Gravelly Point

Gravelly Point is an area within the National Park Service's George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States.[1] It is located on the west side of the Potomac River, north of Roaches Run and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.[1]

A couple at Gravelly Point watching an airplane approach Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from the north.
Airplane passing over Gravelly Point while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from the north.
The view of Reagan National Airport terminals B and C and from Gravelly Point.
Airplane taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as seen looking south from the Mount Vernon Trail at Gravelly Point.

History

In 1746, a house, on a plantation later named Abingdon, existed near Gravelly Point on property that Gerrard Alexander owned. The name of Alexandria, Virginia, commemorates Alexander's family.[2][3] In 1778, John Parke Custis, the son of Martha Washington and stepson of George Washington, purchased the plantation.[2] Martha Washington's granddaughter Eleanor Parke Custis was later born on the plantation.[2] A house at Abingdon was destroyed by fire in 1930 and its ruins stabilized.[2]

Proposed renaming

In 2016, Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA-10) introduced a bill in the United States House of Representatives to rename Gravelly Point as Nancy Reagan Memorial Park, but it did not proceed beyond referral to a subcommittee.[4][5][6] Hice introduced a similar bill in 2017 which received approval from the House Committee on Natural Resources on January 17, 2018, in a party-line vote.[7][8][9] Hice introduced another bill for the same purpose in 2019 which was referred to a subcommittee and saw no further action as of May 2020.[10]

Plane Spotting

Gravelly Point is a popular spot among plane spotters,[11][12] aviation enthusiasts and pilots to come and watch planes take off and land from Reagan National Airports runway 19 and runway 1. Because of the uniqueness of National Airports river visual runway 19 approach and the departure from runway 1, Airplanes pass between 200 and 100 feet MSL above the park when landing on runway 19 and takeoff directly over the park when departing from runway 1.

Recreation

The paved Mount Vernon Trail travels through the area.[1] A rugby pitch hosts high school rugby matches.[13] The area also has a boat launch.[14]

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References
  1. "Maps". George Washington Memorial Parkway. U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  2. Rose, C.B., Jr. (1976). Arlington County, Virginia: A History. Arlington Historical Society, Inc. pp. 26–32.
  3. "The Alexander Family Historical Marker". The Historical Marker Database. June 17, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  4. H.R. 5457 - 114th Congress (2015-2016) at Congress.gov. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  5. "Bill Introduced to Rename Gravelly Point After Nancy Reagan". ARLnow.com. Arlington, Virginia: Local News Now LLC. June 14, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  6. Allen, Mike; Lippman, Daniel (June 17, 2016). "CLINTONITES JOIN DNC". Politico. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  7. H.R. 553 - 115th Congress (2017-2018) at Congress.gov. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  8. Teale, Chris (January 17, 2018). "Beyer Blasts Bill Renaming Gravelly Point Park for Nancy Reagan". ARLnow.com. Arlington, Virginia: Local News Now LLC. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  9. Simmons-Duffin, Selena (January 18, 2018). "Ronald Reagan Got An Airport. Should Nancy Reagan Get Gravelly Point?". WAMU. Washington, D.C.: American University. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  10. H.R. 308 - 116th Congress (2019-2020) at Congress.gov. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  11. Ripley, Amanda (2015). "Washington: 10 Things to Do — 9. Gravelly Point - TIME". Time. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  12. Ahmad, Zach (October 10, 2005). "Plane-spotting: At Gravelly Point park, people stop to spot". The GW Hatchet. Hatchet Publications, Inc. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  13. "Gonzaga Athletics: Game & Practice Locations". gonzaganc.org. Gonzaga College High School. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  14. "Public Boating Access". Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Retrieved January 19, 2018.



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