Shepherdstown Visitors Center

Nestled in the corner on the first floor of the historic Entler Hotel building sits Shepherdstown Visitor Center. Staff awaits from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily to help guide […]

Shepherdstown

The oldest town in West Virginia, Shepherdstown pre-dates the Revolutionary War. It is a quaint town filled with artisanal shops and eateries and is home to Shepherd University, which adds […]

Lock 38 (Shepherdstown) Bike Rental/Repair

Lock 38 (Shepherdstown) Parking

Small lot off Canal Road, near Potomac Bridge and Lock 38, with towpath access.

Lock 38 (Shepherdstown) Restrooms

Lock 38 (Shepherdstown River Lock)

The Shepherdstown River Lock is one of only three river locks on the Canal. Built from gray limestone and meant to draw traffic from the Virginia side of the Potomac […]

Thomas Swearingen Ferry & James Rumsey Bridge

In 1755, the Virginia General Assembly recognized the need for a proper river crossing, and Thomas Swearingen was authorized to operate a ferry on the Potomac River between the Maryland […]

James Rumsey Steamboat

What is a “canoe powered by a teakettle?” A steamboat, of course! The eccentric inventor James Rumsey shocked Shepherdstown during a December 3, 1787 demonstration when his boat – without […]

Potomac Bridge, Henry Kyd Douglas, and John Brown

The Potomac Bridge may not have held much historical significance save for the events that happened here on a rainy day in 1859. Henry Kyd Douglas grew up in a […]

Shepherdstown River Lock

The Shepherdstown River Lock is one of only three river locks on the Canal. Built from gray limestone and meant to draw traffic from the Virginia side of the Potomac […]