Washington Canal-America's Toilet
1792 map showing route of the Washington City Canal (Source: Wikipedia)
Like several of the other historical station names we are proposing, this one won't do a lot to attract tourists, but it's accurate nonetheless. In the 1800s, Constitution Ave used to be a canal that was, according to observers at the time, “the grand receptacle of nearly all the filth of this city,” emitting “70 distinct stinks.” After decades of being America’s Toilet, most of the canal was ultimately covered in 1880, and by 1931, the stench had disappeared for good.
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