Alexandria Canal Tide Lock

This lock is the only remnant left of the Alexandria Canal, which was completed in 1843 and operated until 1886. The canal began here and ran north, crossing the Potomac River on an aqueduct to the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington D.C. The canal connected Alexandria to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O), which was located in Georgetown and ran inland to Cumberland, Maryland. This canal was used primarily to transport coal, an enterprise that was essential to Alexandria's economic growth. The lock was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Calls for an Alexandria canal came on the heels of the construction of the C&O canal, which was finished in 1831. As a result, ocean-going ships tended to bypass Alexandria and go straight to Georgetown, which threatened the city's growth. Construction of the canal and aqueduct began in 1834 and were completed ten years later. Some of the coal transported here was used by local industries, which helped spur industrialization. The canal thus played a critical role in Alexandria's economic development.

By the 1880s, railroads had emerged as the dominant form of transportation in the country. Use of the Alexandria Canal ended in 1886 and over time it was filled in and an electronic trolley line was built along part of the towpath of the canal. The remnants of the aqueduct's structure were removed in 1923. The tide lock was also filled in but it was restored in the 20th century as part of a project to revitalize the city's waterfront.

"100-0099 Alexandria Canal Tide Lock." Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Last Updated December 5, 2022. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/100-0099.

Klein, Terry H. "Alexandria Canal Tide Lock." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 15, 1980. https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/100-0099_Nomination_REDACTED.pdf.

Howell & Taylor, et al. "Map of Alexandria County, Virginia for the Virginia Title Co. Copy 2." Alexandria, Virginia: The Company. 1900. Retrieved from the Library of Congress on January 24, 2023. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883a.ct002287/?r=0.165,0.747,0.562,0.488,0.

"Tide Lock of the Alexandria Canal." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed January 24, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=129199.