Watering the Canal

Watering the Canal (HMEK9)

Location: Potomac, MD 20854 Montgomery County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 4.018', W 77° 19.728'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 601 views
Inscription
Why are there two locks here? While they may look similar, the two locks played very different roles in the operation of the canal. The lock in front of you is Inlet Lock 2. The lock behind you is Lift Lock 23. Lift locks raised and lowered boats to overcome changes in elevation. Inlet locks controlled the amount of water let into the canal. Dams funneled water to the inlet locks. Dam 2 diverted water from the Potomac River to this inlet lock, watering the canal from Lock 23 all the way to Lock 5 and Dam 1 at Little Falls.

Life and success on the canal depended on water. To ensure a steady supply of water, the canal company built seven dams and a stream pump along the river. In times of drought or low water, usually during the height of summer, river levels could drop dramatically. When the canal could not get enough water from the river, boat traffic stopped. This caused a loss of revenue for the canal company and the loss of a living for the boat captains.
Details
HM NumberHMEK9
Series This marker is part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal series
Tags
Placed ByC&O Canal National Historical Park - National Park Service - Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at 11:43pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 298523 N 4326789
Decimal Degrees39.06696667, -77.32880000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 4.018', W 77° 19.728'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 4' 1.08" N, 77° 19' 43.68" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)240, 301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 86 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, Potomac MD 20854, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?
© 2024  Historical Marker Project.  All Rights Reserved.
All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
HMP is owned and operated by 3RiverDev (Fort Wayne, Indiana).
Terms and Conditions   |   Privacy Policy   |   Disclaimers   |   About   |   Contact Us