BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Mall -- Lockkeepers House (Washington City Canal House)

DC -- Mall -- Lockkeepers House (Washington City Canal House):

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Description of Pictures: There was supposed to be an official ribbon-cutting opening Lockkeepers House #0 but Hurricane Frances killed that idea.

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. WCANAL_180502_014.JPG: The Washington City Canal completed in 1815 The canal extended east of this point along the line of Constitution Avenue and south around the Capitol with branches leading into the Anacostia River. National Capital Sesquicentennial Commission 1950
2. WCANAL_180502_020.JPG: Lock Keeper's House formerly the eastern terminal of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Erected about 1835 The canal passed along the present line of B Street in front of this house emptying into Tiber Creek and the Potomac River. Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks July 4, 1928
3. WCANAL_180502_037.JPG: Creating Parkland
4. WCANAL_180502_040.JPG: Constitution Gardens
5. WCANAL_180902_004.JPG: Constitution Gardens
6. WCANAL_180902_019.JPG: Life on the Canal
7. WCANAL_180902_024.JPG: This 1846 map shows the wharf that the Lockkeeper's House was built on. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was extended here from Georgetown in the 1830s in order to provide access to the Washington, DC market.
8. WCANAL_180902_030.JPG: The Rehabilitation of Constitution Gardens
9. WCANAL_180902_035.JPG: Rendering of the newly designed Constitution Gardens Lakes and Founder's Pavilion
10. WCANAL_180902_038.JPG: Diagram of a new sustainable strategy
11. WCANAL_180902_043.JPG: Why is a Lockhouse Here? For hundreds of years the site where you are standing was the confluence of the Potomac River and Tiber Creek. The planner of the new capital city of Washington, Pierre L'Enfant, wanted to repurpose part of Tiber Creek as a canal to connect the Potomac River and Eastern Branch, a river now known as the Anacostia. In those days people saw canals as a necessary part of a capital city, right along with streets and government buildings. This house was built here to serve the lock that seperated [sic] the Washington City and Chesapeake and Ohio canals. Ever since, water control projects have been undertaken here that eventually left this canal building landlocked. This idealized drawing of Washington, DC named Elements of National Thrift and Empire by J. Goldsborough Bruff, was printed in 1847. U places transportation infrastructure like the Washington City Canal (lower left) on an equal plane with patriotism, science and the arts, agriculture and manufacturing, and public lands as pillars of a successful society. The Washington City Canal runs through the city, connecting the White House (President's House) and the Capitol in a 1792 drawing of the capital city Drawing of Tide lock B, the lock that the lockkeeper's House served.
12. WCANAL_180902_044.JPG: The Washington City Canal runs through the city, connecting the White House (President's House) and the Capitol in a 1792 drawing of a capital city.
13. WCANAL_180902_047.JPG: Drawing of Tide Lock B, the lock that the Lockkeeper's House served. It is likely that a simpler design was actually built here.
14. WCANAL_180902_050.JPG: This idealized drawing of Washington, DC named Elements of National Thrift and Empire by J. Goldsborough Bruff, was printed in 1847. It places transportation infrastructure like the Washington City Canal (lower left) on an equal plane with patriotism, science and the arts, agriculture and manufacturing, and public lands as pillars of a successful society.
15. WCANAL_180902_054.JPG: Creating Parkland After the Washington City Canal was converted to an underground sewer, a much larger water control project started that would transform this area forever. Like the canal, the Potomac River was filling with sewage. The river was also becoming too shallow and unpredictable for ships to use. It flooded with regularity. Finally, there was a desire to create more land for the expanding city. The US Army Corps of Engineers, led by Civil War veteran Peter Conover Hains, dredged the river bottom and deposited the soil onto the smelly Potomac Flats, creating 600 acres of new parkland and the Tidal Basin, a water feature that flushed the new Washington Channel. Peter Conover Hains, a US Army engineer, built Potomac Park and the Tidal Basin with the Corps of Engineers in the 1880's. A map drawn by Peter Hains showing the Potomac Park in 1890. East Potomac Park in the 1940's. The tip of the peninsula created by the US Army Corps of Engineers would be named Hains Point in honor of its creator. Dredges fill what would become East Potomac Park in the 1880s
16. WCANAL_180902_059.JPG: Peter Conover Hains, a US Army engineer, built Potomac Park and Tidal Basin with the Corps of Engineers in the 1880s.
17. WCANAL_180902_061.JPG: 1873 1885
18. WCANAL_180902_067.JPG: Dredges fill what would become East Potomac Park in the 1880s
19. WCANAL_180902_070.JPG: Open Sewer to City Street Post-Civil War Washington, DC was little more than a hamlet of dirt roads, wooden sidewalks, and open sewers. To match the aspirations of the maturing nation the capital city's infrastructure and facilities needed to be modernized. Alexander Robey "Boss" Shepherd, vice-chair of the city's Board of Public Works, took action in the 1870s. He filled in the Washington City Canal and built hundreds of miles of paved roads, sidewalks, and sewers. Shepherd went on to become the governor of Washington, DC. However, his enthusiasm for public works projects and accusations of corruption drove the city to bankruptcy and Shepherd from office. Shepherd's legacy endures. Washington, DC started to become a city that reflected the nation's new role as a world leader. Today, the Washington City Canal lives on under Constitution Avenue as a sewer. Alexander "Boss" Shepherd as he appeared in 1874 when he was governor of Washington, DC. What's in a Name? Over the years the waterway-turned-road north of the Lockkeeper's House has been named many things, reflecting the changing priorities and values of the national capital What do these names say about how we see ourselves? Goose Creek -- Pre-1790 Tiber Creek -- 1790-1815 Washington City Canal -- 1815-1873 B Street -- 1873-1930s Constitution Avenue -- 1930s-present Washington Canal and the extension of the C&O Canal were filled in and paved over in 1874 creating B Street (now Constitution Avenue) and leaving the lockkeeper's House landlocked. This 1879 map shows the what was the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (to the left to the Lockkeeper's House) as filled in yet unfinished land, and what was Tiber Creek and the Washington City Canal (to the right of the Lockkeeper's House) as the new "B' Street made of granite and trap rock, a rock used in compacted roads. Tiber Creek/Washington Canal as it looks today. The canal went from open sewer to closed sewer during the city improvements made under Alexander "Boss" Shepherd's leadership.
20. WCANAL_180902_077.JPG: Washington Canal and the extension of the C&O Canal were filled in and paved over in 1874, creating B Street (now Constitution Avenue) and leaving the Lockkeeper's House landlocked.
21. WCANAL_180902_079.JPG: This 1879 map shows the (sic) what was the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (to the left to (sic) the Lockkeeper's House) as filled in yet unfinished land, and what was Tiber Creek and the Washington City Canal (to the right of the Lockkeeper's House) as the new "B" Street made of granite and trap rock, a rock used in compacted roads.
22. WCANAL_180902_080.JPG: Tiber Creek/Washington Canal as it looks toady. The canal went from open sewer to closed sewer during the city improvements made under Alexander "Boss" Shepherd's leadership.
23. WCANAL_180902_086.JPG: Stagnation and Sickness "The discharge of sewer matter into the streams and small rivers pollutes the water by the mixture of much organic matter into a state of active putrescence." - Smithsonian Board of Regents Not long after the Washington City Canal was built, it became a nuisance. The shallow depth of the canal limited the types of boats that could use it. Its poor design created three different currents over the course of the day. Eventually, barges stopped using the canal entirely. The canal was also unsafe. Pedestrians and horses fell into the canal in the dark of night. Raw sewage flowed and was thrown into the canal. The waste-ridden water found its way onto the Potomac River flats where it accumulated. The smelly, disease-ridden canal and river flats become a metaphor for government corruption and a breeding ground of disease that killed prominent Washingtonians. Killed by the Water Some of the first residents of the White House were killed by bacteria, attracted by the bad quality of the local water President William Henry Harrison died in 1841, most likely from enteric fever, a sickness cased by paratyphi bacteria. President James K. Polk died in 1846 from cholera after being weakened by gastroenteritis. President Zachary Taylor died in 1850 from gastroenteritis Abraham Lincoln's son, Willie, died in 1862 from typhoid fever, a bacterial sickness.
24. WCANAL_180902_090.JPG: Killed by the Water Some of the first residents of the White House were killed by bacteria, attracted by the bad quality of the local water. President William Henry Harrison died in 1841, most likely from enteric fever, a sickness cased (sic) by paratyphi bacteria. President James K. Polk died in 1846 from cholera after being weakened by gastroenteritis. President Zachary Taylor died in 1850 from gastroenteritis. Abraham Lincoln's son, Willie, died in 1862 from typhoid fever, a bacterial sickness.
25. WCANAL_180902_094.JPG: The Washington "Swamp" A 1909 cartoon makes the connection between disease-ridden waters and special interest politics in Washington.
26. WCANAL_180902_104.JPG: Contemplation to Commemoration
27. WCANAL_180902_109.JPG: In the 1970s, the War Department buildings were dismantled and the offices relocated to Northern Virginia. Constitution Gardens emerged from the site featuring a lake and the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence monument. In 2004, the World War II Memorial was built around an original feature of the McMillan Plan, the Rainbow Pool.
28. WCANAL_180902_112.JPG: Some of the new land of Potomac Park was quickly used for "temporary" war department buildings at the outbreak of World War I. The buildings continued to multiply during World War II. These buildings, nicknamed "Tempos" derailed and delayed parts of the McMillan Plan.
29. WCANAL_180902_113.JPG: Saving the City The National Park Service's mission is to preserve places for current and future generations to enjoy. In the 1930s, the National Park Service became the steward of the federal park lands in the nation's capital, protecting the monuments and memorials of the National Mall. Parkland separates the Potomac River from government buildings and the homes of nearly one million residents. To protect the city from floods, the park has had to change Over time. An earthen levee was built near here during a flood in 1936. When it was expanded, a gap was left at 17th Street to allow the road to be flat. The gap could be easily filled with sand bags during a flood. Unfortunately, the floods of 1937, 1942, 1972, and 2006 proved that idea wrong. In 2014, the 17th Street Levee filled the gap and now protects the city from 500 year floods. Workers build a temporary levee as floodwaters rise in 1936. The levee along the north side of the Reflecting Pool would be rebuilt and strengthened in 1939. Today, workers install the 17th Street levee every year to ensure a smooth installation if it is ever needed for flood protection. A 2010 flood map shows a 100 year flood (blue) and a 500 year flood (orange) penetrating the city at 17th Street, allowing flood waters to reach federal buildings, the Capitol, and the Southwest quadrant of the city.
30. WCANAL_180902_120.JPG: Installing the 17th Street levee
31. WCANAL_180902_122.JPG: A 2010 flood map shows a 100 year flood (blue) and a 500 year flood (orange) penetrating the city at 17th Street, allowing flood waters to reach federal buildings, the Capitol, and the Southwest quadrant of the city.
32. WCANAL_180902_130.JPG: A Failed Landscape
33. WCANAL_180902_134.JPG: The winning new design will offer space for education and entertainment throughout the year, day and night. New visitor amenities will include food service, retail, restrooms, ice skating and model boating. Night rendering of visitors ice-skating on the ice rink.
34. WCANAL_180902_138.JPG: A national, juried design competition was conducted to explore new solutions to retain the original purpose of the site while enhancing the environmental, functional, and operational sustainability of the gardens. Rendering of the newly designed Constitution Gardens and amphitheater facing east towards the Washington Monument.
35. WCANAL_180902_143.JPG: A Gift to the Nation
36. WCANAL_180902_202.JPG: The Washington City Canal completed in 1815 The canal extended east of this point along the line of Constitution Avenue and south around the Capitol with branches leading into the Anacostia River. National Capital Sesquicentennial Commission 1950
37. WCANAL_180902_204.JPG: Lock Keeper's House formerly the eastern terminal of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Erected about 1835 The canal passed along the present line of B Street in front of this house emptying into Tiber Creek and the Potomac River. Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks July 4, 1928
38. WCANAL_180902_208.JPG: J.C.
39. WCANAL_180913_49.JPG: The outline indicates where the lockhouse used to be before they moved it.
Wikipedia Description: Washington City Canal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Washington City Canal operated from 1815 until the mid-1850s in Washington, D.C. The canal connected the Anacostia River, called the "Eastern Branch" at that time, to Tiber Creek, the Potomac River, and later the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O). The canal fell into disuse in the late 19th century and the city government covered over or filled in various sections.

History

Early planning and development

In the early years of the United States there was great interest among political leaders in building canals to support and stimulate economic development. Construction of a canal to run across the city of Washington was supported by local leaders, both in business and government. The plan was to connect the Eastern Branch, which was navigable into Maryland, with the Potomac, which was seen as a gateway to the West. President George Washington had founded the Potowmack Company in 1785 to improve navigation on the Potomac.

Pierre (Peter) Charles L'Enfant, in designing a master plan for the development of the capital city, supported construction of a canal between Eastern Branch and Tiber Creek. To raise funds for canal construction, lotteries were conducted in 1796, but these efforts were unsuccessful. There was little additional work done until 1802, when Congress granted a charter for the Washington Canal Company. A small amount of construction was started, but obtaining major financing for the canal continued to be difficult.

Congress created a new canal company in 1809 and authorized capitalization of $100,000. A groundbreaking ceremony in southeast Washington, attended by President James Madison and other officials, took place on May 2, 1810. Construction was delayed by the War of 1812 and resumed in 1815.

Canal opening and operation

The canal formally opened in late 1815. The canal route began at the Eastern Branch, near the Washington Navy Yard and proceeded north and northwest. Another branch proceeded north and northeast from the estuary of James Creek, which divided Greenleaf Point from Buzzard Point. Past the point at which these two branches converged, a single canal channel travelled north towards the Capitol, veered northwestward at the base of Jenkins Hill (Capitol Hill), and then turned again to the north to cross the area in which the National Mall is now located. The canal then turned sharply to the west, joining a straightened and channelized Tiber Creek, which had earlier flowed westward. After traveling westward along the route of Tiber Creek, the canal entered the Potomac River at the mouth of the creek, which was south of the White House.

As originally built, the Washington City Canal was shallow and only accommodated boats drawing 3 feet of water or less. The canal's design did not adequately handle tidal variations on the Eastern Branch. As a result, the canal sometimes overran its banks at high tide, and/or experienced insufficient water levels at low tide. Traffic through the canal continued but financial problems persisted, and in 1831 the city purchased the canal corporation. The city effected some repairs during the 1830s and Congress appropriated some additional funds in 1833.

Also in 1833, an extension of the C&O Canal was completed. That extension, designated as the Washington Branch of the C&O Canal, enabled the C&O Canal to connect at a new eastern terminus with the western terminus of the Washington City canal at the mouth of Tiber Creek. Around 1835, a lock keeper's house was built at the eastern terminus of the C&O Canal, where the C&O Canal emptied into Tiber Creek and the Potomac River. The lock keeper's house now stands at the southwest corner of Constitution Avenue, Northwest (N.W.), and 17th Street, N.W., near the National Mall.

In 1849, Congress appropriated some additional funds to clean out and deepen portions of the canal, on the condition that the city provide matching funds. The city made some improvements to the canal, but it experienced problems with contractors and staff, and the planned work was not completed in the 1850s. During this period, with the increasing development of railroads, interest in canals waned among both business and government leaders.

Decline

By the late 1850s, the Washington City Canal had fallen into disuse, as had the Washington branch of the C&O Canal. During the Civil War years the canal deteriorated further and was serving as both a sewer and storm drain system for the central part of the city. Various proposals were circulated to either rehabilitate the city canal or fill it in. Congress appropriated some funds in 1866, but no work was done at that time. In 1871, Alexander "Boss" Shepherd, the city's head of Public Works, directed that the Tiber Creek portion of the canal be covered over. This work was accomplished over many years, along with other drainage alterations in the central city. A new street that was constructed over this portion of the canal was initially designated as B Street, N.W. The street was later renamed to Constitution Avenue, N.W.

The southern portion of the Washington City Canal remained open for years afterwards, but eventually was also paved over. A street constructed south of the Capitol over that section of the canal now connects Independence Avenue, Southwest, and E Street, Southeast. Formerly designated as Canal Street, the northernmost section of the street was later renamed to Washington Avenue in commemoration of the state of Washington.
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