Gravelly Point
Encyclopedia
Gravelly Point is a park in Arlington, Virginia, United States
. It is located north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
, along the George Washington Parkway, and across the Potomac River
from Washington, D.C.
Today, the park is a primary intersection on weekends of boaters, cyclists, and airplane-spotters
. Its unique location just a few hundred feet from the north end of Reagan's runway
1/19 makes it one of the best spots in the United States for airplane-spotting.
Originally, the area known as Gravelly Point was where Captain John Alexander built a home called Abingdon
in 1746. Abingdon was purchased in 1778 by John Parke Custis
, the adopted stepson of President George Washington
. It was the birthplace of Washington’s beloved granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis. Abingdon was destroyed by fire in 1930 and the ruins stabilized. In 1998, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority preserved the site and created an exhibit of artifacts found there in the Exhibit Hall, located in Terminal A of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is a public airport located south of downtown Washington, D.C., in Arlington County, Virginia. It is the commercial airport nearest to Washington, D.C. For many decades, it was called Washington National Airport, but this airport was renamed in 1998 to...
, along the George Washington Parkway, and across 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...
from Washington, D.C.
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....
Today, the park is a primary intersection on weekends of boaters, cyclists, and airplane-spotters
Aircraft spotting
Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is the observation and logging of the registration numbers of aircraft: gliders, powered aircraft, balloons, airships, helicopters, and microlights....
. Its unique location just a few hundred feet from the north end of Reagan's runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
1/19 makes it one of the best spots in the United States for airplane-spotting.
Originally, the area known as Gravelly Point was where Captain John Alexander built a home called Abingdon
Abingdon (plantation)
Abingdon was an 18th- and 19th-century plantation that the prominent Alexander, Custis, Stuart, and Hunter families owned. The plantation's site is now located in Arlington County in the U.S...
in 1746. Abingdon was purchased in 1778 by John Parke Custis
John Parke Custis
John Parke Custis was a Virginia planter, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington.-Childhood:...
, the adopted stepson of President George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. It was the birthplace of Washington’s beloved granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis. Abingdon was destroyed by fire in 1930 and the ruins stabilized. In 1998, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority preserved the site and created an exhibit of artifacts found there in the Exhibit Hall, located in Terminal A of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.