November 4, 2008
by Cissy Finley Grant, The Almanac

Potomac, Md. - It takes a big heart to fill in a big hole and there were lots of big hearts in attendance at a recent benefit party for the hurricane Hanna damaged C&O Canal towpath.

"This is the largest special event ever to benefit the C&O Canal," said Matthew Logan, president and founder of the recently formed C&O Canal Trust. "The superintendent convinced me the park needed a friends organization," said Logan, the former president of the Potomac Conservancy, a river conservation group.

Logan said the new organization’s goal of raising $100,000, part of the cost for repairing the 125 ft. wide and 50 ft. deep Hanna hole, is close to a reality. "I got a call from a lady recently who gave $10,000 toward the repair in honor of her late father. She said he walked the canal daily," he added.

The Oct. 25 benefit party, given at Nalini and Chris Rogers’ recently restored Marwood home overlooking the Potomac River, was co-hosted by, among others, Diana and Bill Conway, who, in recent years also gave a huge benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims in Bill Conway’s native state of Louisiana.

The enthusiastic turnout for the canal, including Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, warmed the hearts of C&O personnel including Kevin Brandt, superintendent of the C&O National Historic Park. "We have requested funds from the national office for the repairs, but there has been no answer yet. We have asked the trust to volunteer to raise funds for this," he said. Over $30,000 was raised from this event for the towpath repair.

Photo by Cissy Finley Grant
Superintendent of the C&O Canal NHP, Kevin Brandt (left) and Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett, found a moment to talk.

Brandt estimated 750,000 people yearly travel the canal in the Old Angler’s Inn area where the Sept. 6 towpath cave-in occurred. "We immediately constructed a by-path around the breech," he said. Hikers will be able to continue their treks along the scenic area.

The estimated 200 respondents to the $100-$1000 invitation to Marwood found plenty of roaming space in the 33 room-13 bath mansion, built in 1931. It is where President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on occasion, hung his hat while the now Camp David was under construction and where the Joseph Kennedy family lived (1937-39) prior to his tenure as ambassador to Britain. Presidents Nixon and George H.W. Bush numbered among the dignitaries who visited Marwood in the past as did movie stars. Even a party scene filmed there was included in the movie, "Broadcast News."

Host Chris Rogers said it was nearly a three-year restoration project for their 16,000-square-foot home. When asked about the lower level theatre (adjacent to the 15 car underground garage) he said, "It was an empty shell when we got here and practically a dirt floor." That pretty well summed up the huge extent of the work needed throughout, including restoring some of the windows. Classical head ornaments and acanthus leaf brackets are among the original exterior objects d’art still in evidence. "We extended the back terrace quite a bit," he said pointing to iron grilling installed on a side wall. It was the front door when they bought Marwood in 2005, but not the original front door. That had been previously removed and sold.

Joel Achenbach, author of "The Grand Idea," spoke to canal enthusiasts, and other co-hosts in attendance, including Holly and Scott Funger, Mimi and Steve Kirstein, Kirsten and Brett Quigley and Sydney and Peter McKelvy, telling them, "I often think of the canal as the Great Wall of China in the Atlantic, or the Washington Monument. I think of George Washington when I walk along the canal." He added, "When you get a hole in the canal, that’s a problem."

Achenbach’s book, his sixth, devotes numerous pages to the 184.5 mile canal, its origins and preservation. A stack of his books, which he autographed on request, were presents to those at the party. Roy Sewall’s "Our Potomac," a photo collection with history, was on sale, with all proceeds going to the canal restoration project. Sewall is chairman of the C&O Canal Trust board.