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CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK AQUEDUCT

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1834–1835, Thomas F. Purcell, engineer. Milepost 99.80
  • (Photograph by John Nicely, HAER)
  • (Photograph by John Nicely, HAER)
  • (Photograph by John Nicely, HAER)

The Conococheague Creek Aqueduct was one of the eleven masonry aqueducts needed to carry the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal over tributaries of the Potomac River. Resident engineer Purcell designed the aqueduct to span Conococheague Creek, and it was built by Michael Byrne and Company using limestone taken from the nearby High Rock Quarry. Because it was built near the prominent canal port of Williamsport, this aqueduct was the most ornate. The 210-foot span is achieved with three arches sheathed with ashlar masonry, and the downstream face of the aqueduct has classical pilasters with capitals at each pier. However, in 1920 the upstream section collapsed due to flooding and was rebuilt in timber. In 2019, a restoration effort, including a new wood upstream face, allowed the aqueduct to be rewatered, making it the first functioning aqueduct on the canal since 1924.

References

Maddex, Lee R. “Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, Conococheague Creek Aqueduct,” HAER No. MD-123, Historic American Engineering Record, 1996. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Lisa Pfueller Davidson and Catherine C. Lavoie
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Data

Timeline

  • 1834

    Built

What's Nearby

CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL, CUSHWA WAREHOUSE
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, CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK AQUEDUCT", [Williamsport, Maryland], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MD-01-WM34.

Print Source

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

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