I remember the first time I came to DC. I was almost 4 years old.
My folks took me to the Smithsonian, the White House, the US Capitol, and the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments. And, I remember a most curious little house on the edge of the mall, near the Washington Monument. I thought it was for the Park Police. (It was then- but, then they abandoned it. It simply became the home for vagrants, until it was “locked up”.)
When I came back to DC when I was 13, the house was still there. I could never find out what was its intended use.
Even when I moved to Charlottesville and took my daughters to DC, we wondered what it was doing over there.
The mystery continued for years. The structure became further and further decayed, and got boarded up. It was a true mystery.
Until very recently. (The beginning of October 2017).
The US Government arranged to move this 47 ton brick house to a new spot. Not a very big move- about 15 meters (or 50 feet or so).
It turns out that this structure dates all the way back to 1832. It actually is the oldest building on the National Mall. Back then, it was the canal master’s (or lock master’s) house. The canal lock, which should have been contiguous to the house (at the time it was- but, by 1915, it had been moved to where it was when I first saw it), was used to let canal boats travel from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland.
The house predates the Washington Monument. It even predates Constitution Avenue, the street it has been fronting all these past 100 or so years.
The Washington City Canal (which was right about where Constitution Avenue is now) went all the way up to the Capitol, as you see in the picture above. The Washington Canal also connected to the C&O (Chesapeake and Ohio) Canal that reaches all the way to Cumberland. Most of the C&O canal remains- as long as you start in Georgetown, and not on 17th Street in DC, which was the origin of old.
And, while the advent of railroads pretty much killed the canals, the Washington Canal had other problems against its retention. Of course, the Potomac flooded the area – but the real problem was the waste water (really sewage) that filled the canal. (Commissioner Benjamin French [Public Buildings] complained during the Civil War that the “waste from all public buildings, the hotels, and very many private residents” filled it up. “It is the grand receptacle of nearly all the filth of this city”.)
Now, this swamp WAS drained! OK. It was filled in. Right after the Civil War ended, in the 1870’s. That area became known as B Street- but the name was changed to Constitution Avenue after a while. About the same time, that extension of the C&O Canal was abandoned and filled in, too. For good measure, a lot of the marshland and (often flooded) plains of DC were also filled in- changing the shoreline of the Potomac River. (You will notice the difference between the picture and how the Potomac shores look nowadays.)
And, in early 2018, we will once again be able to enter the lock-keeper’s house. And, try to imagine what it was like when the best way to bring stuff from DC to Maryland was by canal boat.
A good little bit of history. I’ve been down to DC several times but never knew about this!
Jill recently posted..Any Questions?
And, now you do.
Maybe the next time you come, it will be opened.
That is so cool… i made one trip to DC in the dead of winter and we arrived at the Washington Monument late on a cold evening so not sure if I recall exploring anything more than the obvious.. this is something I will look out for on our next trip (we have to make one with the kids!)
Well, Vidya-
Right now you can only see the OUTSIDE of the Washington Monument. The inside (mostly the elevator) is being repaired yet again. (They never did fix it properly after the earthquake.)
And, the lockmaster home will be ready (they promise 😉 ) by Spring 2018.
thank you for the update !!
Thank you for the visit and comment, Vidya!
I have a cousin going to college right now in DC – and some friends who have lived in or near DC for periods of their life. They will love this! In a way, it reminds me of the Hendrick Lott house in Brooklyn (which I’ve only seen from the outside). I would love to visit this house when it opens to the public.
Alana recently posted..Music Moves Me – Mondegreens
Alana:
I believe the structure should open to the public by Spring of next year! Let me know if you come- we can go see it together.
What an interesting slice of history. I never noticed the house during my D.C. visits. Guess I was too focused on the specific places that were on our list. It’s a good story, and I’m glad you were curious and solved the mystery and shared what you learned. I think it’s easier for the locals to keep track of these changes than those of us who visit only a couple of times in a lifetime. I think we pay the most attention to the changes in the areas where we live and work for many years and can live through the history.
Barbara Radisavljevic recently posted..What I Observed from my Bench at Larry Moore Park
I tend to meander. (And, my kids had that tendency as well.) So, finding things off the beaten track was a pretty normal occurrence.
I don’t know about the locality- I love to learn about every place I visit, Barb.
What a beautiful piece of history! So glad the mystery is solved and once again people will be able to enter it.
Martha recently posted..God’s Beauty
I enjoy riding my bike along the C&O Canal and stopping at the locks (some of which houses) and there are a few mills. I’ve done the same in the Baltimore area and near the Erie Canal.
Glad you found the history of interest, Martha
That is a very cool review of a little history that is not in the books. Thank you for sharing. I doubt that I will ever visit DC again but if I should, I will be sure to visit this house. It is always a little more fun when you know a little about the background.
Glad to provide you the information, Chef William. If you and your wife want to make the trip, you can use a spare bedroom here and enjoy the sights.
Roy, wow, even though I am not very familiar with DC, I was fascinated by this tale of transitions and a city coping with its own growth. So will they be repairing the Lock Keeper’s House and opening it for the public? Thanks!
Glad you found it interesting. And, yes, it is to be available sometime before next March.