The Alexandria Canal was a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

that connected the city of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

to Georgetown in the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. In 1830, merchants from Alexandria (which at the time was within the jurisdiction of the

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

District of Columbia) proposed linking their city to Georgetown to capitalize on the new Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O Canal).

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

granted a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

to the Alexandria Canal Company in 1830. Construction began in 1833 and was completed in 1843. The

Aqueduct Bridge Aqueduct Bridge may refer to: * Aqueduct Bridge (Clay City, Indiana), U.S. * Aqueduct Bridge (New York City), now called High Bridge, New York, U.S. * Aqueduct Bridge (Potomac River), between Georgetown, Washington, D.C. and Rosslyn, Virginia, U.S. ...

(also begun in 1833 and completed in 1843) enabled canal boats from the C&O Canal to cross the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

without descending to the river level. The boats would then continue their trips downstream on a canal on the southwest side of the Potomac until they reached Alexandria's

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

. The canal ran southwards for seven miles through today's Arlington County and City of Alexandria, Virginia, dropping 38 feet through a series of four locks between Washington Street and the Potomac River in the northern portion of Alexandria. The Canal ended at a Tidal Basin (Pool No. 1) and a Tidal Lock (Lift Lock No. 1) located at the north end of

Old Town Alexandria Old Town Alexandria is one of the original settlements of the city of Alexandria, Virginia and is located just minutes from Washington, D.C. Old Town is situated in the eastern and southeastern area of Alexandria along the Potomac River. Old ...

. The canal was abandoned in 1886. Ten years after the canal closed, an

electric trolley Electric current collectors are used by trolleybuses, trams, electric locomotives or EMUs to carry electrical power from overhead lines, electrical third rails, or ground-level power supplies to the electrical equipment of the vehicles. Those for ...

line was constructed in 1896 in Arlington on the bed of the towpath that traveled near and along the canal's west side (see: Washington-Mount Vernon line of the Washington, Alexandria, and Mount Vernon Electric Railway). Arlington's South Eads Street now approximates the canal's route in this area. Also in 1896, the Washington Southern Railway opened a line that traveled between the southern end of the

Long Bridge Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

and the southern end of the Aqueduct Bridge. The line, which passed the present site of

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

, traveled within the grade of the former canal in the area that lies between

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

and the Potomac River. The line became in 1904 the

Rosslyn Connecting Railroad Rosslyn can refer to: Places Africa * Rosslyn, Gauteng, South Africa * Rosslyn Academy, a school in Nairobi, Kenya Australia * Rosslyn, Queensland, a town on the Capricorn Coast in the Shire of Livingstone Europe * Roslin, Midlothian, Scotl ...

, which the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

owned through a subsidiary, the

Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad The Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington Railroad (PB&W) was a railroad that operated in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia in the 20th century, and was a key component of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) system. Its ...

(PB&W). The Rosslyn Connecting Railroad abandoned nearly all of its line in 1962 and closed in 1969. The

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...

then constructed an open section of Metrorail's Blue Line along a portion of the railroad's route that had traveled within the canal's grade. The section of the Blue Line opened on July 1, 1977. After the Key Bridge was completed in 1923, the old

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

of the Aqueduct Bridge was removed. During the 1980s, Alexandria City archaeologists and the developer of the neighboring Trans-Potomac Canal Center excavated the Tidal Basin and Lock and covered the original remnants with a reconstruction.(1)
(2)
(3) Aside from these two features, the abutments of the Aqueduct Bridge in Georgetown and Rosslyn, and a pier of the bridge in the Potomac River upstream of the Key Bridge, all of the canal's remnants have either been removed or remain underground.

Notes

References

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External links

* Maps and aerial photos ** Aqueduct Bridge abutment, Georgetown: Hybrid satellite image/map fro
WikiMapia
** Aqueduct Bridge pier, Potomac River: Hybrid satellite image/street map fro
WikiMapia
** Aqueduct Bridge abutment, Rosslyn: Hybrid satellite image/street map fro
WikiMapia
** Metrorail Blue Line on former Alexandria Canal route, Arlington: Hybrid satellite image/street map fro
WikiMapia
** S. Eads Street on former Alexandria Canal route, Arlington: Hybrid satellite image/street map fro
WikiMapia
** Restored Tidal Basin and Lock of Alexandria Canal, Alexandria: Hybrid satellite image/street map fro
WikiMapia
** {{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Locks on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Transportation in Alexandria, Virginia Transportation in Arlington County, Virginia Water transportation in Washington, D.C. History of the District of Columbia Canals in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Alexandria, Virginia Canals opened in 1833 Canals in Washington, D.C. 1833 establishments in Virginia