Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Location	extending from Cumberland, MD to Georgetown, Washington, DC, USA
Nearest city	Washington, D.C.Nearest city: Washington, D.C.
Area	19,586 acres (7,926 ha)
Established	September 23, 1938 Established: September 23, 1938
Visitors	3,000,005 (in 2005)
Governing body	National Park Service

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in the District of Columbia and the states of Maryland and West Virginia. The park was established as a National Monument in 1961 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in order to preserve the neglected remains of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal along the Potomac River along with many of the original canal structures. The canal and towpath trail extends from Georgetown, Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland, a distance of 184.5 miles (296.9 km).

Contents 1 The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 2 Creation of the national park 3 The park today 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Construction on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (also known as "the Grand Old Ditch" or the "C&O Canal") began in 1828 but was not completed until 1850.^[1]:1 Even then, the canal fell far short of its intended destination of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Instead, the canal terminated at Cumberland for a total distance of approximately 184.5 miles. The canal was already considered obsolete by the time it was completed because a railroad line had arrived in Cumberland eight years before the canal was finally finished. The C&O Canal operated from 1831 to 1924 and served primarily as a means to transport coal from the Allegheny Mountains to Washington D.C.^[2]:6 The canal was closed in 1924 in part due to several severe floods that had a devastating impact on the financial condition of the canal.^[3]

[edit] Creation of the national park

The abandoned canal was purchased in 1938 by the United States Government and placed under the care of the National Park Service, which planned to restore it as a recreation area.^[4] Although the bottom 22 miles (35 km) of the canal were repaired and rewatered, the project was halted when the United States entered World War II and resources were needed elsewhere. After the war, Congress expressed interest in developing the canal and towpath as a parkway. However, the idea of turning the canal over to automobiles was opposed by some, including United States Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas. In March 1954, Douglas led an eight-day hike of the towpath from Cumberland to D.C.^[4] Although 58 people participated in one part of the hike or another, only nine men, including Douglas, hiked the full 182 miles (293 km). Popular response to and press coverage of the hike turned the tide against the parkway idea and, on January 8, 1971, the canal was designated a National Historical Park.^[5]

[edit] The park today

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park now receives more than three million recreation visits annually. The National Park Service operates visitor centers at six different locations along the canal: Georgetown, Great Falls Tavern, Brunswick, Williamsport, Hancock, and Cumberland. These visitor centers have displays and interpretive exhibits on the history of the C&O Canal.

Visitors can also experience the canal by taking a ride on one of the park's two mule-powered canal boats. These restored boats operate during the summer months at both Great Falls and Georgetown.

The old canal towpath now provides a way for hikers and bikers to see the beautiful Potomac River Valley. A small portion of the towpath near Harpers Ferry National Historical Park doubles as a section of the Appalachian Trail.

Flooding continues to threaten historical structures on the canal and attempts at restoration. In January 1996, a major flood of the Potomac River inflicted extensive damage on the canal and some of the associated structures. The Park Service has rewatered portions of the canal, but the majority of the canal does not have water in it.

In Allegany County, Maryland, the park includes the Western Maryland Railroad Right-of-Way, Milepost 126 to Milepost 160, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.^[6][7]

[edit] Gallery

Canal at Swain's Lock	Canal boat along the C&O Canal near Great Falls	Lock 28 near Point of Rocks, Maryland	Lock 33 near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Cushwa Basin and Visitor Center at Williamsport, Maryland	Conococheague Creek Aqueduct in Williamsport, Maryland	Paw Paw Tunnel near Paw Paw, West Virginia	Town Creek Aqueduct in Allegany County, Maryland
Lock 69 pool at Oldtown, Maryland	Cliff face at the Billy Goat Trail in Maryland	C&O canal monument located in Georgetown, DC	Great Falls Tavern on the C&O canal in Potomac, Maryland

[edit] See also

• Bear Island
• Billy Goat Trail
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Association
• Great Falls of the Potomac River
• Olmsted Island

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

• CanalBird.com - "Everything About The C&O Canal"
• C&O Canal is part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network
• The Building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal - A National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan

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v • d • e Protected Areas of Maryland Federal National Historic Parks, Sites & Monuments Antietam National Battlefield • Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park • Clara Barton National Historic Site • Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine • Hampton National Historic Site • Monocacy National Battlefield • Thomas Stone National Historic Site National Park Service Parks Catoctin Mountain Park • Fort Foote Park • Fort Washington Park • Glen Echo Park • Greenbelt Park • Harmony Hall • Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm • Piscataway Park National Wildlife Refuges Blackwater  • Eastern Neck • Martin • Patuxent Research Refuge  • Susquehanna River National Trails System Appalachian Trail • Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail • Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network • Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail • Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Other Protected Areas Assateague Island National Seashore • Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network • Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve State State Parks Assateague • Big Run • Calvert Cliffs • Casselman River Bridge • Chapel Point • Cunningham Falls • Dans Mountain • Deep Creek Lake • Elk Neck • Fort Frederick • Fort Tonoloway • Gambrill • Gathland • Greenbrier • Greenwell • Gunpowder Falls • Hart-Miller Island • Herrington Manor • Janes Island • Jonas Green • Martinak • Matapeake • New Germany • North Point • Palmer • Patapsco Valley • Patuxent River • Pocomoke River • Point Lookout • Purse • Rocks • Rocky Gap • Rosaryville • Sandy Point • Seneca Creek • Smallwood • South Mountain • St. Clement's Island • St. Mary's River • Susquehanna • Swallow Falls • Tuckahoe • Washington Monument • Wye Oak State Forests Cedarville • Doncaster • Elk Neck • Garrett • Green Ridge • Mount Nebo • Pocomoke • Potomac-Garrett • Savage River • Seth • Stoney • Swallow Falls • Wicomico Wildlife Management Areas Belle Grove • Billmeyer • Bowen • Cedar Island • Cheltenham • Chicamuxen • Dan's Mountain • Deal Island • Diersson • E.A. Vaughn • Earlville • Ellis Bay • Fairmount • Fishing Bay • Gwynnbrook • Heater's Island • Hugg-Thomas • Idylwild • Indian Springs • Islands of the Potomac • Isle of Wight • Johnson • Le Compte • Linkwood • McKee-Beshers • Maryland Marine Properties • Millington • Mt. Nebo • Myrtle Grove • Nanticoke River • Pocomoke River • Pocomoke Sound • Sideling Hill • Sinepuxent Bay • South Marsh • Strider • Taylors Island • Warrior Mountain • Wellington Natural Environment Areas Belt Woods • Dundee • Governor Parris N. Glendening • Mattawoman • Morgan Run • Severn Run • Soldiers Delight • Zekiah Swamp County and Municipal Parks & Preserves Acorn Park • Clifton • Constitution Park • Fort Smallwood Park • Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary • Lake Centennial • Lake Elkhorn • Lakelands Park • Oregon Ridge Park • Patterson Park • Robert E. Lee Memorial Park Non-governmental Battle Creek Cypress Swamp Sanctuary • Choptank River Fishing Pier • Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary • Sherwood Gardens • Somers Cove Marina • Sugarloaf Mountain • Western Maryland Rail Trail • Youghiogheny Scenic & Wild River Maryland Department of Natural Resources (web): Maryland Park Service (web) and Maryland Forest Service

v • d • e Protected Areas of West Virginia Federal National Historic Parks Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park • Harpers Ferry National Historical Park National Forests George Washington National Forest • Jefferson National Forest • Monongahela National Forest National Wildlife Refuges Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge • Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge National Trails System Appalachian National Scenic Trail National Recreation Areas Gauley River National Recreation Area • Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area National Wilderness Big Draft Wilderness • Cranberry Wilderness • Dolly Sods Wilderness • Laurel Fork North Wilderness • Laurel Fork South Wilderness • Mountain Lake Wilderness  • Otter Creek Wilderness • Roaring Plains Wilderness  • Spice Run Wilderness National Rivers Bluestone National Scenic River  • New River Gorge National River State State parks Audra • Babcock • Beartown • Beech Fork • Berkeley Springs • Blackwater Falls • Blennerhassett Island • Bluestone • Cacapon Resort • Camp Creek • Canaan Valley Resort • Carnifex Ferry Battlefield • Cass Scenic Railroad • Cathedral • Cedar Creek • Chief Logan • Droop Mountain Battlefield • Fairfax Stone • Greenbrier River Trail • Hawks Nest • Holly River • Little Beaver • Lost River • Moncove Lake • North Bend Rail Trail • North Bend • Pinnacle Rock • Pipestem Resort • Prickett's Fort • Stonewall Jackson Lake • Tomlinson Run • Tu-Endie-Wei • Twin Falls Resort • Tygart Lake • Valley Falls • Watoga • Watters Smith Memorial State forests Cabwaylingo • Calvin Price • Camp Creek • Coopers Rock • Greenbrier • Kanawha • Kumbrabow • Seneca Wildlife management areas Allegheny • Amherst-Plymouth • Anawalt Lake • Bear Rock Lakes • Becky Creek • Beech Fork Lake • Berwind Lake • Beury Mountain • Big Ditch • Big Ugly • Bluestone • Briery Mountain • Burches Run • Burnsville Lake • Castleman Run Lake • Cecil H. Underwood • Center Branch • Chief Cornstalk • Conaway Run Lake • Cross Creek • Dunkard Fork • East Lynn Lake • Edwards Run • Elk Creek • Elk River • Fort Mill Ridge • Frozen Camp • Green Bottom • Handley • Hilbert • Hillcrest • Horse Creek • Hughes River • Huttonsville State Farm • Lantz Farm and Nature Preserve • Laurel Lake • Lewis Wetzel • Little Indian Creek • McClintic • Meadow River • Mill Creek • Moncove Lake • Morris Creek • Nathaniel Mountain • Panther • Pedlar • Pleasant Creek • Plum Orchard Lake • Pruntytown State Farm • R.D. Bailey Lake • Ritchie Mines • Sand Hill • Shannondale Springs • Short Mountain • Slatyfork • Sleepy Creek • Smoke Camp • Snake Hill • South Branch • Stonecoal Lake • Stonewall Jackson Lake • Stumptown • Summersville Lake • Tate Lohr • Teter Creek Lake • The Jug • Thorn Creek • Tug Fork • Turkey Run • Upper Deckers Creek • Upper Mud River • Valley Bend Wetlands • Wallback • Widmeyer • Woodrum Lake Other WVDNR sites West Virginia State Wildlife Center Non- governmental Nature Conservancy Preserves Brush Creek • Bear Rocks • Cranesville Swamp • Greenland Gap • Hungry Beech • Ice Mountain • Murphy • Panther Knob • Pike Knob • Slaty Mountain • Upper Shavers Fork • Yankauer West Virginia Division of Forestry • West Virginia Division of Natural Resources

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Coordinates: 38°53′59″N 77°3′27.5″W / 38.89972°N 77.057639°W / 38.89972; -77.057639 (C&O Canal - Mile 0)