| Did you know that George Washington was a land | | | | he also held substantial amounts of real estate, |
| surveyor? Young George Washington learned the | | | | including more than 65,000 acres in 37 different |
| art of surveying from his brother Lawrence and | | | | locations. His skills in land surveying certainly helped |
| from established regional surveyors. By 1746, | | | | him become a profitable land speculator. |
| barely into his teens, he began running lines for | | | | During the French and Indian War, Washington |
| farms near his home. His first known survey, of | | | | served as a lieutenant colonel, thanks in part to |
| the Ferry Farm, is dated 1747, and amazingly, is | | | | the mapmaking and backcountry skills he had |
| still in existence. | | | | gained from surveying. During the war, he was |
| In 1749, at the young age of 17, future President | | | | responsible for constructing a chain of forts |
| Washington was appointed the Surveyor General | | | | covering over 400 miles, as well as the layout and |
| of Virginia. As surveyor for Culpeper County, | | | | construction of roads in the vicinity. To this day, |
| Virginia, he became the first official county | | | | one of these roads is still known as "Washington's |
| surveyor in the colonies. At that time, the colony | | | | Road." He was also involved in the awarding of |
| of Virginia was planning to promote expansion by | | | | land claims to veterans of the war, all of which |
| offering speculators a thousand acres for every | | | | lay West of the Ohio River and none of which |
| family they could convince to move to the colony. | | | | had been surveyed at that point in time. In fact, a |
| Before the land could be distributed, it was | | | | complete survey of that area so that lands could |
| necessary to survey it. In 1750, at the age of 18, | | | | be dispersed did not even begin until 1770. |
| Washington was invited to assist in the surveying | | | | Even after becoming President, George |
| and platting of lands along the Shenandoah Valley, | | | | Washington remained involved in surveying |
| where he worked under experienced wilderness | | | | matters. Concerned about the accuracy of the |
| surveyors. The skills learned during this time would | | | | maps available to the Continental Army, |
| prove essential to his developing surveying career. | | | | Washington created the office of Geographer to |
| As settlers pushed inland, the need for accurate | | | | the Army. In 1777, in the midst of the |
| surveys and maps grew. County and colony (and | | | | Revolutionary War, he appointed Robert Erskine |
| later state) boundaries, as well as boundaries | | | | to begin a complete survey of the nation, |
| between individual land plots, needed to be drawn. | | | | resulting in the development of the first official |
| At this point in time, numerous educated colonial | | | | maps of the United States. These surveying and |
| landholders turned into surveyors, including not | | | | mapping projects, supported by Washington, |
| only George Washington but also future President | | | | would help greatly in military operations and other |
| Thomas Jefferson. Between 1747 and 1799, | | | | activities in the new nation, as well as laying the |
| Washington would survey over two hundred | | | | groundwork for future surveys. |
| tracts of land. Like most surveyors of this day, | | | | |