C&O Canal - Hancock, Maryland

The Hancock visitor center is adjacent to Lock 51 and the Tonoloway Aqueduct at milepost 123. The full canal length is 184 miles, so this is getting towards the beginning of the full canal. The visitor center has only been open since 2010. It is within the historic Bowles House that dates to the 1780s. The land was first documented as property of Lord Baltimore of England and transferred to the Yates family around 1775. William Yates built the original one-story home in 1785. The Yates family lived in that home during the canal construction that passed through Hancock in 1839. In 1875, the canal was at its highest operations and was purchased by the Bowles family who added to the original house structure. In 1905 the home was purchased by the Little family who lived in the home until the land was purchased by the National Park Service in the 1960s. The Tonoloway Aqueduct was constructed between 1835 and 1839 of nearby limestone in order for the canal boats to cross the Tonoloway Creek which is a tributary of the Potomac River. We walked along the canal for a bit at a lower lock and came upon the ruins of Charles Mill. This mill was first built around 1790 and was typical of the area to serve local farmers to mill grain and flour. Proximity to the river made it easy to transfer materials from boat. The mill closed in 1924 after a flood that destroyed it to the point of ceasing commercial viability.