Tiber Creek

win-DUD A3A ms roiocnoao dNV SONIfldS ONIHSINVA S.& 39;D& 39;Q & 39;NO1ONIHSVM Washington, D.C.& 39;s Vanishing Springs and Waterways By Garnett P. Williams GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRCULAR 752 7977 WASHINGTON, D.C.& 39;S VANISHING SPRINGS AND WATERWAYS ByGarnettP.Williams ABSTRACT This paper traces the disappearance or reduction of the many prominent springs and waterways that existed in Washington, D.C., 200 years ago. The best known springs were the Smith Springs (now tinder the McMillan Reservoir), the Franklin Park Springs (13th and I Streets, NW.), Gibson& 39;s Spring (15th and E Streets, NE.), Caffrey& 39;s Spring (Ninth and F Streets, NW.) and the City Spring (C Street between Four and One-Half and Sixth Streets, NW.). Tiber Creek, flowing south to the Capitol and thence westward along Constitution Avenue, joined the Potomac River at 17th Street and Constitu- tion Avenue. In the early 1800& 39;s, the Constitution Avenue reach was made into a canal which was used by scows and steamboats up to about 1850. The canal was changed into a covered sewer in the 1870& 39;s, and the only remaining visible surface remnant is the lock-keeper& 39;s little stone house at 17th and Constitution Avenue, NW. Because of sedimentation problems and reclamation proj- ects, Rock Creek, the Potomac River, and the Anacostia River are considerably narrower and shallower today than they were in colonial times. For example, the mouth of Rock Creek at one time was a wide, busy ship harbor, which Georgetown used for an extensive foreign trade, and the Potomac River shore originally extended to 17th and Constitution Avenue, NW. INTRODUCTION Imagine what today& 39;s District of Columbia ter- ritory looked like several hundred years ago. Forests and thickets covered about half of the area. Indian tribes found plentiful supplies of clear water. Several swampy zones were prominent, such as along what is now Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Capitol, and around what is now the Ellipse just south of the White House. The springs, together with some shallow dug wells, were the chief sources of drinking water for the district& 39;s settlers until 1859. As the city became established and underwent years of growth and development, most of these springs disappeared. So did most of the city& 39;s famous creeks, such as Tiber Creek, St. James Creek, Reedy Branch, and Slash Run, many of which played key roles in supporting early Washington& 39;s important slaughterhouses and grist mills. Even the larger waterways, such as Rock Creek, the Potomac, and the Anacostia, in many places are much shallower and narrower than when the set- tlers arrived. In those days such rivers were essen- tial navigational arteries, but that function has diminished over the years. Now they are impor- tant chiefly in regard to parks and recreation. Looking at the mass of concrete, asphalt, and buildings that covers much of today& 39;s thriving and bustling city, it is hard to imagine where most of the once-prominent springs and creeks were lo- cated. Similarly, almost all remnants of the famous Washington City Canal have now disap- peared. The Canal once traversed the city from Georgetown, passed close to the White House and Capitol, and emptied into the Anacostia near the Navy Yard. Also, many residents of the city would be surprised to know that until about 90 years ago, the Potomac& 39;s shore came up to 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW. This paper traces these and other changes that have occurred with the waters of the Washington, B.C., area during several hundred years of ur- banization. Unavoidably, emphasis is given to those regions for which more information is available. In collecting material, I have received, and gratefully acknowledge, the generous assistance of Perry G. Fisher of the Columbia Historical Society and Roy L. Orndorff, retired Director of Sanitary Engineering, Washington, D.C. Mr. Orndorff and Frederick Gutheim also reviewed the original manuscri