Talk:Washington meridian

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[edit] Plaque

There is a plaque and a strip of granite set in the sidewalk at the southeast corner of H and 24th Sts., N.W., identifying the American Meridian. The plaque indicates that this meridian was used from 1848 to 1884, and that it established the boundaries of Colorado and Wyoming. Would this be the same meridian as the Old Naval Observatory meridian, passing through E and 23rd? Dgorsline 13:53, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that plaque does mark the meridian through the old naval observatory, which is southwest of the corner of E and 23rd—the meridian did not pass through E and 23rd. It does indeed follow 24th street, which does not exist in the neighborhood of the observatory. The plaque's info is open to debate. The meridian did not become official until 1850 although the old naval observatory had been in existence earlier. The agreement by the International Meridian Conference to adopt the Greenwich Meridian as the Prime Meridian in 1884 did not become legal in the United States until 1912. — Joe Kress 17:53, 8 June 2007 (UTC)