The C&O Canal Trust will be hosting a clean-up event at Lock 8 in the C&O Canal National Historical Park to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Monday, January 15. Approximately 30 volunteers from the local area will be removing invasive winter plants and picking up trash around Lock 8, located off Clara Barton Parkway in Cabin John, Montgomery County, MD. Read More
The C&O Canal National Historical Park was awarded $3.45 million from the Transportation Alternatives Program through the Maryland Department of Transportation, thanks to the vocal support of the C&O Canal Trust and the greater canal community: $2.45 million for “A Rewatered Canal” and $1 million for “Towpath Rehabilitation: A Safe Towpath.” Read More
The C&O Canal Trust will be installing 15 new benches in 2018 in the C&O Canal National Historical Park at popular access points between Swains Lock and Cumberland, thanks to philanthropists Daofeng He and his wife Angela Yang Cui. The couple is making the donation in appreciation for the Park and to provide a much-needed amenity for visitors upriver from Great Falls. Read More
Winter is a wonderful time to experience the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal) on your own, with a friend, or by attending a special event or ranger program. The park is open daily and visitors are welcome to join rangers for the following fun and exciting activities, December through February. Read More
We are in the peak fall foliage season here in Maryland, and we have collected some of our favorite photos of the canal bursting with color!
Where possible, we have linked the photos’ descriptions to their locations in the C&O Canal National Historical Park so you can go out and see the beautiful fall color for yourself! Read More
The C&O Canal Trust recently welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors, John Schnebly, Anthony Stacy, and Anne Wallace. Read More
The C&O Canal Trust hosted the first participants in its new Canal For All initiative this spring, demonstrating the popularity and promise of the program aimed at building relationships with diverse communities along the C&O Canal. Read More
The C&O Canal Trust announced today that the National Park Service Centennial Challenge Program has provided a $100,000 matching grant to support the rehabilitation of Swains Lockhouse in Potomac. The grant, supported by Maryland Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, will be matched by $108,160 raised by the C&O Canal Trust, the Friends of Historic Great Falls Tavern, and the C&O Canal Association. It will be used to fund deferred maintenance on a critically-endangered lockhouse. Read More
The rehabilitation of the Conococheague Aqueduct in Williamsport has begun — you can learn more here! We thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the history of the aqueduct as it enters a new phase of its life. Read More
As Aaron Siskind once said “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever….It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” Read More
Interested in a wild and wonderful combo of cutting-edge theater, outdoor adventure, and sight-seeing? If so, visit Shepherdstown, West Virginia in July! Read More
The C&O Canal National Historic Park has something for everyone when it comes to water activities. From a relaxing day of fishing on the Potomac River to kayaking along the canal, most folks can find a fun way to make a splash! Read More
The volunteer Quartermasters responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the C&O Canal Trust’s Canal Quarters lockhouses have been honored with the Harrison Award for Volunteers at Preservation Maryland’s Best of Maryland Preservation Awards Ceremony. Read More
Following a competitive review, the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington has named the C&O Canal Trust one of the best nonprofits in the Washington, DC, area. To be included in the Class of 2017-18, the C&O Canal Trust underwent extensive vetting and was judged to have met the Catalogue’s high standards. Potential donors can be confident that the nonprofits in the Catalogue are worthy of their support. This is the first time the Trust has been included in the Catalogue. Read More
May 2 is Washington County Gives. Your donation to the Trust will be matched whether you live in-county or not! Plus, join us on May 2 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Stone Wall Tavern in Hagerstown for a celebration to wrap up Washington County Gives! A portion of beer sales will benefit the Trust. Read More
The C&O Canal Trust will launch a new diversity outreach initiative this spring aimed at increasing Latino and African American participation in Trust programs. Read More
The C&O Canal Trust, in partnership with the C&O Canal National Historical Park, has announced the dates of their 10th annual C&O Canal Pride Days, the single largest volunteer event to take place in the Park each year. An estimated 300-400 volunteers from around the community are expected to attend and will spend the morning working on projects to restore and revitalize the C&O Canal National Historical Park.
The archives of the C&O Canal National Historical Park (NHP) hold a merchant’s ledger (1856-1858) from Williamsport, MD that provides details about everyday life along the canal and insights into park history. The ledger’s more than 260 lined pages provide insight into the foodways, economics, and material culture of people along the canal whose stories have often become invisible to the historical record.
Many Park visitors know that there are towns all along the towpath. Through-hikers and -bikers are especially fond of the local businesses that offer food, respite, bike repair, and a host of other items and services trail-weary travelers can appreciate. To celebrate these C&O Canal towns, we give you our picks for the top attractions in several of the canal towns along the towpath – many are members of the Canal Towns Partnership, which assists its communities with trail-based tourism and recreation. Read More
The C&O Canal Trust today announced a t-shirt artwork contest to commemorate the 10th anniversary of their Canal Pride events. Amateur artists are invited to create and submit artwork that celebrates the 10th anniversary of this volunteer-driven event. The winning design will be printed on our Canal Pride t-shirts and worn by our volunteers as they work in the C&O Canal National Historical Park during the spring months. Read More
The C&O Canal National Historical Park holds hundreds of secrets along its 184.5-mile length and is a wonderful place to explore both the natural and man-made worlds. In the Canal Discoveries section of the C&O Canal Trust’s website, Park Rangers describe 48 of these gems.
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’ve picked out 10 gems that you might not know about. The next time you are out in the Park, be sure to visit these sites! Read More
The C&O Canal Trust, in partnership with the C&O Canal National Historical Park is searching for stories from African American workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) who worked along the C&O Canal from 1938-1942. Workers themselves or descendants of workers are encouraged to contact the Park to share memories from their time along the canal, for use in a new exhibit to be housed in Canal Quarters’ Lockhouse 10. Read More
On December 1, sixteen volunteers from World Bank participated in a Canal Pride event where they worked on beautification and preservation projects at Great Falls. A small group of volunteers joined Billy Goat Trail Steward Bob King to hike along Billy Goat Trail A, where they removed a lot of left behind trash as well as helped restore some off-trail areas. Read More
Everyone loves Billy Goat Trail Section A. Come down to Great Falls any weekend during the summer months and you’ll see a line of people stretching along the whole trail. With tricky rock scrambles, unique wildlife, and amazing river views, it is not difficult to see why this trail is so beloved and well-known. But if you’ve already experienced the magic of “Billy Goat A” or you just want a little more solitude with your wilderness, check out these great, lesser-known trails in the Great Falls area.
The C&O Canal Trust thanks the 24 volunteers from Clark Construction who helped to remove overgrown vegetation from a historic wall along the towpath between Locks 33 and 34 this past Saturday, November 19! Read More
The C&O Canal Trust will be hosting an Open House with free hardhat tours of Swains Lockhouse in Potomac, MD on Saturday, November 5 from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Read More
The Cushwa Basin, located in Williamsport, MD, is situated at the confluence of the Conococheague Creek and the Potomac River. Because this area is such a popular entry point to the C&O Canal towpath, there is a National Park Service Visitors Center located here, in the historic Cushwa Warehouse beside the basin. The warehouse is in the process of being restored to interpret the 1920’s era on the Canal, and the neighboring Conococheague Aqueduct is also being rebuilt. This historic area was once the home of brick manufacturing and shipment of coal along the Canal — canal boats would use the turning basin to load coal and bricks on their trips between Cumberland and Georgetown.
All Canal Lovers should visit the Cushwa Basin, check of the Visitors Center, hike the towpath, and explore Williamsport. Check out this list of 9 things you can do next time you visit!
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We are pleased to announce that the C&O Canal Trust has been selected as a participant in Whole Foods’ Nickels for Nonprofits program! From now until the end of the year, you can help the Trust earn nickels in honor of the National Park Service’s Centennial. Every time you shop at one of the five Montgomery County, MD Whole Foods stores, bring your own bags. Whole Foods will credit you a nickel for each bag you bring, and you can donate those nickels to the C&O Canal Trust! Read More
In celebration of the opening of their DC Flagship store, REI is hosting 100 days of recess with their United Outside campaign and donating $100,000 to five local nonprofits, including the C&O Canal Trust! Each nonprofit will automatically receive $10,000. But with your help, we could turn that into $20,000 or more! Read More
The C&O Canal Trust constructed a new bridge over the canal at Marsden Tract over the weekend of April 21-24, 2016. Read More
The Swains Lockhouse rehabilitation will be special for many reasons: Its beautiful setting, rich history, access for the disabled, and perfect timing—as a tribute to the National Park’s 100th birthday. But there’s another feature of Swains that could have a positive impact for many years to come… Read More
This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. That’s huge because of what the national parks mean to us, and how many millions of people have marveled at the natural and historic wonders that are protected within park boundaries. Read More
Swains Lockhouse, soon to be the seventh Canal Quarters residence, sits in a picturesque location along the C&O Canal. The Potomac River, just yards away, provides wonderful views, radiant sunsets, cool breezes, and outdoor recreation. Read More
If you’re researching the lives of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King, your Google search shouldn’t pose any problems. But what if you had to profile Mary Virginia Swain, a woman who lived an unassuming life in a lockhouse on the C&O Canal in the early 1900s? Read More
The C&O Canal Trust is pleased to announce the appointment of Patricia Barber as its new Director of Development effective March 1. Read More
The C&O Canal Trust is fortunate to have Robert Mertz as its friend and volunteer — Robert has furnished all six lockhouses in period style, and he is on board to bring the year 1916 to life in Lockhouse 21. Read More
How did the rundown lockhouses along the Canal turn into Canal Quarters, an award-winning program that over 10,000 people have experienced? This week, we will take a look at the development of the program, which the Swains lockhouse will join after its rehab is complete. Read More
In its heyday, the C&O Canal was a 185-mile linear community. At any given time, as many as 530 or more Canal boats worked their way back and forth between Georgetown and Cumberland and points in between. Read More
“From inside our lockhouse, I could hear the children laughing out by the firepit—a corny joke from their father, no doubt. As the last glow of sun shimmered off the Canal upstream, the low light of the lantern began to illuminate the wood floor planks, simple furnishings, and a pitcher of cider still sitting on the table from dinner. Life is good here.” Read More
