Gravelly Point
Gravelly Point is an area within the National Park Service's George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States.[1] It is located on the west side of the Potomac River, north of Roaches Run and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.[1]
History
In 1746, a house, on a plantation later named Abingdon, existed near Gravelly Point on property that Gerrard Alexander owned. The name of Alexandria, Virginia, commemorates Alexander's family.[2][3] In 1778, John Parke Custis, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington, purchased the plantation.[2] Martha Washington's granddaughter Eleanor Parke Custis was later born on the plantation.[2] A house at Abingdon was destroyed by fire in 1930 and its ruins stabilized.[2]
Proposed renaming
In 2016, Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA-10) introduced a bill in the United States House of Representatives to rename Gravelly Point as Nancy Reagan Memorial Park, but it did not proceed beyond referral to a subcommittee.[4][5][6] Hice introduced a similar bill in 2017 which received approval from the House Committee on Natural Resources on January 17, 2018, in a party-line vote.[7][8][9] Hice introduced another bill for the same purpose in 2019 which was referred to a subcommittee and saw no further action as of May 2019[update].[10]
Recreation
The paved Mount Vernon Trail travels through the area.[1] A rugby pitch hosts high school rugby matches.[11] The area also has a boat launch.[12] Aircraft spotters and others use the area to see planes landing at the nearby airport.[13]
External links
- George Washington Memorial Parkway
- BikeWashington.org directions on how to access Gravelly Point via bicycle
References
- ^ a b c "Maps". George Washington Memorial Parkway. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Rose, C.B., Jr. (1976). Arlington County, Virginia: A History. Arlington Historical Society, Inc. pp. 26–32.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "The Alexander Family Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. June 17, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ H.R. 5457 - 114th Congress (2015-2016) at Congress.gov. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Bill Introduced to Rename Gravelly Point After Nancy Reagan". ARLnow.com. Arlington, Virginia: Local News Now LLC. June 14, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ Allen, Mike; Lippman, Daniel (June 17, 2016). "CLINTONITES JOIN DNC". Politico. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ H.R. 553 - 115th Congress (2017-2018) at Congress.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ H.R. 308 - 116th Congress (2019-2020) at Congress.gov. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Gonzaga Athletics: Game & Practice Locations". gonzaganc.org. Gonzaga College High School. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Public Boating Access". Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ (1) Ripley, Amanda (2015). "Washington: 10 Things to Do — 9. Gravelly Point - TIME". Time. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
(2) 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.
38°51′54″N 77°02′21″W / 38.8651°N 77.0391°W
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