Entry No. 37 — the Washington, D.C. file — filed under: weird monument

Zero Milestone

A squat 2-foot-square granite block just south of the White House is, officially, the intended starting point for measuring every road distance in the United States — modeled on Rome's Golden Milestone, topped with a bronze 16-point compass rose, and carved with dedications to two 1919-1920 transcontinental military motor convoys (one of them driven by a young Lt. Col. Dwight Eisenhower). The national highway-marker system it was supposed to anchor never actually got built out around it.

The move: Add it to a Ellipse loop walk — it's easy to step right past it, so make a game of spotting it near the White House fence, then compare notes on how many zeros of 'the center of America' you can find nearby (the not-quite-matching Jefferson Pier is a five-minute walk away on the Mall).

• 📍 President's Park / The Ellipse
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: The Ellipse, near 15th St NW and Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19