This iconic but forgotten monument was erected to mark the spot from which all roads in the United States were to be numbered and recorded. The project was presented in 1919 when a network of roads was being established across the expanses of the country. As a symbol of the great accomplishment of the intricate road system, a military convoy set off from Zero Milestone and traversed to the west side of the nation.
Despite the hopes associated with this monument, it never became the central point of roads throughout the country. Today, it is still used to map all roads in the nation’s capital, but otherwise serves as a reminder of the road system that unified all of the states as one entity.