A New Deal on Life

By Ranger Kelly

Lockhouses:

Lockkeepers:

My favorite canal stories involve canal's continuous reinvention of itself. For example, when it became clear that the railroad was far superior to the canal in connecting the Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River, the C&O Canal Company stopped construction in Cumberland in 1850 and began running as a coal transportation company, moving the rich Cumberland coal down to the growing industrial center in Georgetown. The C&O Canal Company ran as such until 1924.

The Canal got a new lease on life again in the 1930s. When talk started on what to do with the abandoned canal, many people saw it as a perfect project for President Roosevelt's New Deal. Following the Great Depression, the New Deal created programs to put people back to work, improve infrastructure, and reinvigorate the economy. Two African American camps of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers were set up along the canal near Carderock. The CCC workers, and people working through other New Deal programs, improved the towpath, fixed locks, rewatered the first 22 miles, and refurbished several buildings along the canal, including Lockhouse 10. It was the first of many conservation efforts along the canal. These conservation efforts started a precedent for rehabilitating the canal for visitors interested in hiking, biking, kayaking and history exploration.

Lockhouse 10 has a "New Deal" again. The latest conservation effort is called Canal Quarters. The National Park Service, along with its partner, the Canal Trust, are rehabilitating several lockhouses including this one, and opening them to the public for overnight stays. Each house represents a different time period in the canal's history. I had the privilege of working on Lockhouse 10, which has been brought back to the 1930s when the CCC rehabilitated it. All of the furnishings and accoutrements are indicative of the 1930s, down to the family games in the living room. There are also many interpretive panels and a scrapbook inside to tell the story of the CCC and their work.

If you would like to experience this pivotal time in the C&O Canal's history, spend a night in Lockhouse 10. You might just find the inspiration necessary to reinvent yourself. Visit www.canalquarters.org.

The Powerful Potomac

By Ranger Kelly

Lockhouses:

Floods:

Lockkeepers:

I learned in school about George Washington's love for the Potomac River and how it influenced many of his decisions. However, I did not fully understand that passion until I moved here in 2009 and became a park ranger on the C&O Canal. Shortly after arriving, we had a minor flood event. As I watched huge logs and other debris floating down the river, the water's power captivated me. The speed at which the water rose demanded my respect. As the seasons passed and the water level dropped, I also found tranquility along its banks and beauty in the geological formations carved out by the river. These cycles of high and low water scour and deposit soils, transporting seeds into the most unlikely places, creating one of the most biologically diverse areas in the country. No other major river in the Eastern U.S. is as wild as this one. I am in awe of the mighty Potomac.

The Potomac River flows across four states and Washington, D.C. It drains 14,670 square miles, crosses five geological provinces and flows a distance of 383 miles. It originates at Fairfax Stone in West Virginia as a small stream, but grows as each of its tributaries add their waters to it - including the Anacostia River, Antietem Creek, Cacapon River, Catoctin Creek, Conocoheague Creek, Monococy River, Occoquan River, Savage River, Seneca Creek, and the Shenandoah River. The Potomac River basin is 57.6% forest, 31.8% agriculture and 4.8% developed. In addition to the 184.5 miles of riverfront property that the C&O Canal National Historical Park protects, there are several other local, regional, state, and national parks along the Potomac River.

This river affects everyone who lives in its drainage on a daily basis. 486 million gallons of water are withdrawn daily. The Potomac River supplies 90% of Washington, D.C and northern Virginia residents with their drinking water. Sometimes it is hard to believe that the Potomac River is surrounded by so many people. Another 100 million gallons of ground water in the watershed are withdrawn in rural areas on a daily basis.

Just as the river affects people who live within its watershed, people affect the river as well. Dams provide people with water and power, change the river's natural hydrology, and prevent the migration of shad and other fish. The Potomac River is impacted by runoff from individual homes, roads, storm drains, construction sites, agricultural fields, and industry. Fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, oils, animal waste, and soil erosion can cause even more damage than physical trash.

Recently, we as a society have become more aware of the impacts we are having on the environment, and the health of the Potomac River has improved. Regulations have banned several practices that were especially harmful, including the use of DDT. Fish ladders were built around most dams to accommodate migrating shad. Annual watershed-wide cleanups have been occurring for 23 years. In 2011 alone, 11,388 Volunteers removed 228 tons of trash from the Potomac River.

In 2001, the National Park Service partnered with the Potomac Conservancy to help protect the Potomac River and educate people living within its watershed. The River Center was opened by the Conservancy in Lockhouse 8 in 2004. It is open weekends May- September.

I encourage you to visit Lockhouse 8 and the River Center. My favorite exhibit is "Backyard to the Bay," which looks at the natural diversity and scenic beauty of the Potomac River, as well as the effects of human activities on the health of the ecosystem.

Also, please take the time to enjoy the river itself. Do not wade or swim in the Potomac. Even when it looks placid, it has an uneven bottom and dangerous undertow. Instead, walk along its edge, fish from its banks, or kayak out into its waters. You may be surprised that you, like George Washington and me, find yourself falling in love with the mighty Potomac River.

Centuries of Stories

By Ranger Kelly

Lockhouses:

Lockkeepers:

When you happen upon Lockhouse 6, whether by walking, biking, or driving past, you wouldn't know that this quaint house  along the canal had witnessed so much history. When I first moved to this area and drove the Clara Barton Parkway past the lockhouses, I wondered what they were used for and who had used them. Now as a park ranger for the C&O Canal, I am astounded by the historical impact of this stretch of river.

In the 1770s, John Ballendine built a skirting canal with a grist mill around Little Falls, from the present site of Lock 6 to Fletchers Cove. George Washington's Pawtomack Canal Company used Ballendine's inspiration more than 10 years later to create a series of skirting canals at Little Falls, Great Falls, Seneca Falls, and more, so boats could utilize the river while avoiding the dangerous sections. After the short tenure of the Pawtomack Canal Company, land was converted to the newly formed Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. The ground-breaking ceremony for the C&O Canal on July 4, 1828, occurred not far from where Lockhouse 6 now stands.

Builders used Aquia sandstone from a nearby quarry to construct the lock. This light gray stone can also be seen in many historical buildings in Washington, DC. The lock was completed in September 1830, with the first boats floating past on October 1. This was the first section of canal to be completed and watered.

Many families lived in Lockhouse 6, including Martha King, one of the few women lockkeepers. She worked on the canal for 30 years and continued to live in the lockhouse after the National Park Service took over the canal in 1938. More remarkably, King became a park service employee at the age of 84!

Today Lockhouse 6 has a new function as one of the first Canal Quarters lockhouses opened in 2010. Visitors of all ages can spend the night and imagine the life of the locktenders and their families so many years ago.

Volunteers Uncover History

By Geordie Newman, Volunteer Coordinator

The only thing more amazing than the amount of work volunteers can accomplish in a short period of time is the diversity of tasks they perform. The C&O Canal has an annual visitation of approximately four million each year. Many of those visitors develop a strong connection to the park and decide to return as volunteers. The park has a variety of opportunities for volunteers to be engaged along the 184.5 miles of the C&O Canal. We have everything from librarians and historians to Canal Stewards and Bike Patrollers. There are many unique ways for volunteers to give back to the park they enjoy so much.

The C&O Canal Trust's Canal Pride Days event at the Abner Cloud Mill ruins is a perfect illustration of volunteers working to enhance the park. The Abner Cloud House is the oldest existing structure in the park. In 1801 Abner Cloud, Jr., built a random rubble stone house with the help of Italian stonemasons, probably using stone from local quarries. Mr. Cloud also built a mill nearby, further to the west of the house but south of the Chain Bridge. The mill produced locally popular "Evermay" flour when it was in operation in the early 1800's. Only remnants remain of the mill today.

Although the mill is frequently referenced in literature about the Abner Cloud House, the mill ruins were hidden from visitors due to dense vegetation covering them. The dense vegetation is now gone thanks to a recent C&O Canal Pride Days event. Volunteers attacked the overgrown brush with loppers, pole saws, and determination to uncover a piece of history in the park. We were not certain of the condition we would find the remnants of the mill after being covered so for many years. After several hours of hard work and two 30-yard dumpsters full of vegetation later, the ruins were revealed. It was a significant effort to uncover this hidden piece of park history. In order to prevent the mill ruins being lost to vegetation again, the site will be entered into the Canal Steward Program, which allows groups and individuals to adopt and care for a section of the park on a regular basis. The duties at the Abner Cloud Mill will include pruning vegetation as necessary and keeping the area clear of trash and debris.

Projects completed at the Trust's C&O Canal Pride Day events improve park locations and enhance the visitor's experience. The C&O Canal Trust works with park staff to address park areas that need a little extra attention and the Trust recruits volunteers to complete the tasks at each location. Together, volunteers and park staff make a difference.

The C&O Canal significantly benefits from the hard work and determination of its volunteers. A park that is a 184.5 miles long is a logistical challenge and one that our volunteers are, without question, up to meeting.

The Secret of Fletchers Cove

By Ranger Betsy

Whenever I need a break from city life I head to Fletchers Cove. Here you can get back to nature and enjoy fishing, boating, bicycling, and hiking, all without leaving the District of Columbia.

It is hard to get to, but well worth the visit. By car, Fletchers Cove is only accessible via a one-lane entrance road off of Canal Road. Past the Abner Cloud House, the road winds through a low, c. 1828 stone tunnel underneath the C&O Canal. A world of recreational possibilities lies on the other side of the tunnel.

Fletchers is a small cove leading out to the Potomac River. With Little Falls upstream, the fishing hole at Fletchers Cove is second to none. For boaters interested in slow waters or bird and turtle watching, Fletchers Cove is one of the best places along the entire canal to canoe or kayak.

Fletchers Cove is also an ideal place to start a hike or bike ride. Here, the Capital Crescent Trail crosses and then parallels the towpath. From Fletchers Cove, I can hike or bike into Georgetown, Bethesda, or go all the way to Cumberland Maryland.

I don't have to worry about buying expensive equipment either. At Fletchers Cove, I can rent rowboats, kayaks, canoes and bikes from the concession stand. I can also either picnic on the wide lawns by the cove or grab a hot dog from the snack bar.
I never know who I'll run into at Fletchers Cove - anyone from my next door neighbor to the President of the United States. Andrew Jackson, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter have all visited Fletchers. You'll see people gathering for fishing, food, and fun. It is a place where families have been coming for generations, much like the Fletchers' themselves - passing down its secrets.

Canal Boats on a Plane

By Ranger Mark

Did the canal boats really move on a plane? Yes!

However, it wasn't an airplane, but an inclined plane!

It was all about Georgetown traffic. Canal boatmen spent around 20% of their round-trip commute time Cumberland to Georgetown just waiting to unload their cargo in Georgetown. People complain a lot about traffic today, but imagine waiting sometimes two or three days just to unload cargo. For a business, traffic delays mean lower productivity. To compete with the railroads, the C&O Canal had to become more efficient. The solution to the congestion problem was the Georgetown Incline Plane.

Completed in 1876, the incline was considered an engineering feat on the canal. It allowed boats to be lowered down a steep embankment into the Potomac River approximately 150 feet away without needing to build six or seven locks to accomplish the same task.

The caisson into which the boat floated resembled a large, watertight railroad car or bathtub. The doors of the caisson were closed, sealing the boat inside. The supporting structure under the caisson was angled to allow the canal boat to remain level as it descended and ascended the 4.5-degree slope. The incline utilized water drawn from the canal to power a turbine engine. The turbine turned massive pulleys with steel cables attached to the caisson and to counterweights. A counterweight would move in one direction, pulling or lowering the caisson in the opposite direction. When a caisson was moved up the incline, the counterweights moved down the incline, and vice versa.

The plane had three sets of railroad tracks. The middle track carried the caisson while the tracks on either side carried railway cars loaded with heavy rocks to counterbalance the caisson. The caisson could weigh as much as 400 tons, depending upon the weight of the boat and its cargo. The counterweights weighed approximately 200 tons each. When the caisson descended the middle track, the counterweight cars on either side were pulled up with the giant pulley system.

In 1877, a tragic structural failure killed three men. By the late 1880s, floodwaters and decreased canal boat traffic rendered the incline plane obsolete and financially unprofitable to repair. The 1889 flood destroyed most of what was left. All that remains today of the inclined plane are a few stones gathered next to the towpath at mile-marker 2.3, approximately 0.1 miles downstream from Fletcher's Boathouse. A wayside briefly describes the history of the site and all that occurred there.

Standing near the rubble-strewn site of the incline plane, it is difficult for me to imagine the sheer scale and complexity of this former technological marvel. It reminds me that people are inherently driven to solve problems. And traffic in this area has always been one of those problems. Just downstream, as I enter Georgetown, I look up at the Whitehurst Freeway as it winds around the town. Just like the Incline Plane, the Freeway now diverts traffic around Georgetown. Some things never change.

A Forgotten Connection

By Ranger Mark

Just upstream of the Key Bridge in Georgetown, I am sitting on a large block of stone - part of an old bridge abutment - staring across the Potomac River at a lone masonry pier. The pier stands steadfast against the river current, almost as a bulwark against time, a last, proud remnant of the Alexandria Aqueduct (or Potomac Aqueduct* as it is also known).

As an interpretive Park Ranger at the C&O Canal, I can imagine the clop-clop of mule hooves and the clank of wagon wheels on the wooden planks of the Bridge on that steamy July night. The sound echoing in the still air at Georgetown signaled the start of the fateful war that pitted brother against brother, Union against Confederate and North against South. It was the sound of a battle that could no longer be avoided. And as those mules pulled wagons carrying home casualties from that deadly contest near a railroad junction at Manassas, it was as if the war itself were being borne to the very bosom of this great divided nation.

Built between 1833 and 1843, the Alexandria Aqueduct Bridge stood as a technological marvel of early 19th century engineering. It was designed to connect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal to the neighboring seaport at Alexandria via a seven-mile-long canal. The citizens of Alexandria wanted to share in the benefits of trade and commerce from the west, not unlike the benefits the Erie Canal brought to New York City. But construction of the C&O Canal stopped at Cumberland, Maryland, far short of its goal of bringing goods from the Ohio River Valley and beyond down the Potomac. Despite the loss of the much-anticipated commerce from the west, the demand for Western Maryland coal increased, buoyed by the expansion of industry here and abroad. By 1859, the port of Alexandria received nearly three-fifths of the coal carried on the C&O Canal.

Those gains were short-lived when in 1861, military necessity trumped the desire for economic gain. The federal government seized the Alexandria Aqueduct, drained the water from the trough, and converted it into a roadway for transporting troops and supplies. After the war, the roadway was removed and the Alexandria Aqueduct Bridge was converted back into an aqueduct, with a toll bridge above. This time, technological advances signaled the demise of the aqueduct: steam-powered tugs could now tow canal boats down the Potomac River to the coal wharves at Alexandria. Although the Alexandria Aqueduct Bridge survived in different forms until 1923, canal boats would never be seen again floating above the Potomac River.

Only one proud sentinel remains, in the form of a lone pier standing watch over the River.

*What most people know today as the Alexandria Aqueduct is also called the Potomac Aqueduct. When the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built, aqueducts, locks, lockhouses, and culverts were given numbers. Over time, people gave these structures names. Aqueducts were usually named for the body of water they traversed. For example, the Monocacy Aqueduct crosses the Monocacy River. The Potomac Aqueduct was built by the City of Alexandria and became known as the Alexandria Aqueduct for the city it served.

Legends, Tales:

Georgetown:

The True Beginning of the Canal

By Ranger Aly

As the supervisory park ranger along the first 40 miles, I am always learning new tidbits about the canal. I think one of the most important misconceptions most visitors have is that the canal started at Georgetown and headed west. That is not quite true.

Groundbreaking did not occur at Georgetown and the original plan did not include the small port town. Nearly six miles upstream from Georgetown, at Little Falls, the Potomac River becomes unnavigable for boats. Here President John Quincy Adams broke ground on the "Great National Project," an attempt to create a navigable passage from the Potomac River to the Ohio River and the western frontier. Only after the canal headed westward through Point of Rocks did construction focus on Little Falls to Georgetown.

Businesses immediately sprung up around the canal in Georgetown. Mule-drawn cargo boats filled to the brim with Western Maryland coal began lining up in Georgetown to off load into adjacent warehouses. Flour, paper and cotton milling also became successful industries in the town, using the canal as a new and steady source of water power. Many of the original facades of these buildings remain. If you look closely at the warehouses, you may even see old loops used to tie off the canal boats.

Although canal boats no longer travel the entire 184.5 mile length of the canal, it can still be done on either foot or bike on the original towpath. Many undertake this journey every year. They can often be found weaving through Georgetown in search of what they think is the beginning of the canal, the Tide Lock on the Potomac River at the mouth of Rock Creek. There you can touch Mile Post 0.

Next time you are out biking or hiking the canal, feel free to start at Mile Post 0... but also stop by Little Falls, the place the canal began.