BRIDGES OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

Like any city that is more than 200 years old, the creeks and rivers in Washington, DC, have seen multiple generations of fords, bridges, canals, and creek-side industries as existing infrastructure has degraded to the point of needing replacement, as modes of transportation have changed, or as industrial facilities have come and gone. In most cases, where a bridge or other infrastructure has ceased to be used or been replaced, the former structure or its foundations are entirely removed, and are eventually forgotten. However, in other cases, remnants may remain in place more than 100 years later, and may be an attraction for history buffs and tourists. These may or may not be accompanied by historical information placards, even if no remnants remain to be investigated. Examples include locations that were once improved fords, abutments of footbridges or bridges associated with former mill operations, foundations of former creek-side mills and kilns, piers remaining in the middle of a river, roadway bridges that have been replaced with newer bridges, and remnants of former trolley lines.

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In general, the question of whether ruins or remnants are left in place depends on two major factors: the need to use that land space for other developments, and the desire to deliberately preserve those remnants for historical, recreation, or tourism purposes. Therefore, as expected, the remnants are mostly found in and near Rock Creek Park or along the C&O Canal, both of which are protected from new development and preserved by the National Park Service.

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Rock Creek Park has the remnants of two former improved fords at Klingle Stream and Milkhouse, as well as remnants of the foundations and an associated bridge at Blagden Mill. There is also a historical information placard at Edgewater Stables that commemorates the location of the former Woodley Lane Bridge, which crossed Rock Creek up to 1897. A short distance outside of the park, adjacent to and visible from Broad Branch Road, the remains of an unusual footbridge are found. This footbridge is only a few feet wide, and does not appear to lead anywhere, but the decorative stonework on the abutments and the parapets suggest it was an important little bridge when it was constructed.

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Near the C&O Canal, there are still ruins of two steel trestles of the former Washington and Great Falls Electric Railway Company, which ran from Georgetown to Glen Echo Amusement Park and the Cabin John Bridge Hotel from 1896 to 1960. Both trestles are visible from Canal Road/Clara Barton Parkway: one at Foundry Branch near Foxhall Road, and the other opposite Sycamore Island in Maryland just outside the District boundary. For about 80 years until it was replaced by Key Bridge in 1923, the canal itself continued across the Potomac into Virginia by way of the Potomac Aqueduct. Although the Aqueduct is long gone, two arches remain crossing the Capital Crescent bike trail in Georgetown, and one pier remains under the shadow of Key Bridge close to the Virginia shoreline. Finally, one of the largest industries in Washington from 1833 to 1908 was the Godey Lime Kilns, which operated at the confluence of Rock Creek and the C&O Canal. The remains of the foundations are probably the most visible of all ruins in the city, as they are quite large, and are directly adjacent to the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway just a few feet south of the M Street Bridge.

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Unfortunately, I was not able to include extensive discussions of most of these structures in my book, Bridges of Washington, DC: A History and Guide. Because of space limitations, the book needed to focus of existing bridges that could be visited as tourist attractions, as opposed to remnants half-hidden beneath the overgrowth, no matter how unusual or interesting they might be. However, the book does go into some detail on the Aqueduct Arch and Broad Branch Footbridge, which are well-worth visiting.