Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

The town of Harpers Ferry, wedged below high ridgelines and tightly packed on a small point of land at the confluence of the Potomac and the Shenandoah, is rich in […]

Lock 33

Lock 33 of the Canal was a place of commerce situated close to the town of Harpers Ferry, just across the Potomac from town. The lock also sits below Maryland […]

Harpers Ferry & Bolivar

Harpers Ferry is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers where Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. This junction of two rivers made it a natural site […]

Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook’s location and surrounding geographical features make it a natural gateway into Harpers Ferry from the Maryland side—and a busy little town before and during the Civil War. Here […]

Weverton and Casper Wever

This is the story of an ambitious surveyor/ engineer and a namesake town that never really reached its potential. Casper Wever was born in 1786 in Lancaster, PA. He worked […]

Point of Rocks Train Tunnel

The rivalry between the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad came to a head in the mid 1800s when continuation of both the Canal and the railroad tracks required passage […]

Point of Rocks Train Station

In the shadows of the towering Point of Rocks formation, where the Potomac slices thorough the Catoctin Ridge, sits one of the most picturesque railroad depots in the nation. The […]

Tuscarora Feeder Canal

Tuscarora Creek was used to supplement the primary source of water for this section of the Canal, which was Dam No. 3 at Harpers Ferry. But the Canal company had […]

Nolands Ferry

Before the United States was a nation, Nolands Ferry had already been established as a vital crossing on the Potomac. Ferry operations were licensed here as far back as 1735—connecting […]

Lock 27, Spinks Ferry

Spink’s Ferry was an established Potomac crossing long before the Canal was built. Josias Clapham licensed the ferry way back in 1757. Because the approach to his ferry landing was […]

White’s Ferry

White’s Ferry is a one-of-a-kind on the Potomac River. It is the last operating ferry on the river, transporting vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians from Maryland across to the Leesburg area […]

Marble Quarry

The challenges of moving marble from the Marble Quarry to a re-building Washington in the early part of the 19th century demonstrated exactly how valuable the C&O Canal would be. […]

Ruin of Jarboe’s Store

Just as crossroads have become gathering places in the automotive age, so too did upstream Canal locks become places to meet and do business in the mid 1800s. Lockhouse 25 […]

Lock 25 Edward’s Ferry

Activity at Edward’s Ferry began very early in the Civil War with a Union encampment and commissary established here in 1861 by General Charles Stone. “Camp Stone,” as it was […]

Seneca Stone Cutting Mill

Here’s the wonderful thing about Seneca Red Sandstone: Beyond its rich red color, fine grain and durability, this sandstone also possesses what workers called “quarry sap,” which actually made it […]

Rowser’s Ford

Wherever you find a strategic location to cross the Potomac River, history always seems to follow. Rowser’s Ford, near Lock 24, is no exception. On the evening of June 27, […]

Old Stone House

Tucked along M Street in Georgetown, just east of the towpath, is an historic gem often missed by Washington D.C.’s swarming monument seekers. The Old Stone House (3051 M St., […]