The waters of the Potomac and the Anacostia Rivers surround and define
the nation's capital. For centuries, these rivers have been manipulated
environments--transformed by native populations, settlers, politicians
and real estate developers. With docks and wharves extending from the
Anacostia River to Georgetown, the architect of the young capital,
Pierre L'Enfant, planned to develop the waterfront into a prosperous
inland seaport. Decades later, the Civil War took a devastating toll on
the District's maritime economy with civilian port facilities pressed
into military service and the failure of many riverfront plantations.
Author John R. Wennersten explores this early history of Washington,
D.C.'s waterfront even as he tackles its twentieth-century redevelopment
and the challenges the rivers face today.