When one is retired one doesn’t need to hurry to get somewhere. So vacations gently unwind & I can stop at this or that historic location & wander around to my heart’s content. So I’m on the way to Michigan today, traveling along US 40 in western Maryland & decided to stop at a C&O Canal Visitor Center near Hancock MD.
C&O Canal Lock Keeper’s House
Unfortunately the National Park Service had closed the center at this location, but the canal & its locks was still worth the visit.
A Canal Lock Area
Most of the C&O Canal is maintained dry so it is possible to really see the design & construction details. Most of the locks on the canal do not have the wooden lock parts in place.
Lock Entrance
The bridges are NPS additions to the lock areas for foot access. Otherwise folks climb on the stone walls & this isn’t at all good for the walls.
Canal Bed Itself
The canal was originally stonework on both sides. Once the canal was no longer in service much of the stonework was taken for other projects by the local populace.
Old Stone House Location
Every lock area seems to have the remains of stone foundations & stone buildings that once were homes for the folks who maintained the canal, its locks & its sluiceways.
Potomac River near the Lock & Canal
There is a small locally funded museum in Hancock that has nice exhibits on the area’s history. I stopped there too. The town itself it struggling to find prosperity.
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