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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — On this date in 1830, the United States Congress granted a charter to the Alexandria Canal Company, according to the Office of Historic Alexandria.
The canal had been proposed earlier that year by a group of Alexandria businessmen to link the communities of Georgetown and Alexandria, both of which were then within the boundaries of the District of Columbia.
As envisioned, the canal would cross the Potomac River in an aqueduct bridge between Georgetown and Rosslyn, then run seven miles on level ground to Alexandria, ending in a large basin. The aim was to expand the capacity of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal by ending the practice of unloading southbound cargo boats at Georgetown, allowing them to pass directly to Alexandria instead.
Construction proceeded under the direction of Capt. William Turnbull of the U.S. Army Topographical Engineers, assisted by Lt. Maskell C. Ewing, who served as chief engineer and also as a surveyor for the town of Alexandria from 1838 to 1846, according to a city Alexandria Heritage Trail marker.
The waterway measured 50 to 60 feet wide and four feet deep, and initially ended in a 190-foot-wide turning basin known as the Spa Spring Basin, between Washington and North Pitt streets. A series of lift locks and pools lowered boats 38 feet, from the turning basin down to the mouth of the canal at the Potomac River.
The canal boat "Pioneer" made the first trip from Georgetown to the Spa Spring basin on Dec. 2, 1843, carrying officials from the canal company and Alexandria to mark the opening of the canal for commerce.
The canal was an early success and directly shaped the commercial development of Alexandria's northern edge, bringing raw materials and goods from the surrounding region into the city and drawing industry to its banks. Shortly after, the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire railroad — a precursor to the Washington & Old Dominion — arrived nearby.
By 1886, repairs to the canal had become too costly and other forms of transportation had grown more popular. The canal closed and became an unofficial dump, while the railroad survived until 1968.
Traces of the waterway remain on the Alexandria waterfront today at Tide Lock Park, at 1 Canal Center Plaza. The park, named for the canal's wooden locks, includes a replica of the lock and canal built with many of the original canal wall stones. It is privately owned but part of the publicly accessible linear park system along the waterfront.
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