Potomac By Moonlight

This is a view of the Potomac River just below the present site of Georgetown University, looking east southeast. In the foreground is the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, an unloading terminal until the 1830 congressional charter awarded it to Alexandria Canal Company. This canal system connected Alexandria, VA, to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal by way of the Aqueduct Bridge, completed in 1843. It was considered one of the most remarkable engineering achievements of the time. Beyond the bridge are the Georgetown wharves dominated by coal loading trestles with several schooners below. The Aqueduct Bridge was dismantled in 1934, replaced by the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The old Georgetown foundation is still visible.