Long Bridge

Crystal City is not a neighborhood one would necessarily call historically rich, unless you’re into the history of buildings with the name “crystal.” There is, however, a certain landmark in Crystal City which (sorry, pun intended) connects us to the past: The Long Bridge. Since the founding of America, there was a need to have a way to cross the Potomac to reach the disconnected part of the Capital, which is now Alexandria. The bridge opened in 1809 and, after being partially destroyed by British fighting, reopened in 1816. Congress purchased the bridge in 1832, and during the Civil War, it became heavily protected by the Union because of its easy accessibility to the White House. After that, the bridge had its share of successes and failures; it was damaged by floods, used as a railroad and an interurban trolley line, almost destroyed by fire in the 1960s, and today is memorialized as the site of Long Bridge Park.