Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Wall Virtual Visit

Stretching 184.5 miles from Georgetown in Washington, DC, to Cumberland, Maryland, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was an important transportation route that provided improved access to the western portion of the U.S. from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1920s. The "Log Wall" section near mile marker 11 (near Carderock, Maryland) is one of the tallest sections along the canal path. This spectacular dry-laid stone wall is located near Carderock, Maryland. It retains the canal towpath, which is at a much higher elevation than the riverbank. The battered wall is constructed of native stone. The log wall was probably constructed of stone removed for the excavation of the canal prism and retains its integrity. The section of canal containing the log wall was built between 1828 and 1831.

Project Information

Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) documented the log wall in 2020 for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The wall and towpath will require stabilization, so baseline documentation was needed. The Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) recording team included Ryan Pierce and Paul Davidson (HDP Architects), who did the laser scanning and photogrammetry and completed the measured drawings. Jarob J. Ortiz, HDP Photographer, produced the large-format photographs. Justine Christianson, HAER Historian, wrote the historical report. Ryan Pierce produced the digital content. Justin Ebersole of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park provided access and coordinated the project for the park.

Update: As of May 2025, the point cloud viewer is no longer supported on nps.gov. We apologize for any inconvenience.

View of towpath looking east, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NPS / HDP

Related HABS and HAER Documentation

Archival documentation of the C&O Canal at the Library of Congress

Point Cloud

Interactive 3-D point cloud viewer

Where this belongs

• Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

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