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Wilkes Street Tunnel (Heritage Trail Marker)

GPS Coordinates: 38.7998390, -77.0421589
Closest Address: 501 South Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314

Wilkes Street Tunnel (Heritage Trail Marker)

Here follows the inscription written on this trailside historical marker:

Wilkes Street Tunnel
City of Alexandria Est. 1749
— Alexandria Heritage Trail —

The Wilkes Street Tunnel was part of the eastern division of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, founded in 1848 to promote trade with western Virginia. The Orange & Alexandria inaugurated its track in Alexandria on May 7, 1851 with a run from the north end of Union Street to the Wilkes Street Tunnel. Thus the tunnel linked the railroad to warehouses and wharves along the waterfront. Located nearby, the Smith and Perkins Foundry manufactured locomotives for the Orange & Alexandria and other railroads.

The Wilkes Street track continued in operation until 1975 when declining industrial activity along the waterfront no longer warranted rail service. The tunnel is one of Alexandria's few surviving 19th century transportation sites.

The Orange & Alexandria line was one of many Alexandria railroads taken over by Union forces at the onset of the Civil War. While this northerly section of the railroad was incorporated into the U.S. Military Railroad, the length of track south of the Rappahannock River remained in Confederate hands. Both sections played a major role in the strategies of North and South, as well as a decisive element in the Confederate victory at the Second Battle of Manassas or Bull Run. The Wilkes Street Tunnel gave the Union army access to the wharves for shipping military supplies on car ferries south to Aquia Creek, terminus of the Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad.

[Captions:]
These scale drawings of the Wilkes Street Tunnel were drawn in 1970 for the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) and show typical cut-and-cover tunnel construction. The tunnel was cut through the bluff overlooking the Potomac River and covered over to continue the streets above. After the sides were built up with stone, the arch would have been constructed over wood falsework from both sides using a centering technique to form the brick barrel vault. The tunnel was deepened after World War I to accommodate taller boxcars.

The Wilkes Street Tunnel runs for a block between Lee and Fairfax Streets, where it continues for another block to Royal Street as an open cut trench. The photo above, taken in 1863, shows the Senator, a 54,000 pound locomotive used by the United States Military Railroad (U.S.M.R.R.) about to enter the tunnel. Prior to its service in the U.S.M.R.R., the Senator was the Thornton of the Concord Railroad. It was built by Amoskeag Locomotive Works of Manchester, New Hampshire, in 1853.

Groups of free and formerly-enslaved contraband laborers were employed by the United States Military Railroad (U.S.M.R.R.) to repair tracks damaged by Confederate raids. This series of Civil War-era photographs shows workers attempting to straighten rails and return them to working order in front of the Wilkes Street Tunnel. The photographer, Andrew J. Russell, enlisted in the Union Army in 1862 where he served with the 141st New York Volunteers until he was reassigned to the U.S.M.R.R. Construction Corps under General Herman Haupt. He documented and photographed many railroad construction and engineering activities in Alexandria including rail-straightening, prefabricated bridge building, experimental boat construction and a new technique to transport railcars by water that was the precursor to the modern intermodal system.

Erected by City of Alexandria, Virginia.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Atlas Obscura website:

Wilkes Street Tunnel
Alexandria, Virginia
This brick-lined pedestrian walkway was once a railway tunnel used during the Civil War.

The Old Town section of Alexandria, Virginia is packed with significant sites and artifacts, as echoes of the past dot the streets of this historical section. One intriguing vestige of this city’s past often overlooked is nestled in a town block, several blocks removed from the hustle and bustle of King Street.

At the corner of Wilkes Street and Royal Street is the entrance to a former railroad tunnel that belonged to Orange & Alexandria Railroad completed in 1856. It was used in both the Civil War and World War I as a major connector between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia.

The most intriguing thing about the tunnel is its design and appearance. The long entrance path is on a downward slope that slices right down the middle of Wilkes Street, which forms an upward slope that brackets the tunnel on either side, creating a neat optical effect.

In 1975, the train tracks were removed from the tunnel and a six-month restoration effort gave this fascinating passage new life as a beautiful pedestrian walkway. The tunnel is 170 feet long and features nicely preserved, vaulted walls of gray sandstone.

Some local residents believe the tunnel is haunted, however, the passage is well lit and safe to explore.

Know Before You Go
The main entrance to the tunnel is at the intersection of Wilkes St. and Royal St. If you walk east through the tunnel and follow the path through Windmill Hill Park and across South Lee Street, you can access the waterfront near Shipyard Park. The area offers some fantastic views of the Potomac River and Wilson Bridge.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Clio Foundation website about the tunnel as written by Ben M.:

Introduction:
The Wilkes Street Tunnel was built in the 1850s and serves as a reminder of Alexandria's early years as a railroad terminus. Once a critical part of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad, the tunnel is now a popular spot for residents who enjoy the tunnel's lighted walkway which forms a part of the city's walking and bike path. It was named after English statesman John Wilkes, who supported the colonies during the American Revolutionary War.

Backstory and Context:
The Wilkes Street Tunnel first went into operation on May 1851, shortly after the Commonwealth of Virginia authorized a train line running from Gordonsville to Alexandria. The tunnel connected the Orange & Alexandria Railroad with the busy waterfront warehouses and wharves located on the banks of the Potomac.

The Wilkes Street Tunnel is a classic example of cut-and-cover tunnel construction, which is a method of shallow tunnel construction where a trench is dug and roofed over with an overhead support system. This support system must be strong enough to hold whatever is built above the tunnel. The sides of the Wilkes Street Tunnel are made of stones and bricks, and its arch is a traditional barrel vault.

As the Civil War developed, the railroad systems became coveted assets for both the Union and the Confederation. Consequently, shortly after the Union Army occupied Alexandria, the Orange & Alexandria Railroad was seized and incorporated into the U.S. Military Railroads. Thanks to the Wilkes Street Tunnel, the Union had easy access to the waterfront wharves, which they took advantage in order to ship military supplies south of Aquia Creek.

The Wilkes Street Tunnel was deepened shortly after World War I to allow the passing through of higher boxcar.

The tracks in the Wilkes Street Tunnel continued in operation until 1975, afterwards, they were removed and the site was redone as a public pedestrian and bike path, which Alexandrians still enjoy today.


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Here follows an excerpt from the blog, "All Not So Quiet Along the Potomac: The Civil War in Northern Virginia & Beyond" as written by Ronald J. Baumgarten, Jr.:

A Railroad-Related Site in Old Town Alexandria
Last Sunday while my family and I were visiting friends in Alexandria, I had the opportunity to check out another fascinating Civil War-related site in Old Town. My friend, Dave King, had mentioned the Wilkes Street Tunnel to me on a few occasions. Built in the 1850s, the tunnel connected the Orange & Alexandria Railroad (O&A R.R.) with the wharves and warehouses at the busy port of Alexandria. It is one of two 19th century railroad structures still remaining in Alexandria. The railroad tracks are long gone, but the tunnel has been preserved and is now part of a trail for bicyclists and runners. Dave and I visited the site at the corner of Wilkes and Royal Streets on our way to the main drag on King Street.

The O&A R.R. was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1848 in an effort to stimulate trade with western Virginia. Construction began in 1850, and in May 1851, the railroad christened the Alexandria section of track with an inaugural run between the north end of Union Street to the Wilkes Street Tunnel. By 1854, the O&A R.R. extended to Gordonsville, Virginia, where it connected with the Virginia Central Railroad. That same year, the O&A R.R. received permission from the General Assembly to run from Charlottesville to Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1860, the railroad finally reached Lynchburg, where it joined the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. The company paid the Virginia Central for the use of track rights between Gordonsville and Charlottesville.

The O&A R.R. figures prominently in the history of the Civil War. Following the invasion of Virginia in May 1861, the Union seized control of the railroads in Alexandria, including the O&A R.R. The O&A R.R., which generally fell under Federal control close to Washington and north of the Rappahannock River, played a critical role in moving supplies for the Union Army, and Alexandria became the hub. A steady flow of U.S. Military Railroad trains passed through the Wilkes Street Tunnel on their way to and from the wharves along the Potomac. The Confederates controlled and operated other portions of the railroad. During the course of the war, sections of the railroad fell into and out of Union hands, or were abandoned when the armies moved elsewhere. Manassas Junction, where the O&A R.R. and Manassas Gap Railroad met, played a key part in both the First and Second Manassas Campaigns.

Once again, Alexandria does not disappoint. What I think is going to be just another run to get ice cream with friends and family, turns into yet another historical discovery. Although the Wilkes Street Tunnel is a small and out-of-the-way site, it is a place well worth visiting. Trust me. You will feel the past all around you as you walk through the tunnel and emerge on the banks of the Potomac.

ABOUT ME

Award-winning local historian and tour guide in Franconia and the greater Alexandria area of Virginia.

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ADDRESS

Nathaniel Lee

c/o Franconia Museum

6121 Franconia Road

Alexandria, VA 22310

franconiahistory@gmail.com

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