BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Southwest (District Wharf)

DC -- Southwest (District Wharf):

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

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.

Spiders: The system has identified your IP as being a spider. I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, a number of options like merges are being blocked for you. Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm excited for your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me. If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

[1] WFRONT_180124_01_STITCH.JPG

[2] WFRONT_180124_02_STITCH.JPG

[3] WFRONT_180124_03_STITCH.JPG

[4] WFRONT_180124_08.JPG	[5] WFRONT_180124_16.JPG	[6] WFRONT_180124_23.JPG
[7] WFRONT_180124_24.JPG	[8] WFRONT_180124_32.JPG	[9] WFRONT_180124_38.JPG
[10] WFRONT_180124_48.JPG	[11] WFRONT_180124_52.JPG	[12] WFRONT_180124_62.JPG
[13] WFRONT_180124_76.JPG	[14] WFRONT_180124_81.JPG	[15] WFRONT_180124_85.JPG

[16] WFRONT_180905_001_STITCH.JPG

[17] WFRONT_180905_004_STITCH.JPG

[18] WFRONT_180905_011.JPG	[19] WFRONT_180905_013.JPG	[20] WFRONT_180905_023.JPG
[21] WFRONT_180905_033.JPG	[22] WFRONT_180905_037.JPG	[23] WFRONT_180905_041.JPG
[24] WFRONT_180905_053.JPG	[25] WFRONT_180905_060.JPG	[26] WFRONT_180905_066.JPG
[27] WFRONT_180905_073.JPG	[28] WFRONT_180905_076.JPG	[29] WFRONT_180905_081.JPG
[30] WFRONT_180905_086.JPG	[31] WFRONT_180905_087.JPG	[32] WFRONT_180905_099.JPG
[33] WFRONT_180905_106.JPG	[34] WFRONT_180905_120.JPG	[35] WFRONT_180905_121.JPG
[36] WFRONT_180905_132.JPG	[37] WFRONT_180905_138.JPG	[38] WFRONT_180905_141.JPG

[39] WFRONT_181107_001_STITCH.JPG

[40] WFRONT_181107_002_STITCH.JPG

[41] WFRONT_181107_004_STITCH.JPG

[42] WFRONT_181107_006_STITCH.JPG

[43] WFRONT_181107_007_STITCH.JPG

[44] WFRONT_181107_008.JPG	[45] WFRONT_181107_021.JPG	[46] WFRONT_181107_025.JPG
[47] WFRONT_181107_031.JPG	[48] WFRONT_181107_036.JPG	[49] WFRONT_181107_040.JPG
[50] WFRONT_181107_045.JPG	[51] WFRONT_181107_052.JPG	[52] WFRONT_181107_053.JPG
[53] WFRONT_181107_064.JPG	[54] WFRONT_181107_076.JPG	[55] WFRONT_181107_082.JPG
[56] WFRONT_181107_084.JPG	[57] WFRONT_181107_095.JPG	[58] WFRONT_181107_097.JPG
[59] WFRONT_181107_101.JPG	[60] WFRONT_181107_104.JPG	[61] WFRONT_181107_107.JPG
[62] WFRONT_181107_111.JPG	[63] WFRONT_181107_119.JPG	[64] WFRONT_181107_123.JPG
[65] WFRONT_181107_130.JPG	[66] WFRONT_181107_138.JPG	[67] WFRONT_181107_139.JPG
[68] WFRONT_181107_154.JPG	[69] WFRONT_181107_169.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. WFRONT_180905_041.JPG: Houseboats on the Waterfront Preparations for World War II ended plans of filling the Southwest yacht basins with pleasure crafts. Instead, a severe housing shortage during the war turned the waterfront into a home for houseboats, providing an obvious alternative for the many government workers who toiled in offices near the National Mall. Houseboats continue to be a permanent fixture at Gangplank Marina, a live-aboard residential community established in 1977.
2. WFRONT_180905_053.JPG: Long Bridge Originally constructed in 1809 as a mile-long wooden toll bridge connecting the District with Virginia, Long Bridge has seen many transformations and additions. In 1861, five days after the fall of Fort Sumpter, Robert E. Lee rode south on Long Bridge after declining command of the Union Army. In 1881, ice piled up against the bridge, causing an unprecedented flood that put 254 acres of DC under six feet of water and led to the creation of East Potomac Park.
3. WFRONT_180905_060.JPG: Urban Renewal At the beginning of the 20th century, Southwest was considered a decaying neighborhood suffering from poor housing and urban blight. In 1945, the Redevelopment Land Agency was created and its urban renewal efforts saw the displacement of approximately 1,500 businesses and 23,000 residents, ultimately leading to the construction of the Southwest Freeway, the relocation of Maine Avenue, a waterfront promenade, and parks.
4. WFRONT_180905_066.JPG: Creating The Waterfront Before the 1800s, the Southwest Waterfront formed the eastern bank of the Potomac, but sediment accumulated as farming increased, making the river hard to navigate and prone to flooding. In 1882, plans to dredge the river were approved, with materials deposited on nearby mudflats, creating Potomac Park, thereby establishing the Washington Channel as well as the Tidal Basin.
5. WFRONT_180905_073.JPG: African-American History in Southwest The Southwest Waterfront's history is closely tied to African-American history. Leading up to the Civil War many people of color -- those still enslaved as well as some freed individuals -- lived and worked here, and some helped build the original wharves. Later, the area's affordable housing and labor opportunities attracted thousands of newly freed slaves, and a close knit community with many rich and storied traditions developed along the waterfront neighborhood.
6. WFRONT_180905_076.JPG: Civil War at the Southwest Waterfront Private river commerce along the waterfront was disrupted during the Civil War when Washington became the headquarters and supply center of the Union Army. Wharves were appropriated for military purposes, and Water Street was opened and paved for military traffic. New wharves and warehouses were built along the waterfront to accommodate military shipping needs, and soldiers arrived and departed from the waterfront.
7. WFRONT_180905_099.JPG: Underground Railroad and Waterway In April 1848, the largest slave escape attempt on record in the Unites States took place at the Southwest Waterfront. Seventy-seven men, women, and children boarded the schooner Pearl to sail to freedom, but were ultimately recaptured. The waterfront continued to play a role in antislavery activities of the Underground Railroad, with the Sixth Street wharf a meeting place from where slaves embarked for the north.
8. WFRONT_180905_120.JPG: Waterfront Industry and Commerce In the 1840s, the Southwest Waterfront was developing into a major commercial seaport and took on an industrial character. Buildings and warehouses were constructed to accommodate coal, ice, and lumber trades, as well as slaughterhouses, bars, and restaurants. Some of the earliest proprietors included J.S. Harvey & Co., "dealers in wood, coal, and groceries," as well as L.J. Middleton's ice business.
9. WFRONT_180905_121.JPG: Navigating the Potomac River Beginning in 1815, steamboats ferried passengers and goods across the river and connected the waterfront to Richmond and other points via Aquia Creek. Today's riverside activities continue to include boat day trips, excursions, and pleasure cruises on the Potomac. For boat owners and enthusiasts, the Capital Yacht Club, Gangplank Marina, and day piers offer a place to dock and partake in the excitement of The Wharf.
10. WFRONT_181107_008.JPG: American Ice Company One of a number of landmark businesses that imbued the Southwest Waterfront with industrial character, bustling commerce, and a frenzy of activity in the 19th century.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].