Theodore Roosevelt Island (Washington, D.C.)

 memorial, park, island

www.nps.gov/this/index.htm

Theodore Roosevelt Island is a unique national memorial located in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It features a statue of President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt in a memorial plaza — the surrounding landscape of the island is maintained as a natural park. The island lies just north of Columbia Island and can be accessed by a bridge leading to a paved trail and bike path that connects Columbia Island to the banks of the Potomac facing D.C. from Virginia. A small island named "Small Island" lies just off the southern tip. On the eastern shore at about the half-way point of the island, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts can be seen through the trees.

The original American Indian inhabitants of the area called the island, "Analostan." The Mason family owned the island for 125 years and John Mason built a mansion and gardens there in the early 19th century. Part of the mansion's foundation is all that remains today. The Masons left the island in 1831 when a causeway stagnated the water. Aside from a brief period in the Civil War when Union troops were stationed there, the island has been uninhabited since the Masons left. Locals continued to call it "Mason's Island" until the memorial was built there.

Although the island is part of the District of Columbia, it is only accessible by a footbridge near the George Washington Memorial Parkway from Arlington, Virginia. No cars or bicycles are permitted on the island.