet overhead on [[final approach]] to land on Runway 19 and when taking off from Runway 1.
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In 2016, a bill was introduced in the United States House of Representatives to rename the site as Nancy Reagan Memorial Park, but it did not proceed beyond referral to a subcommittee.<ref>{{USBill|114|HR|5457|pipe=H.R. 5457 - 114th Congress (2015-2016)|site=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bill Introduced to Rename Gravelly Point After Nancy Reagan|url=https://www.arlnow.com/2016/06/14/bill-introduced-to-rename-gravelly-point-after-nancy-reagan/|accessdate=January 19, 2018|work=ARLnow.com|publisher=Local News Now LLC|date=June 14, 2016|location=[[Arlington, Virginia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Mike|last2=Lippman|first2=Daniel|title=CLINTONITES JOIN DNC|url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2016/06/clintonites-join-dnc-sanders-loses-leverage-trump-touts-campaign-of-substance-bush-43-unlikely-savior-bday-desiree-barnes-tory-burch-newt-gingrich-matt-miller-214873|accessdate=January 19, 2018|work=[[Politico]]|date=June 17, 2016}}</ref> A similar bill was introduced in 2017 and received approval from the [[House Committee on Natural Resources]] on January 17, 2018, in a [[party-line vote]].<ref>{{USBill|115|HR|553|pipe=H.R. 553 - 115th Congress (2017-2018)|site=yes}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Teale|first1=Chris|title=Beyer Blasts Bill Renaming Gravelly Point Park for Nancy Reagan|url=https://www.arlnow.com/2018/01/17/beyer-blasts-bill-renaming-gravelly-point-park-for-nancy-reagan/|accessdate=January 19, 2018|work=ARLnow.com|publisher=Local News Now LLC|date=January 17, 2018|location=Arlington, Virginia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Simmons-Duffin|first1=Selena|title=Ronald Reagan Got An Airport. Should Nancy Reagan Get Gravelly Point?|url=https://wamu.org/story/18/01/18/ronald-reagan-got-airport-nancy-reagan-get-gravelly-point/|accessdate=January 19, 2018|work=[[WAMU]]|publisher=[[American University]]|date=January 18, 2018|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]}}</ref>


The paved [[Mount Vernon Trail]] travels through the area.<ref name="map1" /> A [[Rugby union|rugby]] pitch hosts high school matches.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gonzaga Athletics: Game & Practice Locations |url=https://www.gonzaganc.org/page.aspx?pid=886 |access-date=March 21, 2019 |website=gonzaganc.org |publisher=[[Gonzaga College High School]]}}</ref> The area also has a [[Slipway|boat launch]] and a [[Capital Bikeshare]] dock.<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Boating Access |url=https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/access/?find_by_locality=490 |access-date=January 19, 2018 |publisher=[[Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries]]}}</ref>
==Recreation==

The paved [[Mount Vernon Trail]] travels through the area.<ref name=map1/> A rugby pitch hosts high school rugby matches.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gonzaganc.org/page.aspx?pid=886 |title=Gonzaga Athletics: Game & Practice Locations |publisher=[[Gonzaga College High School]] |website=gonzaganc.org |accessdate=March 21, 2019}}</ref> The area also has a [[Slipway|boat launch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dgif.virginia.gov/boating/access/?find_by_locality=490 |title=Public Boating Access |publisher=[[Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries]] |accessdate=January 19, 2018}}</ref> [[Aircraft spotting|Aircraft spotters]] and others use the area to see planes landing at the nearby airport.<ref>(1) {{cite web |last=Ripley |first=Amanda |url=http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1852610_1852670_1852659,00.html |title=Washington: 10 Things to Do — 9. Gravelly Point - TIME |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |year=2015 |accessdate=February 1, 2015}}<br>(2) {{cite news |first=Zach |last=Ahmad |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013092038/http://www.gwhatchet.com/2005/10/10/plane-spotting-at-gravelly-point-park-people-stop-to-spot/ |archivedate=October 13, 2013 |url=http://www.gwhatchet.com/2005/10/10/plane-spotting-at-gravelly-point-park-people-stop-to-spot/ |title=Plane-spotting: At Gravelly Point park, people stop to spot |date=October 10, 2005 |work=[[The GW Hatchet]] |publisher=Hatchet Publications, Inc. |accessdate=February 1, 2015}}</ref>
Part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the public recreation area is patrolled by the [[United States Park Police|U.S. Park Police]]. The public is kept off the airport land by the [[Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority]] Police.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-07 |title=Update: Missing Woman, 83, Found Dead Near Gravelly Point Park |url=https://patch.com/virginia/arlington-va/body-found-monday-at-gravelly-point-park |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=Arlington, VA Patch |language=en}}</ref>
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[[File:Gravelly Point airplane couple.png|thumb|A couple at Gravelly Point watching an airplane approach Reagan National from the north in 2013.]]

[[File:DCA VIEW.jpg|thumb|The view of Reagan National Airport terminals B and C from Gravelly Point.]]

== Proposed renaming ==
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Between 2016 and 2021, Rep. [[Jody Hice]] of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] introduced four unsuccessful bills in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] to rename the Gravelly Point area "[[Nancy Reagan]] Memorial Park." His legislation, filed as H.R. 5457 (2016),<ref>{{cite news |title=Bill Introduced to Rename Gravelly Point After Nancy Reagan |url=https://www.arlnow.com/2016/06/14/bill-introduced-to-rename-gravelly-point-after-nancy-reagan/ |access-date=January 19, 2018 |work=ARLnow.com |publisher=Local News Now LLC |date=June 14, 2016 |location=[[Arlington, Virginia]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Allen |first1=Mike |last2=Lippman |first2=Daniel |title=Clintonites Join DNC |url=https://www.politico.com/tipsheets/playbook/2016/06/clintonites-join-dnc-sanders-loses-leverage-trump-touts-campaign-of-substance-bush-43-unlikely-savior-bday-desiree-barnes-tory-burch-newt-gingrich-matt-miller-214873 |access-date=January 19, 2018 |work=[[Politico]] |date=June 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{USBill|114|HR|5457|pipe=H.R.5457 - 114th Congress (2015-2016)|site=yes}}. Retrieved June 16, 2016.</ref> H.R. 553 (2017-18),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Teale |first1=Chris |title=Beyer Blasts Bill Renaming Gravelly Point Park for Nancy Reagan |url=https://www.arlnow.com/2018/01/17/beyer-blasts-bill-renaming-gravelly-point-park-for-nancy-reagan/ |access-date=January 19, 2018 |work=ARLnow.com |publisher=Local News Now LLC |date=January 17, 2018 |location=Arlington, Virginia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Simmons-Duffin |first1=Selena |title=Ronald Reagan Got An Airport. Should Nancy Reagan Get Gravelly Point? |url=https://wamu.org/story/18/01/18/ronald-reagan-got-airport-nancy-reagan-get-gravelly-point/ |access-date=January 19, 2018 |work=[[WAMU]] |publisher=[[American University]] |date=January 18, 2018 |location=[[Washington, D.C.]]}}</ref><ref>{{USBill|115|HR|553|pipe=H.R.553 - 115th Congress (2017-2018)|site=yes}}. Retrieved January 19, 2018.</ref> H.R. 308 (2019),<ref>{{USBill|116|HR|308|pipe=H.R.308 - 116th Congress (2019-2020)|site=yes}}. Retrieved September 28, 2020.</ref> and H.R. 4364 (2021)<ref>{{USBill|117|HR|4364|pipe=H.R.4364 - 117th Congress (2021-2022)|site=yes}}. Retrieved October 20, 2023.</ref> was each time referred to a subcommittee by the [[House Committee on Natural Resources]], proceeding no further. Hice left office in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=H001071 |title=HICE, Jody Brownlow (1960-) |website=Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress |access-date=October 20, 2023}}</ref>

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==References==
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{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
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* [http://bikewashington.org/parking/location.php?id=4 BikeWashington.org directions on how to access Gravelly Point via bicycle]
* [http://bikewashington.org/parking/location.php?id=4 BikeWashington.org directions on how to access Gravelly Point via bicycle]


{{Authority control}}
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==References==
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{{reflist}}

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{{coord|38.8651|-77.0391|type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink|display=title}}


[[Category:George Washington Memorial Parkway]]
[[Category:George Washington Memorial Parkway]]
[[Category:Parks in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Parks in Arlington County, Virginia]]
[[Category:Potomac River]]
[[Category:Potomac River]]
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[[Category:Virginia municipal and county parks]]
[[Category:Rugby union stadiums in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Rugby union stadiums in Washington, D.C.]]
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[[Category:Virginia municipal and county parks]]


{{ArlingtonCountyVA-geo-stub}}
{{ArlingtonCountyVA-geo-stub}}

Revision as of 05:14, 2 December 2023

38°51′54″N 77°02′21″W / 38.8651°N 77.0391°W / 38.8651; -77.0391

Gravelly Point is an area within the National Park Service's George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia.[1] It is located on the west side of the Potomac River, immediately north of Roaches Run and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.[1]

Aerial view of Gravelly Point circa 1968 with the George Washington Parkway in the foreground and the end of Reagan National Airport runway 19 at right.
Gravelly Point visitors watching an aircraft land in April 1973.
Airplane taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as seen looking south from the Mount Vernon Trail at Gravelly Point in 2009.

Gravelly Point has served as an iconic spot for plane spotters, picnickers and others to watch planes take off and land from National Airport for more than half a century.[2][3] It sits directly under the glide path of the airport's main runways; aircraft pass between 100 and 200 feet overhead on final approach to land on Runway 19 and when taking off from Runway 1.

The paved Mount Vernon Trail travels through the area.[1] A rugby pitch hosts high school matches.[4] The area also has a boat launch and a Capital Bikeshare dock.[5]

Part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, the public recreation area is patrolled by the U.S. Park Police. The public is kept off the airport land by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police.[6]

A couple at Gravelly Point watching an airplane approach Reagan National from the north in 2013.
The view of Reagan National Airport terminals B and C from Gravelly Point.

Proposed renaming

Between 2016 and 2021, Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia introduced four unsuccessful bills in the House of Representatives to rename the Gravelly Point area "Nancy Reagan Memorial Park." His legislation, filed as H.R. 5457 (2016),[7][8][9] H.R. 553 (2017-18),[10][11][12] H.R. 308 (2019),[13] and H.R. 4364 (2021)[14] was each time referred to a subcommittee by the House Committee on Natural Resources, proceeding no further. Hice left office in 2023.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Maps". George Washington Memorial Parkway. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  2. ^ Ripley, Amanda (2015). "Washington: 10 Things to Do — 9. Gravelly Point". Time. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  3. ^ Ahmad, Zach (October 10, 2005). "Plane-spotting: At Gravelly Point park, people stop to spot". The GW Hatchet. Hatchet Publications, Inc. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "Gonzaga Athletics: Game & Practice Locations". gonzaganc.org. Gonzaga College High School. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  5. ^ "Public Boating Access". Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  6. ^ "Update: Missing Woman, 83, Found Dead Near Gravelly Point Park". Arlington, VA Patch. May 7, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  7. ^ "Bill Introduced to Rename Gravelly Point After Nancy Reagan". ARLnow.com. Arlington, Virginia: Local News Now LLC. June 14, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  8. ^ Allen, Mike; Lippman, Daniel (June 17, 2016). "Clintonites Join DNC". Politico. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  9. ^ H.R.5457 - 114th Congress (2015-2016) at Congress.gov. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  10. ^ Teale, Chris (January 17, 2018). "Beyer Blasts Bill Renaming Gravelly Point Park for Nancy Reagan". ARLnow.com. Arlington, Virginia: Local News Now LLC. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  11. ^ Simmons-Duffin, Selena (January 18, 2018). "Ronald Reagan Got An Airport. Should Nancy Reagan Get Gravelly Point?". WAMU. Washington, D.C.: American University. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  12. ^ H.R.553 - 115th Congress (2017-2018) at Congress.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  13. ^ H.R.308 - 116th Congress (2019-2020) at Congress.gov. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  14. ^ H.R.4364 - 117th Congress (2021-2022) at Congress.gov. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  15. ^ "HICE, Jody Brownlow (1960-)". Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress. Retrieved October 20, 2023.

External links

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