Tag: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

New River Gorge Drew A Record 1.7 Million Visitors Last Year

With 325 million visitors last year, park attendance nationwide was higher than any year since 2020 but still not more than 2019’s 327 million.

The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve saw a record number of visitors in 2023.

The New River Gorge drew 1.7 million visitors last year, breaking the previous record set in 2021.

The park is one of the newest in the National Park System. It was added in 2020.

The peak months at the Gorge are June, July and August, with more than 200,000 visitors each month. Park attendance dips below 100,000 in the winter months.

With 325 million visitors last year, park attendance nationwide was higher than any year since 2020 but still not more than 2019’s 327 million.

The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park also set a record for recent years with 427,000 visitors, up from 300,000 in 2019. 

The Gauley River National Recreation Area also saw a record 187,000 visitors last year, up from 119,000 in 2019.

Portions of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park are in West Virginia. The park drew nearly 4.5 million visitors last year. In 2021, nearly 5 million people visited the park.

C&O Canal Prepares To Remove Second Barge From Potomac River

Contractors at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park are preparing this week to remove the second of two construction barges from the Potomac River.

Contractors at the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park are preparing this week to remove the second of two construction barges from the Potomac River.

This comes after heavy rains last month loosened the two barges from their moorings, sending them floating down the Potomac River in the Eastern Panhandle.

The contractors working with the park said it will take at least four weeks to remove the larger of the two barges, which is lodged near Harpers Ferry at the Potomac’s former Dam Number 3.

The smaller barge was pulled from the river last month after being stopped north of Shepherdstown. Plans to recover a small excavator and other equipment that fell from this barge and into the river are also being made.

The equipment was part of a restoration project at McMahon’s Mill in Williamsport, Maryland. A release from the national park said the area of the Armory Trail Canal near the extraction site in Harpers Ferry will be closed off and warns the public to not approach the barge while the process is taking place.

C&O Canal National Park Begins Removal Of Loose Potomac River Barge

Flooding last weekend caused two barges in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park to break loose and float down the Potomac River in the Eastern Panhandle.

Flooding last weekend caused two barges in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park to break loose and float down the Potomac River in the Eastern Panhandle.

As of Thursday afternoon, lessened river flows allowed the smaller barge to be pulled away from the Potomac River’s Dam Number 4. Contractors involved with the situation are currently beginning the process to recover the barge at a point downstream.

An earlier update on Tuesday says some of the equipment on the barge has also been recovered, including a mini-excavator.

The larger barge is still in place near Harpers Ferry at the remnants of Potomac Dam Number 3. All of the equipment is still on board. The park says they are continuing to monitor the barge as the situation develops.

Heavy rains loosened the two barges from their moorings. The barges were part of a restoration project at McMahon’s Mill in Williamsport, Maryland.

No injuries have been reported and the national park is waiting for the Potomac’s water levels to subside to confirm any property damage.

May 3, 1924: Flood at Harper's Ferry Permanently Shuts Down Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

On May 3, 1924, a devastating flood at Harpers Ferry wiped out a highway bridge and permanently shut down the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal.

The canal, located entirely on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, was the brainchild of George Washington and others who wanted to connect the Atlantic Ocean and Ohio River by bypassing less-navigable portions of the Potomac. Construction began in Washington, D.C., in 1828 and reached Harpers Ferry, with much fanfare, six years later. One of the biggest engineering challenges was a more than half-mile-long 24-foot-high tunnel, which was cut through Sorrel Ridge north of the Morgan County town of Paw Paw—the largest man-made structure on the canal.

The canal was opened between Washington and Cumberland, Maryland, in 1850, bringing an economic boost to what is now West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. By 1850, though, the canal had already been bypassed—in speed, efficiency, and distance—by the new Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Mules and canal boats continued to transport goods along the canal—with varying levels of commercial success—until the 1924 flood closed it for good.

May 3, 1924: Flood at Harper's Ferry Permanently Shuts Down Chesapeake & Ohio Canal

On May 3, 1924, a devastating flood at Harpers Ferry wiped out a highway bridge and permanently shut down the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal.

The canal, located entirely on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, was the brainchild of George Washington and others who wanted to connect the Atlantic Ocean and Ohio River by bypassing less-navigable portions of the Potomac. Construction began in Washington, D.C., in 1828 and reached Harpers Ferry, with much fanfare, six years later. One of the biggest engineering challenges was a more than half-mile-long 24-foot-high tunnel, which was cut through Sorrel Ridge north of the Morgan County town of Paw Paw—the largest man-made structure on the canal.

The canal was opened between Washington and Cumberland, Maryland, in 1850, bringing an economic boost to what is now West Virginia’s eastern panhandle. By 1850, though, the canal had already been bypassed—in speed, efficiency, and distance—by the new Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Mules and canal boats continued to transport goods along the canal—with varying levels of commercial success—until the 1924 flood closed it for good.

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