The history of Alexandria, Virginia is tied to the water. Situated below the fall line of the Potomac River, Alexandria was one of the furthest points up river for ships traveling from all over the world. Alexandria's waterfront served as a hub of commerce and transportation. From its early colonial days to its modern transformation, Alexandria's waterfront has attracted people from all over the world.
Early Beginnings: A Colonial Port, French and Indian War, American Revolution
While Alexandria was founded in 1749, a tobacco inspection warehouse built in 1732. Like many cities in colonial Virginia, the town grew around the tobacco trade. Tobacco merchants like John Carlyle, John Dalton, and William Ramsay exported tobacco and imported other goods and items from Europe and the Caribbean.
Alexandria's strategic location along the Potomac River made it not only important for commerce, but also for military purposes. It became the staging point for the Braddock Expedition (1755) during the French and Indian War. Throughout the French and Indian War, it was a center of logistics. Merchants like John Carlyle became "Commissary of Stores", which meant he was responsible for procuring food and other important military supplies.
At the conclusion of the French and Indian War in 1763, Alexandria expanded and continued to grow as a port town. Development and growth accelerated. George Washington conducted business with many of the prominent merchants to include Carlyle, Dalton, Ramsay, and George Gilpin.
As tensions escalated between the British and the American colonists, Alexandria was a critical town with many of the merchants advocating for political change and ultimately independence. Thus, Alexandria had a similar purpose during the American Revolution as it did during the French and Indian War. Its strategic importance was as a center of logistics, recruitment and medicine. Many of the merchants did take up arms and left to fight on behalf of American Independence.
Alexandria's Waterfront: Post-Revolution and Early Republic
At the conclusion of the American Revolution, Alexandria's growth as a port city exploded. The shoreline was extended through a process called "banking out." The extension filled in the marshland and allowed piers and wharves to stretch into the deeper water channel of the Potomac. Many merchants built warehouses along the shoreline. Several of these are visible to this day like Fitzgerald's warehouse on King Street.
The Potomac River was viewed as a gateway into the interior of the United States. George Washington and many Alexandrians formed a company called the Potomac Company. The company's goal was to build a series of locks and canals that could bypass the falls of the Potomac River. In doing so, there would be greater accessibility for trade inside the country. Issues that involved water rights on the Potomac led to a series of conferences that culminated with the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and, ultimately, the forming of the new American republic.
By 1800, Alexandria was one of the major exporters of wheat and flour in the United States. It also imported sugar, rum, and manufactured goods from Europe and the Caribbean. At the same time, the city was being incorporated into Washington D.C. When Congress moved to Washington D.C. in 1800, Alexandria was formally known as Alexandria, D.C. until retroceding back to Virginia in 1847.
The 19th Century: Trade, Industry, and the Civil War
When hostilities again flared into war in 1812, Alexandria was brought back into the center of conflict. Many Alexandrians joined local militias and fought against the British. British forces raided the Chesapeake and then made their way toward Washington D.C. in 1814. Alexandria's warehouses were stacked with supplies and the British demanded surrender or the city would be burned. Without any local defenses available, city officials had no choice but to capitulate to British demands.
In the era that followed the War of 1812, Alexandria's fortunes stagnated. While it remained a port city, competition increased from many other cities like Baltimore. Much of the promise of being part of Washington D.C. never materialized. One of the larger businesses of that time was a domestic slave trade, which saw a surplus of people held in slavery sold to to plantation owners in the Deep South to fuel the demand for labor to work in the cotton fields.
Ultimately, the issue of slavery and its expansion into the west accelerated a series of political crises that brought another war to Alexandria: America's Civil War (1861- 1865). During the Civil War, most of Alexandria's native sons left the city to join the Confederacy. U.S. troops crossed the Potomac River on May 24, 1861, and put the city under Union occupation throughout the duration of the Civil War.
Once again, Alexandria was used as a strategic location for medicine and logistics. It's access to the waterway made it an important staging area for multiple campaigns. In fact, General McClellan assembled and launched the Peninsula Campaign (1862) from Alexandria.
Throughout the Civil War, warehouses were repurposed into hospitals and commissaries. Overall, the occupation drastically altered the city’s economy and daily life. It also saw an influx of formerly enslaved people seeking freedom within the Union lines of the city.
20th Century Decline and War-Time Revitalization
After the Civil War, Alexandria slowly recovered and rebuilt. Different industries continued to emerge, which were not necessarily tied to the port directly. Some of these industries included glass bottle manufacturing, one of the largest breweries in the South, an iron works, and an ice business. Shops, warehouses, grocers were also found up and down King Street. Banking continued with banks like Burke & Herbert Bank.
Ultimately, the waterfront was brought back into prominence with two new initiatives, which were both specifically tied to America's war effort. This included the Torpedo Factory and the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation. Both of these were established during the end of World War I. While the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation did not last until World War II, the Torpedo Factory did manufacture torpedoes for the Navy. Again, the theme of Alexandria's waterfront being crucial to armed conflict carried into the 20th century.
The Waterfront Today: A Blend of Past and Present
The post-World War II period brought a decline in downtown Alexandria, which led to a period of urban renewal in the 1960s. With urban renewal, there were also local preservation efforts. In fact, places like the Torpedo Factory were repurposed into art studios. Old warehouses became restaurants and shops. Other historic locations like the Carlyle House went through change and restoration to its original look and feel from colonial times.
Along the waterfront, former places of industry and commerce were transformed into parks and walking paths. Development of the waterfront is ongoing in the 21st century. With recent development remnants of the past have been discovered and preserved such as the scuttled ships that were used to fill in the shoreline.
Today, Alexandria’s historic waterfront is a vibrant destination that celebrates its past while embracing modern development. Visitors can stroll along the cobblestone streets of Old Town, visit historic landmarks like the Torpedo Factory Art Center, and enjoy waterfront dining with views of the Potomac River.
The city continues to honor its maritime heritage through events, museums, and preservation efforts. With ongoing revitalization projects and a commitment to historical preservation, Alexandria's waterfront remains a cornerstone of the city’s identity.
Image Source:
Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation, MS126, Sampson Collection # 272. Alexandria Library, Local History, Special Archives
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