Gateway to the Nation's Capital (Historical Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this roadside historical marker:

Gateway to the Nation's Capital
George Washington Memorial Parkway
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

The George Washington Memorial Parkway opened in 1932 as the nation's first modern federal highway. Its construction honored the bicentennial of George Washington's birth as a patriotic pilgrimage between Washington, DC, and Mount Vernon. This winding highway parallels the Potomac River to connect its travelers with over twenty national park units, many with ties to Washington himself.

Washington envisioned the Potomac River as a means of transportation, expansion, and progress for our new nation. Today, whether you travel by car, foot, bike, or boat, you go with Washington's vision for patriotism and progress. Exercise your liberties to enjoy the historical, natural, and recreational gems along the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Find us online at: www.nps.gov/gwmp

[Captions:]
Great Falls Park, for all its beauty, challenged George Washington to build a canal to access the American west. It even influenced his work on the US Constitution.

A planning model of the terminus of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in the 1930s.

Jones Point Park preserves the first boundary marker for the District of Columbia, surveyed in 1791 by Benjamin Banneker.

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, was the home of Martha Washington's grandson and originally memorialized our first President.

Walk, run, or bike from where you are standing to Theodore Roosevelt Island on the Mount Vernon Trail.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.