A Vanished Canal That Once Routed Through Alexandria, Virginia
Following extensive lobbying by local merchants, Congress chartered the Alexandria Canal in 1830. The waterway linked the city with Georgetown and required ten years to fully construct. It opened for service in 1843 enabling canal boats to cross the Potomac River without descending to the river level.
Boats would chart their trips downstream via canal on the southwest side of the Potomac until reaching the port of Alexandria. Coal, wheat, corn, flour and whiskey were transported. Rumors of runaway slaves as Underground Railroad cargo resulted in the vessels being closely inspected before departures heading in the direction of Washington D.C.
The canal followed a seven-mile and fifty-five foot wide path descending 38 feet through a series of four locks terminating at the Tidal Lock (Lock #1) located on the north end of Old Town. Three of the locks were lift locks and each moved the boats up and down ten to twelve feet. The canal conduit joined a 185-mile inland navigation system that included the Chesapeake and Ohio (C & O) Canal.
Competition from the railroads eventually severed the commercial life of the canal. The Civil War halted normal operations. Following the war, Baltimore and Richmond began to take away trade via the Shenandoah Valley grain fields. The Alexandria Canal venture began and concluded as a money-loser. The canal project would be finally abandoned in 1886.
Today, the location of Locks #3 and #4 have been replaced by residential condominium projects. Canal Center Plaza forms a picturesque termination point highlighted by an intriguing sculptural garden. Featured artworks include a multi-tiered waterfall, monumental vertical bronze arrow, 40-foot high obelisk and a grotto of sculpted ruins overlooking an amphitheater.