Potomac Aqueduct

The Potomac Aqueduct, sometimes called the Alexandria Aqueduct, is marked by the lone stone pier still visible rising from the Potomac River near the modern Key Bridge. Built between eighteen thirty and eighteen forty-three, this structure was designed to carry boats on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal across the river into Virginia. By creating this link, merchants in Alexandria intended to capture trade and bring coal from western Maryland directly to their own port.