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Visit a section of river between Keyser and Spring Gap...
Oldtown, Md.
South Branch Potomac River
Green Ridge State Forest
Paw Paw Tunnel
Little Orleans, Md.
Hancock, Md.
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Hancock (canal mile 125) is located near a sharp turn of the Potomac River. Downriver, the stream flows southeastward toward Washington. The river is only three miles from the Pennsylvania state line at Hancock, the narrowest part of the state.
The town was settled by Pennsylvanians around 1730. A stockade, Fort Tonoloway, was built in the area around 1755 but was abandoned after the completion of Fort Frederick. The railroad reached here in the 1830s; the canal arrived around 1840. During the Civil War, Hancock was shelled in 1862 by Confederate General Stonewall Jackson in retaliation for the shelling of Shepherdstown. As late as 1882, a ford and ferry connected Hancock to West Virginia. Today, fruit orchards are the town's principal business. The Canal Apple Festival, held each September, includes an "Old Canallers" banquet with square dancing and contests. The festival also features arts and crafts, food, wagon rides on the canal towpath, and even a baby beauty contest.
Hancock has several fine restaurants that offer homemade fare for Potomac and canal visitors. Along the canal, bike rentals are available, along with parking, picnic areas, and a boat ramp at Tonoloway Creek. The Hancock office of the C&O Canal operates an information center open 9-4:30 Friday through Tuesday. Private campgrounds and motels also make Hancock a good rest stop.
National Park Service, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, 326 East Main Street, Hancock, MD 21750. Telephone: 301-670-5463.
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