Photo courtesy of the National Archives. After the War of 1812Before the C&O Canal became the "Great National Project" it was known for, events in history helped inspire and motivate its creation and construction. The War of 1812 and its outcomes was a defining moment that helped contribute to the desire to go west and create this ambitious transportation network. Visit this page to challenge yourself to learn something new, view interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS Photo / Karen Gray 1825 — The C&O Canal Company Is CharteredThe earliest and best surviving example of an early American river navigation system was the Potowmack Canal, which had thrived for 26 years under the operation of the Patowmack Company. However, there were many challenges that this company faced including bankruptcy, which led to The C&O Canal Company taking ownership. Visit this page to learn how the C&O Canal Company was charted and challenge yourself to learn something new, view interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS Photo / Harper's Ferry Museum Collection 1828 — The Corporate Form passes allowing for Construction to BeginAlthough the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Company was chartered, there were a few legal documents that had to be rendered before construction could begin on the canal. Visit this page to challenge yourself to learn of the processes of documentation called Corporate Charters or Articles of Incorporation, and how the legal process led to the famous groundbreaking ceremony held on July 4, 1828. View interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS / Canal Trust Photo 1830s — C&O Canal and the B&O RailroadFrom day 1, (July 4, 1828), the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad were in competition with one another, breaking ground on the same day, with the same goal in mind; to make to the west first. However, competition intensified when the two transportation companies clashed over the narrow right-of-way, where the Potomac River cuts through a mountain ridge at Point of Rocks in Frederick County, Maryland. Visit this page to challenge yourself to learn who won the court battle over the land, who made to the west first and view interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS / Canal Trust Photo 1836 — Paw Paw Bends & 1850 — Construction is CompleteThe largest construction obstacle known to the Canal was that of the Paw Paw Tunnel. Visit this page to learn about the struggles and engineering behind the Paw Paw Tunnel project and its completion. View interactive resources, historical images and more. 
Photo courtesy of the Hancock Museum and Western Maryland's Historical Library 1860s — The Civil WarThe C&O Canal runs alongside the Potomac River. The river was a dividing line between the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War. The canal was strategically important to both sides. Union forces protected the canal and used it for transportation purposes, moving troops, coal, and war supplies. Confederates tried to damage both the canal and boat traffic. It became the subject of many raids by confederate cavalrymen such as Jeb Stuart and John Mosby. Visit this page to challenge yourself to learn something new, view interactive resources, historical images and more. 
E.B. Thompson Collection, NPS / Canal Trust photo 1870s — The Booming Canal PeriodIn the peak years of the 1870s, canal boats hauled millions of tons of freight including mostly flour, iron, and limestone. Eventually, the largest economic benefit of the Canal was coal transport from the Cumberland mines. Visit this page to learn the Booming Canal Period, view interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS Photo Flood of 1889 and ReceivershipBy 1996, 17 major floods and numerous minor ones had occurred in the life of the canal. Floods have caused millions of dollars in damages to structures along the canal. A major flood in 1924 ultimately caused the canal to cease operations. However, good things can come from adversity; this potentially devastating force is largely responsible for the extraordinary biological diversity of the C&O Canal. Visit this page to challenge yourself to learn something new, view interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS Photo 1924 — Canal Goes Out of BusinessIn 1924, another costly flood caused enough damage to discontinue boating operations entirely, leaving the C&O Canal abandoned. Visit this page to learn about flooding and the types of transportation that contributed to the decline of the canal. View interactive resources, historical images and more. 
Library of Congress. 1938 — US Government Acquires the C&O CanalPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt was interested in buying the C&O Canal from its "receivers" for parkway construction and canal rehabilitation. Before the President and National Park Service could buy the land, they wanted to know the legal status of the property. How much of the Canal did the receivers have to sell? Visit this page to learn about the legality behind the sale of the C&O Canal from the receivers to the US government. View interactive resources, historical images and more. 
NPS Photo 1938 - 1942 — Legacy of the Civilian Conservation CorpsIn 1939, if you stood where the Carderock picnic pavilion now stands just outside the I-495 loop, you would have been in the center of Camp NP-2-Md., the bustling home of nearly 200 enrollees of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Young men, between the ages of 17 and 25, lived here year-round as they worked to provide for themselves and their families while restoring the first 22 miles of the C&O Canal as a national park. Learn more about their work projects with the National Park Service. 
NPS Photo / Karen Gray 1954 — Justice William O. Douglas Leads Hike to Preserve the Canal
Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress 1971 — The C&O Canal National Historical Park is Officially Established |
Last updated: July 8, 2023