Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
Georgetown, DC to Cumberland, MD.
A canal paralleling the Potomac River from Georgetown, DC to Cumberland, MD.
Map
Coordinates:
+38.90026, -77.0586838°54'01" N, 77°03'31" W
Description
The canal starts at Georgetown,DC and runs through Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, & Allegany counties in Maryland.
This 184 mile canal was built between 1828 & 1850 and was used until 1924. It has an elevation change of 605 feet, 75 locks, 7 diversion dams to supply water, and the Paw Paw tunnel at 3,117 feet long. Originally estimated to cost between 4.5 & 8 Million dollars, it ended up costing 11 million. The canal was sold to the federal government in 1938 and in 1971 it became a National Historic Park. The towpath is now a hiking & biking trail.
National Register information
- Status
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966
- Reference number
- 66000036
- NR name
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- Areas of significance
- Economics; Conservation; Military; Engineering; Transportation; Exploration/Settlement
- Level of significance
- National
- Evaluation criteria
- A - Event; C - Design/Construction
- Property type
- District
- Historic function
- Water-related
- Current function
- Park
- Periods of significance
- 1900-1924; 1875-1899; 1850-1874; 1825-1849
- Significant years
- 1828; 1924
- Number of properties
- Contributing buildings: 54
Contributing structures: 368
Contributing sites: 28
Contributing objects: 5
Non-contributing structures: 6
Update Log
- July 7, 2016: Added by Jim Allen