Washington Canal Park

This rectangular urban park is located along the former canal that connected Washington D.C. to the Anacostia River and the Potomac. From 1815 to the 1850s, the Washington Canal provided a convenient means to transport goods and pedestrians on barges between the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. The western terminus was located next to the Washington Monument until the 1870s, when 700 acres of landfill was added to the riverbank which pushed the Potomac River to the west. During its years of operation, the canal ran along present-day Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, and from there, it turned south towards the Anacostia River where it split into two branches. The western branch of the canal terminated at the James Creek Marina at what is now the campus of the National Defense University while the eastern branch connected the heart of the federal district to the present-day Washington Navy Yard. Washington Canal Park is situated where the eastern branch was located and includes interpretive panels, a linear rain garden, and a fountain at the south end. A second reminder of the former canal can be found at 17th and Constitution. That structure, completed in 1837, was home to the canal's lockkeeper and is the second-oldest building on the National Mall.

In 1791, President George Washington appointed French-American military engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825) to design the city of Washington and part of the plan included constructing a canal. L'Enfant completed the work that year. At the time, many believed that a canal was essential to spur economic development in the new capital city. However, lack of funding delayed the construction start until 1809 when Congress appropriated $100,000 for the project. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 2, 1810 but the War of 1812 (1812-1815) further delayed the work. It was finally completed in 1815.

In the late 1820s, the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) was extended to the Georgetown neighborhood of the city (the western terminus of the C&O was at Cumberland, Maryland). In 1833, an extension called the Washington Branch of the C&O Canal was built to connect to the C&O Canal. A lock and lockhouse were built where the two canals met. The lockhouse served as the home of the lockkeeper who collected tolls, maintained records of commercial activity, and operated the lock (the lockhouse has been restored and was moved to its current location at the corner of Constitution Avenue and 17th Street NW).

Despite the hopes of businessman and politicians, the Washington Canal was never profitable. It was quite shallow and subject to the tidal activity of the Anacostia River, meaning that at times the canal overflowed or didn't have enough water. Nonetheless, it continued to be used and underwent repairs in the 1830s. In the late 1840s work on deepening and cleaning the canal began but the work was never completed. Use of the canal virtually ended by the late 1850s as railroads had begun to emerge as the dominant form of transportation in the country. Paved roads in Washington contributed to the decline as well. As a result, maintenance of the canal decreased and trash and silt began to build up. In effect, the canal was an open sewer and a danger to public health. During the 1870s most of the canal was gradually filled in. The portion where the park is now was left intact until the 1880s.

"A Walk on the Canal." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed January 12, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=113630.

Carter, Elliot. "What's Left Of The Washington City Canal?" Architect of the Capital. June 11, 2016. https://architectofthecapital.org/posts/2016/5/29/washington-city-canal.

"Historic Lockkeeper’s House Moved as Part of Major Restoration Project on the National Mall." National Park Service. Accessed January 13, 2023. Last Updated February 6, 2018. https://www.nps.gov/nama/learn/news/lockkeeperhousemove.htm.

LeeDecker, Charles. "Washington Canal." National Park Service. Accessed July 13, 2023. https://www.nps.gov/articles/history-archeology-of-dc-washington-canal.htm.

"Why is there a lockkeeper's house on the Mall?" Histories of the National Mall. Accessed July 13, 2023. https://mallhistory.org/explorations/show/lockkeepers-house.

Wiener, Talia. "181-Year-Old Lockkeeper's Tiny House Ready For Its Next Chapter." NPR. July 5, 2018. https://www.npr.org/2018/07/05/625669691/181-year-old-lockkeepers-tiny-house-ready-for-its-next-chapter.