A separate Washington Post history described the old waterfront port as "a dynamic center of commerce" and a place of "great social and trade activity." A third 1900 article claimed that "much of the tobacco grown in the far South, and nearly all of that grown in Virginia was shipped through Georgetown."

After the Civil War the port entered into a long period of decline. Numerous factors contributed to make Georgetown a less than attractive navigational destination.

Construction of the Long Bridge at 14th Street prevented sailing ships with large masts from traveling up the river. Worse still, the piers that supported the bridge span were magnets for sediment, and the Potomac soon began to silt up. The port began to hemorrhage traffic as steam power replaced sails and the size of oceangoing ships increased. The draft on these new larger ships required depths greater than the 20 foot waters at Georgetown.

Heavy Industry

The waterfront was revived in the beginning of the 20th century as new factories sprouted up.