Aquia Creek sandstone
Encyclopedia
Aquia Creek sandstone is a type of brown to light-gray freestone used extensively in building construction in Washington, D.C.
in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Quarried at Aquia Creek
in Stafford County, Virginia
, the stone was valuable for its ease of shaping and the quarry's proximity to the tidewater portion of the Potomac River
, 45 miles south of Washington.
The sandstone
was the principal material used in such significant buildings as the White House
and the early stages of the U.S. Capitol. The easy availability of the stone and its ability to be carved were offset in time by its susceptibility to weather-induced deterioration. Its best, most enduring uses were as interior decorative elements.
age, Aquia Creek sandstone is composed of rounded, coarse- to fine-grains of quartz
, cemented with silica and containing scattered pellets of clay as large as an inch in diameter. This sandstone is typically gray or tan, sometimes with streaks or shades of red, yellow or buff, giving the stone a warm effect.
, Christ Church
in Alexandria, Virginia
, Mount Airy
in Richmond County, Virginia
, and Aquia Church
, as well as steps and walkways at George Washington's Mount Vernon
.
Washington selected Aquia sandstone as the primary material for use in Washington's government buildings. Acting on the government's behalf, the Wigginton's Island quarry was purchased by Pierre Charles L'Enfant
in 1791, becoming known afterward as Government Island. The stone from the quarry was used by James Hoban
for the President's House and the Capitol. The earliest portions of the Treasury Building
and the Patent Office (now the National Portrait Gallery
) also used the stone.
Both the Capitol and the President's House were burned during the War of 1812
, cracking and pitting the sandstone, and requiring extensive repair. Both buildings were whitewashed and later painted to hide damage and protect the stone from weathering, and use of the stone for exterior use declined as its shortcomings became apparent. One of the last major uses of the material was at the U.S. Capitol gatehouses and gateposts
, designed by Charles Bulfinch
about 1827. Moved to a new location along Constitution Avenue
near the White House, the gatehouses deteriorated to the point that they had to be rebuilt in 1938.
Interior work fared better. Benjamin Latrobe
designed sandstone columns crowned with American-themed corncobs and tobacco leaves, termed by Latrobe the "American Orders" for the Supreme Court vestibule in the Capitol, which survive in good condition.
The Public Quarry at Government Island
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
. The best places to see Aquia Creek sandstone as it was used indoors are in the older parts of the U.S. Capitol and in the National Portrait Gallery (Old Patent Office Building
) courtyard. The sandstone gallery of the latter building, with its plain squat columns, is particularly impressive. In the Capitol Building, the stone may be seen in the walls and columns of the rooms adjoining the rotunda and in the spiral staircase. The graceful Little Rotunda tobacco column colonnade in the Senate wing on this floor, designed by architect Benjamin Latrobe
, is especially attractive. Downstairs, the simple Doric columns of the crypt have a brownish cast, while the famous cornstalk columns in a nearby entrance hall are decidedly gray.
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. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Quarried at Aquia Creek
Aquia Creek
Aquia Creek is a tributary of the tidal segment of the Potomac River and is located in northern Virginia. The creek's headwaters lie in southeastern Fauquier County, and it empties into the Potomac at Brent Point in Stafford County, south of Washington, D.C....
in Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...
, the stone was valuable for its ease of shaping and the quarry's proximity to the tidewater portion of the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, 45 miles south of Washington.
The sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
was the principal material used in such significant buildings as the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and the early stages of the U.S. Capitol. The easy availability of the stone and its ability to be carved were offset in time by its susceptibility to weather-induced deterioration. Its best, most enduring uses were as interior decorative elements.
Geology
Of CretaceousCretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
age, Aquia Creek sandstone is composed of rounded, coarse- to fine-grains of quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, cemented with silica and containing scattered pellets of clay as large as an inch in diameter. This sandstone is typically gray or tan, sometimes with streaks or shades of red, yellow or buff, giving the stone a warm effect.
History
A quarry was established at Wigginton's Island on Aquia Creek by George Brent after 1694, providing stone for tombstones and to houses and churches in northern Virginia, including Gunston HallGunston Hall
Gunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States of America. The house was the home of the United States Founding Father George Mason. It was located at the center of a 5500 acre plantation...
, Christ Church
Christ Church (Alexandria, Virginia)
Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, is an Episcopal church built from 1767 to 1773 by John Carlyle.The church was designed by James Wren in the colonial style, and frequented by such notables as George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and Philip Richard Fendall I...
in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, Mount Airy
Mount Airy, Richmond County, Virginia
Mount Airy, near Warsaw in Richmond County, Virginia, built in 1758-62, is a mid-Georgian plantation house, the first built in the manner of a neo-Palladian villa. It was constructed for Colonel John Tayloe II, perhaps the richest Virginia planter of his generation...
in Richmond County, Virginia
Richmond County, Virginia
Richmond County is a county located on the Northern Neck in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 9,254. Its county seat is Warsaw. The rural county should not be confused with the large city and state capital Richmond, Virginia, which is over...
, and Aquia Church
Aquia Church
Aquia Church , in Stafford, Virginia, USA, is an Episcopal church that has been designated a National Historic Landmark since 1991. It maintains an active congregation with a variety of programs and outreach to the community....
, as well as steps and walkways at George Washington's Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
The name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
.
Washington selected Aquia sandstone as the primary material for use in Washington's government buildings. Acting on the government's behalf, the Wigginton's Island quarry was purchased by Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
Pierre Charles L'Enfant was a French-born American architect and civil engineer best known for designing the layout of the streets of Washington, D.C..-Early life:...
in 1791, becoming known afterward as Government Island. The stone from the quarry was used by James Hoban
James Hoban
James Hoban was an Irish architect, best known for designing The White House in Washington, D.C.-Life:James Hoban was born and raised in a thatched cottage on the Earl of Desart's estate in Cuffesgrange, near Callan in Co. Kilkenny...
for the President's House and the Capitol. The earliest portions of the Treasury Building
Treasury Building (Washington, D.C.)
The Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. is a National Historic Landmark building which is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Treasury....
and the Patent Office (now the National Portrait Gallery
National Portrait Gallery (United States)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans.-Building:...
) also used the stone.
Both the Capitol and the President's House were burned during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, cracking and pitting the sandstone, and requiring extensive repair. Both buildings were whitewashed and later painted to hide damage and protect the stone from weathering, and use of the stone for exterior use declined as its shortcomings became apparent. One of the last major uses of the material was at the U.S. Capitol gatehouses and gateposts
U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts
The U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts — designed circa 1827 by celebrated architect Charles Bulfinch — originally stood on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, designed by Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession....
about 1827. Moved to a new location along Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
near the White House, the gatehouses deteriorated to the point that they had to be rebuilt in 1938.
Interior work fared better. Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was a British-born American neoclassical architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States...
designed sandstone columns crowned with American-themed corncobs and tobacco leaves, termed by Latrobe the "American Orders" for the Supreme Court vestibule in the Capitol, which survive in good condition.
The Public Quarry at Government Island
Public Quarry at Government Island
The Public Quarry at Government Island in Stafford County, Virginia is the principal source of Aquia Creek sandstone, a building stone used in many of the early government buildings in Washington, D.C., including the U.S. Capitol and the White House...
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Viewing today
A good example of Aquia Creek sandstone as it was used in monumental architecture is the relocated "National Capitol Columns" (1828) now at the National ArboretumUnited States National Arboretum
The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service as a division of the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center...
. The best places to see Aquia Creek sandstone as it was used indoors are in the older parts of the U.S. Capitol and in the National Portrait Gallery (Old Patent Office Building
Old Patent Office Building
The historic Old Patent Office Building in Washington, D.C. covers an entire city block defined by F and G Streets and 7th and 9th Streets NW in Chinatown. After undergoing extensive renovations, the building reopened on July 1, 2006 and was renamed The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art...
) courtyard. The sandstone gallery of the latter building, with its plain squat columns, is particularly impressive. In the Capitol Building, the stone may be seen in the walls and columns of the rooms adjoining the rotunda and in the spiral staircase. The graceful Little Rotunda tobacco column colonnade in the Senate wing on this floor, designed by architect Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was a British-born American neoclassical architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States...
, is especially attractive. Downstairs, the simple Doric columns of the crypt have a brownish cast, while the famous cornstalk columns in a nearby entrance hall are decidedly gray.
Structures incorporating Aquia Creek
- Aquia ChurchAquia ChurchAquia Church , in Stafford, Virginia, USA, is an Episcopal church that has been designated a National Historic Landmark since 1991. It maintains an active congregation with a variety of programs and outreach to the community....
- Boundary Markers of the Original District of Columbia
- Cape Henry Lighthouse (base)
- Christ ChurchChrist Church (Alexandria, Virginia)Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, is an Episcopal church built from 1767 to 1773 by John Carlyle.The church was designed by James Wren in the colonial style, and frequented by such notables as George Washington, Robert E. Lee, and Philip Richard Fendall I...
- Congressional CemeteryCongressional CemeteryThe Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
(Benjamin Latrobe-designed cenotaphs) - Gunston HallGunston HallGunston Hall is an 18th-century Georgian mansion near the Potomac River in Mason Neck, Virginia, United States of America. The house was the home of the United States Founding Father George Mason. It was located at the center of a 5500 acre plantation...
- Mount AiryMount Airy, Richmond County, VirginiaMount Airy, near Warsaw in Richmond County, Virginia, built in 1758-62, is a mid-Georgian plantation house, the first built in the manner of a neo-Palladian villa. It was constructed for Colonel John Tayloe II, perhaps the richest Virginia planter of his generation...
- Mount VernonMount VernonThe name Mount Vernon is a dedication to the English Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon. It was first applied to Mount Vernon, the Virginia estate of George Washington, the first President of the United States...
(steps and portions of Washington's tomb) - National Capitol ColumnsNational Capitol ColumnsThe National Capitol Columns is a monument located in Washington's National Arboretum. It is designed in the style of Corinthian columns, with twenty-two columns submerged in of open meadow, known as the Ellipse Meadow.-Original use:...
- U.S. Capitol (old portion)
- U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and GatepostsU.S. Capitol Gatehouses and GatepostsThe U.S. Capitol Gatehouses and Gateposts — designed circa 1827 by celebrated architect Charles Bulfinch — originally stood on the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
- U.S. Treasury BuildingTreasury Building (Washington, D.C.)The Treasury Building in Washington, D.C. is a National Historic Landmark building which is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Treasury....
(old portion) - Old Patent Office BuildingOld Patent Office BuildingThe historic Old Patent Office Building in Washington, D.C. covers an entire city block defined by F and G Streets and 7th and 9th Streets NW in Chinatown. After undergoing extensive renovations, the building reopened on July 1, 2006 and was renamed The Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art...
(old portion) - White HouseWhite HouseThe White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...