Alexandria, VA – Alexandria has served as an important transportation center since colonial times, when Scottish merchants established a busy tobacco port along the Potomac River in the mid-18th century. Less remembered today, however, is the city’s rich railroad history, which began in the late 1840s with the creation of the Orange & Alexandria Railroad.
Only a few physical reminders of this once-important rail line still survive. One is the Wilkes Street Tunnel, familiar to many through Unseen Old Town photographs and now used as a pedestrian and bicycle path. The other, far less noticed, is a stone railroad bridge crossing Hooff’s Run near Duke Street, beside the Alexandria National Cemetery.
The bridge can best be seen either from the cemetery or from nearby African American Heritage Park along Holland Lane. Hooff’s Run, named for the prominent Hooff family, once flowed openly through what are now the neighborhoods of Rosemont and Del Ray. Over time, much of the stream was covered as the city expanded with roads and homes.
The bridge itself reflects two periods of railroad construction. Its northern stone face dates to 1856, replacing an earlier wooden trestle used by the original railroad. The southern side, which is shown in our featured image, was added later by the Southern Railway between 1885 and 1895.
During the Civil War, the Orange & Alexandria Railroad became strategically vital to both Union and Confederate armies. Although Union forces controlled Alexandria for most of the war, battles for the railroad continued farther south in central Virginia. The line transported troops, supplies, and wounded soldiers, while many Alexandria buildings were converted into military hospitals.
Today, the bridge and tunnel remain quiet reminders of Alexandria’s railroad past and the critical role the city once played in connecting Virginia during both peace and war.
