The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company was chartered by Congress and the states of Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania by 1826 to build a canal from Washington, D.C., to the Ohio River. Construction began in the fall of 1828, and a few years later the canal announced its arrival in Frederick County, Maryland, with the erection of the magnificent Monocacy Aqueduct. Never reaching its intended destination, the C&O Canal stopped in Cumberland in 1850. During its years of operation, the canal was mostly used to transport coal from western Maryland to Washington, D.C. Due to increasing competition from the railroads and the damage done by devastating floods, operation of the canal ended in 1924. It was acquired by the government in 1938 and became a National Park in 1971.

“Canal Mileposts” was created to encourage the scholarly exploration of the stretch of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal that runs through Frederick County, Maryland. These sixteen miles include two aqueducts, three locks, two lockhouses, and over 175 years of rich and colorful history. This website aims to foster interest in and research on the canal in Frederick County by providing an extensive bibliography, an archival inventory of source material, and a list of potential research topics.