Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington, D.C. Ruins of the Columbian Cannon Foundry

Ruins of the Columbian Cannon Foundry

These recently uncovered walls are all that's left of Washington, D.C's first defense contractor.

Washington, D.C.

Added By
Elliot Carter
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The ruins.   Elliot Carter
The ruins recently emerged from the overgrowth along the Crescent Trail.   Elliot Carter
1907 view of the foundry site.   Rev. Robert M. Moore/Public Domain
1907 alternate view across the Potomac.   Rev. Robert M. Moore/Public Domain
1907 view of the ruins of one of the foundry buildings.   Rev. Robert M. Moore/Public Domain
Foxall’s portrait hangs in Foundry Methodist Church to this day.   Harris & Ewing/Public Domain
Site plan of the Columbian Foundry.   C.C. Starbuck/Public Domain
Building plan of the Columbian Foundry.   C.C. Starbuck/Public Domain
The ruins.   Elliot Carter
The ruins.   Elliot Carter
The ruins.   Elliot Carter
The ruins.   Elliot Carter
The ruins.   Elliot Carter
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The National Parks Service hasn’t had a chance yet to erect an explanatory plaque beside newly uncovered ruins in the overgrowth along the Potomac River. The nondescript stone walls don’t offer many hints about their former purpose, but historic maps of the area—located between Foxhall Road and Foundry Branch Valley Park—reveal the location’s past use by D.C.’s first defense contractor.

Though the riverbank west of Georgetown University is today dominated by parklands, it was once a nexus of 19th-century industrial activity: canal traffic, ice factories, and mills were present, as well as the B&O railspur that later carried coal to the government power plant in Georgetown. A largely forgotten cannon factory once stood at the site of recently uncovered stone.

The Columbian Foundry opened in 1800, when Englishman Henry Foxall arrived in the Federal City with an armload of munitions orders (likely aided by his friend Thomas Jefferson). The riverbank site was perfect for the new enterprise: pig iron imports arrived via Potomac wharves (later, the C&O Canal), power was furnished by water wheels on the Foundry Branch Creek, and finished guns were tested at a two-acre firing range on the present site of Foxhall Road.

The Columbian Foundry was a significant industrial resource for the nascent country. Foxall pumped out an estimated 10,000 cannons in the early 1800s, and the forges produced all manner of artillery. Using the latest techniques from England, Foxall drilled his guns from solid iron tubes using special precision machines. Superior weaponry from the Foundry is credited with delivering Oliver Perry’s victory over the British at the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813.

But the Foundry was very nearly destroyed a year later as British Redcoats torching the capitol targeted the expat arms manufacturer. An unseasonal August downpour saved the plant and Foxall, counting it an act of Divine intervention, sold the company off. He used the money to build Foundry Methodist Church, where his portrait still hangs to this day.

The Columbian Foundry continued for decades under the guidance of local businessman John Mason, but, as the Washington Historical Society notes, by the time of his death in 1849, “the Columbian Foundry was reduced to making little other than shells and cannon balls to be fired from the guns made at other foundries.”

Consensus is out on exactly which sections of the walls date to Foxall’s period. An exhaustive but dated Historical Society report from 1908 tells us that the foundry was, “partly housed in and hidden by a huge frame structure used some years ago as an ice-house by the Independent Ice Company.” National Park Service archeologist Justin Ebersole thinks most of the ruins visible today are, “that of the ice house and not the foundry. I'm certain that something remains of the foundry (I've seen a slag pile out there), but a concerted effort has not been taken to fully survey the area.”

What is clear is that Foxall’s spot on the Potomac was drastically altered in 1911 as the B&O railroad ran a spur between the river line and canal. With the railway long since replaced with a bike path, another historical circle of redevelopment has closed its circuit, and cyclists are free to look on the ruins in wonder.

Related Tags

Military Military History History Government Ruins Abandoned Factories Industrial Revolution

Know Before You Go

Starting in Georgetown you can find the ruins half a mile up the Capital Crescent trail, on your right hand side, next to the Foundry Branch culvert.

Community Contributors

Added By

Elliot Carter

Published

October 17, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/40066972?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
  • https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/henry-foxall
  • https://www.loc.gov/item/hec2009000663/
  • https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3852f.ct004920/
Ruins of the Columbian Cannon Foundry
Capital Crescent Trail
Washington, District of Columbia
United States
38.905367, -77.078999
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Foundry Branch Tunnel

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Dahlgren Iron Cross

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

United States

Places 285
Stories 50

Nearby Places

Foundry Branch Tunnel

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Dahlgren Iron Cross

Washington, D.C.

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

United States

Places 285
Stories 50

Related Stories and Lists

America’s Green City: 9 Sustainable Spots You Should Visit in Washington, DC

List

Sponsored by washington.org

Related Places

  • Kragujevac, Serbia

    Knežev Arsenal

    The ruins of a military-industrial complex now host concerts and more.

  • Antuni

    Castel di Tora, Italy

    Ruins of Antuni

    A semi-abandoned village destroyed by U.S. bombings during World War II dominates the valley of Turano.

  • Ussana, Italy

    Abandoned Ussana Brick Factory

    An eerie gravel road full of shards of red bricks leads to the ruins of a deserted factory.

  • the ruins after the January 2020 earthquake

    Guánica, Puerto Rico

    Guánica Lighthouse Ruins

    Invading U.S. troops were first seen from this now-abandoned tower, leading to the Spanish-American War.

  • Grain Tower.

    Medway, England

    Grain Tower Battery

    This abandoned gun tower was built to defend the River Thames from a French naval attack.

  • The members banking.

    Weybridge, England

    Brooklands Racetrack Remains

    The world's first purpose-built motor racetrack was destroyed by the outbreak of two world wars.

  • The abandoned torpedo launch station.

    Rijeka, Croatia

    Torpedo Launch Station

    Now abandoned, the world's first torpedo factory is crumbling into the sea.

  • Aerial view of the SCBI

    Front Royal, Virginia

    Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute

    This sprawling farm was once a Cold War-era hideaway for the nation's top diplomats.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.