Only in Orleans!
By Ranger Rita
Driving into the Fifteenmile Creek section of the canal in Little Orleans, I can't help but think of the classic Beatles hit "The Long and Winding Road". After exiting busy I-68, that six-mile drive along the Little Orleans road with its great vistas and views transports me to the more peaceful pace of life that is Orleans.
Not always perfectly peaceful, Little Orleans was the sight of several labor riots during the canal construction period. This came during the final phase of construction when funds were short and at times, tempers shorter. The nearby Paw Paw Tunnel worksite was also experiencing labor unrest. The "long and winding road" to completing the canal in this section of the Potomac was not without challenges.
Today, all is tranquil and Orleans is an oasis for towpath and river travelers. Whether one reaches Little Orleans via the canal towpath, the Potomac River or Orleans Road, they still have to take a "long and winding road" to get there.
And all paths seem to lead to Bill's Place, one of the best known landmarks along the entire C & O Canal. Bill's Place has welcomed canal travelers for decades - in fact, since 1896, there has been a grocery store adjacent to the canal at Little Orleans. Everyone wants to see Bill's Place - the combination general store, bar, restaurant, and gathering place which is "open when it opens." Even a fire in 2000 didn't spell an end to Bill's Place. Bill's Place was re-built and continues to operate today - only in Orleans - at the end of a "long and winding road."
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- Boyscouts practicing first aid techniques near the partially collapsed ruins of Lockhouse 57. Credit: R.E. Howell, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
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- The boat launch site at the Fifteenmile Creek area and the adjoining campground are slated for improvements later in 2011 and into 2012. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- Even before the C & O Canal was designated as a National Historical Park, the National Park Service had juristiction over the protection of the property. Credit: P.R. Iverson, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
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- Hikers enjoying the C & O Canal towpath pause for a break at Fifteenmile Creek Campground area. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- A very tranquil, wooded stretch of towpath beckons hikers and bikers headed east from Fifteenmile Creek. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- Fifteenmile Creek Credit: CHOH NPS
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- St. Patrick’s Catholic Church is located about one mile from the canal towpath at Fifteenmile Creek. This historic church on the hill overlooking Orleans is surrounded by a cemetery where workers associated with the building and operation of the C & O Canal are buried. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- A view from the Fifteenmile Creek Aqueduct showing the point where Fifteenmile Creek flows into the Potomac River. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- A view from the hill at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church shows a portion of the 46,000 acre Green Ridge State Forest that buffers the canal and towpath from Town Creek to Little Orleans. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- The Irish shamrock above the entrance to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church is testament to the many Irish laborers who helped build the C & O Canal. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- Part of the complex that makes up Bill’s Place at Little Orleans. Perhaps the driver of this truck loaded with canoes is grabbing a bite at Bill’s before putting onto the Potomac River for a float. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- The re-built Bill’s Place welcomes bikers and towpath users to this combination restaurant, bar, and grocery store. Bill’s is a canal landmark. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
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- The Fifteenmile Creek Aqueduct, one of eleven, is a single-arch bridge crossing one of the Potomac’s tributaries at Little Orleans, Maryland. Credit: C&O Canal National Historical Park
Fifteen Mile Creek Aqueduct
Milepost 140.9
Green Ridge State Forest
Milepost
Bill's Place
Milepost 140.9
