Site Bulletin Title Here

The confluence of the Potomac River and the Conococheague Creek has long been used for transportation – first by 

American Indians and later by European settlers who moved into the area. In 1787, Revolutionary War hero General 

Otho Holland Williams founded Williams Port. Realizing that these two waterways created the ideal opportunity 

for commerce, Williams concentrated on promoting his town as a transportation hub. The arrival of the Chesapeake 

and Ohio Canal in 1834 brought a period of prosperity and provided a new trade route between Cumberland and 

Georgetown. Commerce thrived here with two warehouses built along the canal, making Williamsport an important 

coal transfer point. Though Williamsport’s time as a transportation hub and industrial center has passed, the town 

continues to retain its character today as a classic canal town. 

Cushwa Warehouse

Pre-dating the canal, this warehouse was built between 1790 and 1810 for the 

merchandising of flour and feed. When the canal opened, the warehouse was 

expanded with the addition of the brick portion of the building. Operated by 

Victor Cushwa and his descendents, the Cushwa Warehouse dealt in coal, brick, 

flour, iron, cement, and plaster which supported the economy of Williamsport 

and surrounding Washington County. The coal transferred from here to 

Hagerstown and further inland during the canal years made Williamsport a 

prosperous community. 

Trolley Barn Power Station

With the arrival of electricity in the late 19th Century, engineering and scientific 

ingenuity led to new forms of transportation. In 1896, the first trolley line in 

Washington County, Maryland was built running from Williamsport to Hagerstown. 

The water supply from the Conococheague Creek made this location ideal for a 

steam-powered generating station. After only one year, the popularity of the trolley 

required more cars and more power. In 1897, a larger power plant was built in 

Hagerstown to meet this demand. This building was then used as a warehouse.

Walk the C&O Canal Towpath as it passes through Williamsport and visit the remaining canal features. Starting 

in the Cushwa Basin and walking to Lock 44 and back is a walk of one and a half miles that along the way 

provides a glimpse into the history of this Canal Town.

Williamsport: Canal Walking Tour National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

National Historical Park
Railroad Lift Bridge

Built in 1923 by the Western Maryland Railway, the railroad lift bridge is one of 

several one-of-a-kind features on the C&O Canal. Operating like an elevator, this 

structure lifted the railroad tracks to allow canal boats to pass beneath. The tracks, 

for transporting coal, led to the power plant between the river and the canal. In 1924, 

the C&O Canal closed making the lift bridge unnecessary. 

Lock 44 & Lockhouse

On call 24 hours a day, lock keepers helped maintain traffic flow on the canal by 

safely and efficiently getting boats through the locks. Locks lower and raise boats to 

the next level. One of 74 locks along the C&O Canal, Lock 44 is an example of the 

gate mechanism used to operate the boat-locking system. The lockkeeper was given 

a salary, a rent-free house by the lock and an acre of land for livestock and a garden. 

Lockhouse 44 is one of little more than a dozen surviving lock houses on the C&O 

Canal and remains as evidence of a bygone way of life. Listen closely and you may 

hear a boat horn calling for the lock keeper to work the lock.

Bollman Bridge

In the late 19th Century bridge designs were changing. New materials such as iron 

and steel made it possible to design stronger lighter bridges. Civil engineer Wendell 

Bollman, a pioneer in engineering of iron bridges, built this bridge in 1879 using the 

Pratt Truss design. This is the only bridge over the canal built by Bollman and is one 

of the few surviving works by him in America. Today, it stands as a testament to 19th 

Century engineering achievements.

Conococheague Aqueduct 

C&O Canal aqueducts are “water bridges” that carry canal boats over creeks and 

rivers that flow into the Potomac River. Built from 1833 to 1835, the Conococheague 

Aqueduct is the fifth of eleven such “works of art” on the canal. In August 1863 

Confederate soldiers damaged the Conococheague Aqueduct in an effort to stop 

the canal’s transportation of coal to Georgetown where it was used by the Union. 

Repairs took four days and the canal returned to operation. Unfortunately, in 

April 1920 a canal boat broke through the upstream wall of the aqueduct, shutting 

down the canal for over four months. Repaired with a timber wall this aqueduct 

functioned until two 1924 floods closed the canal for good.

Cushwa Warehouse

Trolley Barn Power Station

Conococheague Aqueduct 

Railroad Lift Bridge

Bollman Bridge

6 Lock 44 and Lockhouse

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For more information, contact

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National 

Historical Park Williamsport Visitor Center at 

(301) 582-0813

Williamsport

Canal Walking Tour

12/2010 E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C ATM