The Monocacy Aqueduct - Days Of Yore, near Dickerson, MD

An image from the Monocacy Aqueduct near Dickerson, MD the fourth image for the Days Of Yore: Montgomery County, MD project.

The Monocacy Aqueduct, near Dickerson, MD

Save to foursquare The Monocacy Aqueduct is the largest aqueduct on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal system (otherwise known as the C&O Canal) and it crosses the Monacacy River.  Construction started on the C&O Canal in 1828 and the Monocacy Aqueduct was begun in 1829.  The Aqueduct took four years to build.

This Aqueduct was built especially to transport goods and people, using the waterways instead of travelling by land.  The canal boats were operated by families and mules.  Two mules, pulling the boats, would walk on a dirt path alongside the canal and on a stone path over the aqueduct.  The goods that they often transported were: coal, and corn, wheat, and flour, as foodstuffs.  People also transported heavy lumber, limestone, sand and gravel.

Neat!
The Canal's direct competition was the nearby Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O Railroad), which began construction the same year.  According to www.canalbird.com, there were rumored feuds between the construction crews of both the railroad project and the canal project.  It is clear to see now, which project is still in commercial use today.

Resources Used for This Post:
History of the C&O Canal by CanalBird.org
History of the Monocacy Aqueduct by the National Park Service

To Visit By Car: Mouth Of Monocacy Road, Dickerson, MD 20842