You can now create your own itineraries to guide your C&O Canal exploration, or you can copy one of ours! Learn more about Itineraries.
Green Spring Run provided waterpower for one of the largest furnace operations on the Potomac: Green Spring Furnace. In 1768-1769, Lancelot Jacques and Thomas Johnson built the Green Spring Furnace as a part of Fort Frederick Ironworks. Learn more.
Green Spring Run provided waterpower for one of the largest furnace operations on the Potomac: Green Spring Furnace. In 1768-1769, Lancelot Jacques and Thomas Johnson built the Green Spring Furnace as a part of Fort Frederick Ironworks. Furnace operation was booming, as the demand for timber to produce charcoal was high. The furnace encompassed 23.5 square miles and, by 1783, relied on the labor of as many as 80 slaves. The furnace produced pig iron and castings and carried products downstream to be shipped. By 1806, as a result of financial troubles, the furnace ceased operation.
In 1848, a second furnace at Green Spring was constructed and shipped more than 900 tons of pig iron in one year. The second furnace operated until at least 1873.
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There has been a lapse in appropriations, and a shutdown of the federal government is currently in effect. Much of the C&O Canal National Historical Park remains accessible to the public, however, the National Park Service is not able to operate as normal. Scheduled C&O Canal Trust events and Canal Quarters reservations will continue as scheduled.
Learn more about what the shutdown means for the C&O Canal National Historical Park.