The National Mall in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Disappearing Act

National Mall and Memorial Parks

— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —

Disappearing Act Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, August 11, 2025

1. Disappearing Act Marker

Inscription.
If you stood here in 1870, you would look out over the Potomac River. Sailors and dock workers-many recently freed from enslavement-hustled to move cargo on the 17th Street Wharf. Mules pulled long, low canal boats down the canal behind you. The river view didn't last. The government filled in parts of the river between 1881 and 1890. Today, most of that new land is occupied by the monuments and parks we know as the National Mall.

Washington Monument
The Washington Monument stood partially finished, like it is here, for over 20 years. Construction began in 1848, but lack of money stopped it in 1854. It remained unfinished through the Civil War. Construction resumed in 1878 with marble from different quarries, but the new stones didn't quite match. You can see where the color changes today.

How do you think filling in the river affected the plants, animals, and people that lived here?

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1870.

Location. 38° 53.511′ N,

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77° 2.429′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in The National Mall. It is on Constitution Avenue Northwest (U.S. 50) 0.1 miles east of 17th Street NW, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1742 Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20004, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Family Affair (within shouting distance of this marker); The Washington City Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); Lock Keeper’s House (within shouting distance of this marker); Silent Witness (within shouting distance of this marker); Inuksuk (within shouting distance of this marker); Not Built to Last (within shouting distance

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, August 11, 2025

2. Disappearing Act Marker

of this marker); Let's Ride (within shouting distance of this marker); Keeping Us Connected (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

Another marker is no longer nearby. The Canal Connection (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . National Mall and Memorial Parks. (Submitted on August 12, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 12, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.