Conococheague Aquaduct
By Jason Miller
HIS 201, Fall 2021
The C&O Conococheague Aqueduct is one of many “water bridges” that carry canal boats over creeks and rivers that flow into the Potomac River. This specific aqueduct was built from the year 1833 to 1835 in Williamsport, Maryland. It is 196 feet long with three sixty-foot arches, making it the second longest aqueduct on the C&O Canal. The aqueduct functioned through 1861, when Union troops destroyed the aqueduct to prevent Confederate soldiers from escaping through Williamsport after the battle of Antietam. The aqueduct only experienced minimal damage as the aqueduct mostly remained intact. In August of 1863, Confederate soldiers caused damage to the aqueduct in an effort to holt the canal’s transportation of coal to Georgetown where it was used by the Union. However, repairs quickly occurred and the aqueduct was back to operation within four days after being damaged.
The aqueduct continued to operate under full use for nearly fifty more years until 1920, when a canal boat broke through the upstream wall of the aqueduct, falling into the creek below it. The repairs for the damage caused by this incident took four months, and a timber wall allowed the aqueduct to function for another four years before two floods closed the canal permanently in 1924.
The significance that the Conococheague Aqueduct played in history and the economy was that it allowed canal boats to quickly move supplies and materials from one location to another. In terms of history, the aqueduct allowed the Union to carry coal to Georgetown where it was used for battle against the confederates, which is why the confederates caused damage to the water bridge in 1863. On top of this however, which leads into the economy, the canal was primarily used for the transportation of coal from the Allegheny Mountains to ships waiting in port cities. Therefore, as the fifth aqueduct out of eleven along this canal, it made it extremely important for this aqueduct to remain open at all cost as it would affect the shipment of coal to the port cities, which would have caused mass delays in deportation of ships. This would have had detrimental impacts on the economy as the ships, carrying goods and people, would have been delayed. Adding to the coal aspect within the economy, people could also move goods, such as stone, cement, and lumbar, faster when utilizing the aqueduct, allowing them to transport and sell their products faster and to keep time-sensitive goods, such as foods, in well enough condition to sell before they expired or went bad.
As for the society, the aqueduct provided the ability of the canal to operate, making it possible for there to be transportation by boat and for there to be things such as locks on the canal. This created a lot of employment opportunities for people, which brought more people to the city of Williamsport to settle down as their jobs were here; causing Williamsport to become a “hot society” where many people gathered. And of course, with more people, society grew as a whole and became more developed, which allowed social statuses within the society of Williamsport to also improve. This continued as a cycle, bringing more and more attention to the area, causing additional people to move into the area.
The C&O Conococheague Aqueduct has been proven to have been extremely important, in not only the history of Williamsport, but the nation as a whole. Today, the aqueduct has been completely restored and has even had limited canal boat traffic. With the fixture of the aqueduct, the town of Williamsport has become the only place in North America where visitors can view multiple canal features in one location, including a lift lock and refurbished lockhouse, railroad lift bridge, canal turning basin and warehouse, and now, operational watered aqueduct.
“Conococheague Aqueduct Becomes First Watered, Operational Aqueduct Along C&O Canal Since 1924.” Washington County, 9 Aug. 2019, www.washco-md.net/news/conococheague-aqueduct-becomes-first-watered-operational-aqueduct-along-co-canal-since-1924/.
“Conococheague Aqueduct - Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, 13 May 2020, www.nps.gov/choh/conococheague-aqueduct.htm.
Rubin, Mary. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (Maryland) (Images of America). Illustrated, Arcadia Publishing, 2003.
Snyder, Tim. “History of the Conococheague Aqueduct – C&O Canal Trust.” C&O Canal Trust, 2017, www.canaltrust.org/2017/07/history-of-the-conococheague-aqueduct. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
WHILBR. “Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal.” WHILBR, www.whilbr.org/candocanal/index.aspx. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
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