This is an amazing find on YouTube showing a trip down the C&O Canal back in 1917.
The entire trip took about seven days and they end up down in Washington.
3 thoughts on “1917 Film Footage of 180-Mile Journey Down Chesapeake and Ohio Canal”
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Great. My Dad went to elementary school with some “canal boat kids”. Evidently boats some wintered in Georgetown, and the children went to the nearest school, which was the Addison/Hyde/Curtis on O Street. Hyde and Addison are still there.
That is fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
The Great Falls Tavern shop/ranger station has this video playing in a kiosk. I live just uphill from Lock #8 and often use the canal towpath to commute by bike into work. The C&O Canal (and the Potomac) is my #1 favorite thing about living in Montgomery County. The idea that Maryland has 185 miles preserved parkland the entire length of the Potomac River all the way to Cumberland is incredible. In contrast, the Virginia side of the Potomac is mostly inaccessible (Maryland also owns the river). I think and feel the history every time I even glance at the C&O. It’s sort of a hidden gem, unseen by most tourists and many residents. With ready access to the Potomac, I use my kayak for a quick escape. It’s truly surreal, everything you can experience on canal and the river. They do barge tours from Great Falls Tavern for those into the history.