McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Patowmack Canal
[Great Falls Park]
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
1. The Patowmack Canal Marker
The shallow ditch behind this sign marks the bed of the Great Falls portion of the Patowmack Canal. A system of by-passes to provide riverboats easy passage around waterfalls in the Potomac River; it was promoted by George Washington, and built between 1785 and 1802.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1785.
Location. 38° 59.644′ N, 77° 15.158′ W. Marker is in McLean, Virginia, in Fairfax County. Marker can be reached from Old Dominion Drive (Virginia Route 738) half a mile north of Georgetown Pike (Virginia Route 193). Located on the Patowmack Canal Trail in Great Falls National Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9200 Old Dominion Drive, Mc Lean VA 22102, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Floods at Great Falls (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Patowmack Canal (about 400 feet away); People and the Potomac (about 700 feet away); River of Change (about 700 feet away); A Globally Rare Environment (about 700 feet away); Matildaville
this page online
More about this marker. On the left is a chart of the Potomac River between Harper's Ferry, Virginia and Washington, District of Columbia: identifying the separate canals constructed along its Virginia bank to by-pass the Housos, Shenandoah, and Seneca Falls to the north, as well as the Great and Little Falls near the District of Columbia.
Also see . . .
1. Great Falls Park: The Patowmack Canal. (Submitted on November 11, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
2. Matildaville. (Submitted on November 11, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
2. The Patowmack Canal Marker
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
3. Remnants of the canal (at right), next to the trail south of the Great Falls Park visitor center
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
4. Ducks in the Patowmack Canal
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
5. Directional signage, north of the Great Falls Park visitors center
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
6. The Great Falls viewed from overlook near the marker
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
7. Northern end of the canal, above the Great Falls
Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 19, 2011
8. The Potomac River - relatively calm water above the Great Falls and the old canal ditchl
Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 664 times since then and 18 times this year. Last updated on November 11, 2011, by Keith S Smith of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on November 10, 2011, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
