DS, signed “Wm. H. Taft,” one page, 8.5 x 14, November 29, 1905. Highly detailed document approving construction of railroad tracks by Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad Company extending from Aqueduct Bridge across a government military reservation Concluding “This is to certify that the Secretary of War hereby approves the location of the tracks across said reservation, as shown on said blue-print, which is hereto attached; and also gives permission unto the said Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad Company to construct and maintain an underground system, in connection with said tracks.” The aforementioned original 23.5 x 13.5 blueprint of the proposed project is attached to the document. In very good condition, with expected folds, staple holes and two grommeted punch holes to top, and scattered toning and creasing. The document’s blue seal is missing its top half but retains its maroon ribbon. The blueprint has storage folds, with a couple folds professionally reinforced, and a separation along one vertical fold.
The Great Falls and Old Dominion Railroad was a 15-mile interurban trolley line that served Northern Virginia in the early 1900s. Originally constructed in 1904, it was built from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Cherrydale in Arlington County. From Georgetown, the railroad crossed the Potomac River on a structure built on the upstream side of the Aqueduct Bridge to Rosslyn in Arlington, where it made connections with an older electric trolley line. As a planned extension of the tracks crossed government land, Taft, in his capacity as secretary of war, was needed to approve the plan, which he did via this very document. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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