East and West Potomac Parks: A History - Historic Resource Study
Chappell G. 1973. East and West Potomac Parks: A History - Historic Resource Study. Historic Resource Study. National Park Service. Denver, Colorado
The story of the reclamation, development and use of Potomac Park is much more complex than is initially apparent. The construction of an ineptly designed Long Bridge in 1809 accelerated the silting of the natural channels in the Potomac River as well as growth of mud flats downstream from its causeway. The maintenance of adequate depth in the channels was necessary for the commercial survival 'of Georgetown and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, as well as for the commerce and growth of the infant city of Washington. The reclamation of the land now known as Potomac Park was an incidental by-product of dredging the river after the Civil War, for by 1880 the Army Corps of Engineers could find no other place to dispose of the silt removed in the dredging. Thus, a complete history of Potomac Park must include the story of the very creation of the land that became that park. Once this land was created, there arose the problem of deciding on its use, and its preservation as park land was only one among several possibilities under consideration; subdivision and sale for private development was another. Once the decision was made to use the reclaimed land for park purposes, it became necessary for the authorities to define the sort of activities and structures to be permitted in the park. Congress and the District courts, the Fine Arts Commission, the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, the National Park Service and many other organizations have had a hand in determining park use.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Chappell, Gordon
- Date of Issue
- 1973-06
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- EAPO , HIST , NAMA , NCR , WEPO
- Keywords
- Bridges, Construction, Development, ehistory, historic resource study, History, history program, Parks, Potomac, Reclamation, River, Rivers, Structures