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Maryland » Western Mountains » Washington County » Williamsport » CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, CUSHWA WAREHOUSE

CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, CUSHWA WAREHOUSE

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c. 1800. 205 W. Potomac St. (Milepost 99.6)
  • (Photograph by Lisa P. Davidson)
  • (Photograph by Lisa P. Davidson)
  • (Photograph by Lisa P. Davidson)
  • (Photograph by Lisa P. Davidson)
  • (Photograph by Lisa P. Davidson)

The large two-story brick and frame warehouse at Cushwa’s Basin predates construction of the canal. When the canal was completed, the basin created here was one of the few places where a boat could turn around, and so Victor Cushwa put a brick addition onto his frame flour and feed warehouse to accommodate the increased business. Williams-port became a busy port for canal traffic, with many boats lining Cushwa’s Basin waiting to unload or load. The Cushwa family dealt in coal, brick, iron, cement, and plaster for many years. Coal was transported inland from here to Hagerstown via the Western Maryland Railroad. The warehouse, painted with “Cushwa’s Brick Coal” on the gable end facing the basin, was acquired by the National Park Service in the 1970s. Currently it serves as a visitor’s center for C&O Canal Historical Park and a popular access point for the towpath.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
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Data

Timeline

  • 1799

    Built

What's Nearby

CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK AQUEDUCT
HAGERSTOWN CITY PARK
JONATHAN HAGER HOUSE AND MUSEUM
PUBLIC SQUARE AND DOWNTOWN
WASHINGTON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, ENTRANCE PAVILION AND KEEPER’S RESIDENCE

Citation

Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie, "CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, CUSHWA WAREHOUSE", [Williamsport, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-WM33.

Print Source

Buildings of Maryland, Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2022, 358-358.

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