Isn’t it remarkable how this tiny stone building has stood here near the National Mall for nearly two centuries? This is the Lockkeeper’s House. It is the oldest building on the National Mall.
Back in 1837, this area looked quite different. The south end of 17th Street was a wharf. Constitution Avenue was the Washington City Canal. This canal connected the Potomac and Anacostia rivers. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal also had an extension that met here.
The Lockkeeper’s House was vital to managing canal traffic. The lockkeeper lived here. He collected tolls and recorded commerce. He maintained the canal and managed the boats passing through. All this happened within this 350-square-foot space.
Imagine the lockkeeper and his family of thirteen children living here. They were responsible for keeping the canal running smoothly. The lockkeeper collected tolls. He managed the canal connections and kept records meticulously.
The C&O Canal extension connected to the Washington City Canal in 1832. The Lockkeeper’s House construction happened around 1837. The house is a standard lock house design. It is rectangular one and a half stories. It measures 30 feet wide by 18 feet deep. It originally had two and a half stories.
The Washington City Canal faced many challenges. It was only three feet deep. Tides often caused flooding. By the 1850s, the canal became polluted. It was then closed to barge traffic.
In 1855, the Lockkeeper’s House was abandoned. Squatters occasionally lived here. In 1903, it was partially renovated. It became a headquarters for the United States Park Police. It even had a holding cell.
In 1915, the house was moved west. It was aligned parallel to Constitution Avenue. The original brick chimneys were removed. Shorter stone chimneys replaced them.
Over the years, the Lockkeeper’s House had many uses. It was a Park Police jail cell. Later, it served as a public restroom. Eventually, it became a storage space. For forty years, it sat boarded up.
In 2017, the National Park Service moved the house again. It was moved 36 feet south and 35 feet west. This move was away from the busy intersection. The exterior was restored to its pre-1915 appearance. The brick chimneys were rebuilt.
The Lockkeeper’s House reopened in 2018. It now serves as an NPS education center. It is part of the Constitution Gardens renovation.
So, the next time you pass by this small building, remember its long history. It has been a home, an office, a jail, a restroom, and a storage space. Now the Lockkeeper’s House is an education center. It tells the story of Washington’s canal era. This little house has truly seen it all.