C&O Canal Quarters
The C&O Canal Trust, in partnership with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, has scheduled open houses at three lockhouses which are currently available to the public for overnight stays as a part of the innovative new Canal Quarters program.
Lockhouse 22 (Pennyfield): Sunday, April 17th, 12 PM – 3 PM
Lockhouse 6 (Brookmont): Sunday, April 25th, 1 PM – 4 PM
Lockhouse 49 (Clear Spring): Saturday, May 1st, 1 PM – 4 PM
The open houses are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided. Visitors will be able to tour the inside of the restored lockhouses, flip through scrapbooks of historic photographs, learn more about the program, and get a glimpse of the unique experiences the program offers.
The Canal Quarters lockhouses have been painstakingly rehabilitated and furnished to evoke different eras in the canal’s history. The furnishings in Lockhouse 49 at Four Locks near Clear Spring in Washington County, Maryland, reflect the period of the early 20th century, toward the end of the canal’s operations. Lockhouse 22 at Pennyfield Lock near Potomac, Maryland, will show what life was like during the establishment and construction of the canal in the 1830s. Lockhouse 6, near the Brookmont community off of Clara Barton Parkway, is furnished as it may have been in the 1950s to tell the story of the campaign to preserve the canal led by Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas.
The Canal Quarters lockhouses are a unique recreational venue. Interpretive media, household tools, photographs, games and historically accurate furnishings enhance the experience. Visitors can enjoy hiking, wildlife watching, canoeing and kayaking in the beautiful C&O Canal National Historical Park. Canal Quarters provides an opportunity to experience both history and nature in a new way.
According to C&O Canal Trust President Matthew Logan, “Nothing quite like this has ever been offered to the public in a national park. We are excited to provide a new way for people of all ages to experience this world class resource.”
All three of the lockhouses are currently available for overnight stays. To register, please visit www.canalquarters.org. Each lockhouse can accommodate up to eight guests. Groups may stay in the lockhouses for a maximum of three consecutive nights.
There are a total of 26 lockhouses spanning the length of the C&O Canal. The Canal Quarters lockhouses, which are over 170 years old and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, are just a few of the more than 1,300 historic structures in the C&O Canal National Historical Park. The Canal Quarters program has been made possible by a special partnership between the National Park Service and the C&O Canal Trust.
Founded in 2007, the C&O Canal Trust is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect, restore, and promote the C&O Canal National Historical Park. As the official “friends” organization for the park, the Trust seeks to ensure that the C&O Canal’s natural, historical, and recreational potential is fully realized. For more information regarding the Trust, please visit www.canaltrust.org.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park preserves and interprets the historical, natural and recreational resources of the C&O Canal. Over 3,000,000 visitors a year enjoy the opportunities for recreation and understanding that the park has to offer. For more information, visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/choh.
