Alexandria has a rich history as a seaport, and the Project is providing opportunities to highlight several aspects of this history, such as enhancement of the former site of the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation.

Archaeological investigations of the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation (VSC) site uncovered many of the foundations of the buildings that once stood within Jones Point, including the massive shipways used to build, launch, and repair the 9400-ton steel cargo ships constructed there during World War I.

Historical research conducted as part of these investigations also located numerous historic photographs and plans of the shipyard. Photographs showing the construction of the site in 1918 and the dismantling of the yard and the structures in the 1930s helped researchers understand the importance of this industrial site.

When World War I began, the United States was in desperate need of ships. The Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard in Alexandria was one of 111 yards constructed between 1917 and 1918, and possessed all the necessities of a WWI era shipyard - a fabrication shop with upstairs mold loft, blacksmith shop, boiler shop, crane ways, shipways, and rail lines.

The shipbuilding site at Jones Point was constructed in 85 days. The keel of the first ship, the Gunston Hall, was laid on May 30, 1918, and was launched from the shipyard February 27, 1919. President Woodrow Wilson attended the ceremony of the laying of the first keel and received the honor of driving the first rivet.

At the end of WWI, any outstanding shipbuilding contracts were cancelled. The ship building site at Jones Point was advertised for sale in 1928, ten years after the war's end, and facilities and equipment were torn down andauctioned.