The Earthquake In Washington.

Early this morning a local earthquake was felt at Washington, D. C.  The effect was to startle people and to shake buildings and objects.  During the New Madrid earthquakes. Washington experienced them even at a great distance.  Here are a couple of examples. 
James Madison, President of the United States described in a letter to fellow Virginian Thomas Jefferson, the effect of the February 7, 1812 earthquake and the ones preceding it.

“"The re-iteration of earthquakes continues the uproar from certain  

quarters.  They have slightly reached the state of N. Y. and have been  

severely felt W. & S. Westerly.  There was one here this  morning at 5  

or 6 minutes after 4 H. It was rather stronger that here than any  

preceding one, & lasted  several minutes, with sensible though very  

slight repetitions throughout the succeeding hour."

(note: verbatim transcript with no corrections)

This was at the end of the letter to Jefferson.  The letter is contained in Image  

892 and 893, James Madison Papers, James Madison to Thomas Jefferson,  

February 7, 1812. At the Library of Congress website.

A local newspaper reported that

"And suddenly there was a great EARTHQUAKE, so that the foundations, &c. were shaken."--Yesterday morning about four o'clock, another smart shock of an Earthquake was felt in this city. Several persons of whom we have heard, were awaked from their sleep and much alarmed by it; in one instance a part of the ceiling of a room was shaken down by it. From the hour at which it occurred, it was not felt by many, and its duration, &c. differently described.”

(Washington, Intelligencer, February 7, 1812, Page 2, Col. 1. New Madrid Database Item, 18120208_nmad_26_978.)