Originally, Braddock's Rock was a sizable outcropping of Piedmont stone jutting into the
Potomac. Called the "Key of all Keys," this rock became a starting point for surveyors drawing property lines for early settlers. In 1755, General Edward Braddock landed at the rocky promontory and began his march to Fort Duquesne with the young
George Washington among his soldiers. Later used as a quarry for the stone used in the
White House,
Capitol, and C&O Canal, it was blasted away in 1832. Today, the remaining portions are 16 feet underground, enclosed by a well located among the approaches to the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.