The Alexandria Union Station by Al Cox, Ala
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WINTER 1996 Vol. 1, No. 1 The Alexandria Union Station by Al Cox, AlA The Alexandria regional trans- Union Station is portation. significant as However, with the most visible the recent remaining growth of example of the commuter rail, dominant Union Station is passenger and now being freight trans- redeveloped as portation part of a multi- system in the modal transpor- city of Alexan- tation center to dria between Union Station, ca. 1906. showing the original west portico serve Alexan- 1851 and the historic photo courtesy William E. Griffm. Jr. dria for the next 1930s. century. Unfortunately, physical evi- mobile manufacturing plants Transportation has played a dence of the railroad’s influ- and breweries up until the late central role in the growth and ence on the growth and devel- 1960s. development of Alexandria opment of Alexandria is since its inception. Located a rapidly disappearing. Al- Reasons for the railroads few miles below the falls of though the Wilkes Street decline are varied. Replace- the Potomac River, the city tunnel and Hooff s Run bridge ment of Alexandria’s industrial provided the northernmost port are protected, very soon none base with a service economy to access the rich interior of the railroad roundhouses or and the widespread use of farmlands of Virginia. The switching yards will remain to trucks, automobiles and Potomac River put Alexandria illustrate Alexandria’s 18th- airlines has radically altered in the mainstream of world 19th century history as North- local freight and passenger commerce and by the mid-18th ern Virginia’s industrial and transportation systems since century, Alexandria had transportation center. It is the mid-20th century. The become one of the most difficult to imagine today that opening of the George Wash- important seaports in Colonial the restored and protected ington Memorial Parkway in America. Hogsheads of historic district contained 1932 seemed to symbolize the tobacco came from nearby cement plants, fertilizer ware- demise of railroads as the most plantations over the “rolling houses, steel foundries, auto- important means of local and roads.” By the 177Os, wagons brought their loads of corn and means of maintaining the late 1840s Alexandria became ground wheat from the grist- economy of Alexandria. As a directly involved in five major mills along Great Hunting result, construction of a water- railroad construction projects. Creek, Four Mile Run and way connecting the Potomac The first project was to build a other more distant tributaries with the Ohio River was railroad linking Alexandria of the Potomac’s watershed. initiated as early as 1785. In with the West through the gap 1828, Alexandria invested in the mountains at Harpers At Alexandria these products heavily in the Chesapeake and Ferry, West Virginia. The were loaded on ships for Ohio (C&O) Company, a undercapitalized Alexandria export to the other colonies canal project jointly funded by and Harpers Ferry Railroad and foreign ports. In return the governments of the United company was chartered in trading ships from around the States, Maryland and Virginia. 1847 and reorganized as the globe discharged their cargoes Alexandria, Loudoun and at the Alexandria wharfs and However, by 1850, before the Hampshire in 1853 but the line by the end of the 18th century, canal could be completed as was only constructed as far as the city had become a regional far as Cumberland, Maryland, Leesburg by the outbreak of center of culture and com- a new, more efficient transpor- the Civil War. The same merce. The inclusion of tation system rendered it railroad was reorganized in Alexandria as part of the obsolete. The Baltimore and 1870 as the Washington and District of Columbia, when the Ohio Railroad had been Ohio Railroad and in 1884 as Federal City was established in constructed to Cumberland the Washington, Ohio and 179 1, seemed to secure its much more quickly and at far Western Railroad. In 1911, it future. less expense. Although the was reorganized again as the canal was successfully oper- Washington and Old Domin- That position faded quickly in ated for several decades, the ion railway and was finally the 1800s. During the War of enormous maintenance costs abandoned in 1968. 18 12, Alexandria surrendered ultimately rendered it unprofit- to the British on August 29, able. The Alexandria Canal The second major railroad 1814 after the British had was abandoned in 1886. project linked Alexandria with previously burned Washington Gordonsville in the south by including the White House and way of the old Piedmont Stage U.S. Capitol. Subsequently, The Arrival of the Route through Orange and the city was forced to provide Railroads Culpeper, Virginia. The a ransom of cotton, grains, (Note: The following se43ion of this Orange and Alexandria Rail- tobacco and ships to the article is adapted in large part from road was chartered in 1848 British. These losses resulted the excellent book, One Hundred and completed from Alexan- in the decline of Alexandria as Years of History Along the RF&P dria to Manassas by 1851. a major seaport. Furthermore, Railroad, by William E. Griffin, Jr.) larger ships began to use the With the increasing loss of The third project was to open a deep water port in Baltimore. river traffic to steamboats, and line to the Shenandoah Valley inland trade to the railroad, of Virginia through Manassas Canals linking the city with Alexandria stood to lose Gap. The Manassas Gap the Ohio River and the newly everything to Baltimore, its Railroad line was constructed opened inland regions of the powerful commercial rival to from the Manassas Junction on continent were seen as a the north. Therefore, in the the Orange and Alexandria 2 line to Strasburg by 1854. At 1855 to extend from the north the Long Bridge and down the end of the Civil War, both end of the bridge to the B&O Henry Street to connect with the Orange and Alexandria and station in the District of Co- the Grange and Alexandria at Manassas Gap railroads lumbia but not to cross the Duke Street. In 1864, the required major reconstruction. Potomac River. Passengers reorganized railway became In 1867, these two lines were and freight were transported the Washington, Alexandria merged to form the Orange, across the river by omnibus and Georgetown Railroad. Alexandria and Manassas and wagon. Railroad, which In 1872 the later became a Pennsylvania part of the Railroad ac- Virginia Mid- quired the land and, ulti- Alexandria and mately, the Washington Southern Rail- Railroad and way. also created the Alexandria and In 1854, the Fredericksburg Virginia Gen- Railway to eral Assembly complete the chartered the line from Alex- Alexandria and andria south to Washington Quantico to join Railroad Com- with the Rich- pany (A&W) to mond, extend a rail line Fredericksburg from Alexandria and Potomac to Washington. (RF&P). The The railroad St. Asaph Street was authorized entrance to the to construct its city was aban- tracks from a doned in favor roundhouse and of the two car shed located acquired lines at the block running down Railroad Activities 1900-1905 Old Town Small Area Plan, p. 6 bounded by Fayette and Saint Asaph, Henry streets Pitt and Princess Streets, In 1856, the A&W established which merged north of the city thence north on Saint Asaph to a passenger depot in Alexan- at a place known as St. Asaph the Alexandria and Washing- dria at the southeast intersec- Junction. The passenger and ton Turnpike, thence north to tion of Saint Asaph and Prin- freight stations were located the south end of the old Long cess. The railroad was confis- on property bounded by Bridge, now the 14th Street cated by the Federal troops in Henry, Cameron, Fayette and bridge. Permission was 1861. Tracks were laid by the Queen Streets. At the south obtained from Congress in U.S. Military Railroad across end of the city, the tracks 3 joined those of the Virginia As a result, the Washington Midland railway at their Terminal Company was passenger station at the south- chartered in 1901 to build a west comer of Duke and Union Station for use by all Henry Streets and proceeded railroads in the District of southwest on separate tracks Columbia. The new Beaux running parallel to Duke Arts style Union Station in Street. Washington was opened in 1907. In addition, the Rich- In 1890 the two Alexandria mond-Washington Company lines were joined to create the was formed in 1901 by the Washington Southern Railway Pennsylvania Railroad, Atlan- Company. In 1901 the Wash- tic Coast Line Railroad, ington Southern Railway was Southern Railway, Chesapeake obtained by the RF&P Rail- and Ohio Railway, Seaboard road. The two railroads were Air Line Railway and Balti- 1 CHAMBER OF COMhERCE 1 operated as one but with more and Ohio Railroad to Brochure cover from the 1920s separate accounts and reports handle traffic between Rich- until the Washington and mond and Washington. Their Alexandria Southern was officially primary task was to eliminate Union Station merged into the RF&P in the numerous freight yards in The Richmond-Washington 1920. the District and devise a Company’s 1901 plans also method to organize, classify called for double tracking the On the other side of the and exchange freight among Washington Southern Railroad Potomac River, at the turn of the six competing rail compa- and the construction of a new the twentieth century, south nies. An extensive new passenger station in Arlington Washington was a maze of facility known as Potomac County just west of railroads. The increase of rail Yard was opened on August 1, Alexandria’s city limits at that traffic and citizen agitation to 1906 between the then-north- time.