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United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/10th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 30

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2482843United States Statutes at Large, Volume 2 — Public Acts of the Tenth Congress, 2nd Session, XXXUnited States Congress


March 3, 1809.

Chap. XXX.An Act supplementary to the act intituled “An act to amend the charter of Georgetown.”

Boundaries of Georgetown.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following shall, and are hereby declared to be the limits of Georgetown, in the district of Columbia, any law or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, that is to say: beginning in the middle of College street, as laid down and designated in Fenwick’s map of the said town, at or near to the bank of the river Potomac; thence by a straight line drawn northernly through the middle of said street to the middle of First street; thence by a line drawn through the middle of First street to a point directly opposite to the termination of the eastern line of the lots now enclosed as the property of the college; thence northernly by the eastern line of said enclosure as far as the same extends; thence in the same northernly direction to the middle of Fourth street; thence eastwardly by a line drawn along the middle of Fourth street to a point at the distance of one hundred and twenty feet westward from the west side of Fayette street; thence northernly by a line drawn parallel to Fayette street at the said distance of one hundred and twenty feet westward from the west side thereof, until it intersects a boundary line of Beatty and Hawkins’ addition to Georgetown; thence westwardly by said boundary line as far as it extends; thence by the courses and distances of the several other boundary lines of Beatty and Hawkins’ addition aforesaid, that is to say: westwardly, northwardly, eastwardly, and southwardly, to a point opposite to the middle of Road street, and opposite or nearly opposite to the middle of Eighth street; thence eastwardly by a line drawn through the middle of Road street, as it now runs, and as far as it extends; thence eastwardly by a line drawn parallel to Back street, and continued in the same direction to the middle of Rock creek; thence by the middle of the same creek and the middle of the Potomac river to a point directly opposite to the middle of College street aforesaid; thence to the place of beginning.

Corporation of Georgetown to cause a survey to be made of the town.
To be recorded in the clerk’s office of Washington county.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the corporation of Georgetown be, and they are hereby authorized and directed to cause a complete and accurate survey to be made of the said town agreeably to the courses and limits prescribed in the preceding section of this act, and to establish and fix, from time to time, permanent boundaries at such places as they may deem necessary and proper for perpetuating the boundaries of the said town, and after the said survey shall have been so made, and approved by the corporation, the same shall be admitted to record in the clerk’s office for the county of Washington in the district of Columbia.

Rights and powers formerly granted to the corporation, to be exercised by them.Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all the rights, powers and privileges heretofore granted to the said corporation by the general assembly of Maryland, and by the act to which this is a supplement, and which are at this time claimed and exercised by them, shall be and remain in full force and effect, and may and shall be exercised and enjoyed by them within the bounds and limits set forth and described in the first section of this act.

Corporation of the town may lay out streets, &c. &c.
Regulations for opening streets, &c.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the said corporation shall have power to lay out, open, extend and regulate streets, lanes and alleys, within the limits of the town, as before described, under the following regulations, that is to say: the mayor of the town shall summon twelve freeholders, inhabitants of the town, not directly interested in the premises, who, being first sworn to assess and value what damages would be sustained by any person or persons by reason of the opening or extending any street, lane or alley, (taking all benefits and inconveniences into consideration) shall proceed to assess what damages would be sustained by any person or persons whomsoever, by reason of such opening or extension of the street, and shall also declare to what amount in money each individual benefited thereby shall contribute and pay towards compensating the person or persons injured by reason of such opening and extension: and the names of the person or persons so benefited, and the sums which they shall respectively be obliged to pay, shall be returned under their hands and seals to the clerk of the corporation, to be filed and kept in his office; and the person or persons benefited by opening or extending any street, and assessed as aforesaid, shall respectively pay the sums of money so charged and assessed to them, with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent. per annum, from the time limited for the payment thereof until paid; and the sums of money assessed and charged in manner aforesaid to each individual benefited in manner aforesaid, shall be a lien upon and bind all the property so benefited to the full amount thereof: Provided always, that no street, lane, or alley, shall be laid out, opened or extended, until the damages assessed to individuals in consequence thereof shall have been paid, or secured to be paid: And provided also, that nothing in this act containedProviso. shall be so construed or understood as to authorize the corporation of Georgetown to locate, lay out, or open any street, lane, alley or other way, through any of the squares or lots situated in that part of Thomas Beall’s second addition to Georgetown, which lies north of Back street, without the consent and permission of the owner or proprietor of such square or lot, first had and obtained in writing, which consent and permission shall be acknowledged in the presence of, and such acknowledgement certified by the mayor of the town aforesaid, or some justice of the peace for the county of Washington.

The recorder to be a member of the corporation.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the recorder of the corporation shall be, and he is hereby declared to be a member of the board of aldermen, to all intents and purposes whatsoever.

Approved, March 3, 1809.