Seneca

Photographed by Tom Fuchs, November 4, 2006

1. Seneca Marker

Inscription. John Garrett laid out a town called Newport here in 1797 and gave away lots as prizes in a lottery, but a town did not actually appear until after 1830, when the C&O Canal was completed from Georgetown to Seneca Creek. The town was called Seneca. A grist mill was built before 1780 where River Road crosses Seneca Creek and was known in the early 1800’s as Milford’s Mill. In 1855, the mill was purchased by John Darby and his son Upton Darby. Wilson Tschiffely bought the mill in 1902 and it was later operated by his sons Thomas and Worthington. It ceased operation about 1930. Seneca was a thriving town with several warehouses and shops, a stonecutting mill, and a hotel—The Riverside Inn. There were many vacation homes built here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Erected by Montgomery County Park Commission, Department of Parks; and The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Political Subdivisions • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Maryland, Montgomery Parks series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1797.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 39° 4.753′ N, 77°

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20.45′ W. Marker was in Seneca, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It was at the intersection of River Road and Tschiffely Mill Road, on the left when traveling west on River Road. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Poolesville MD 20837, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It was also in the American Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Seneca Store (within shouting distance of this marker); Seneca Mills During the Civil War (within shouting distance of this marker); A Veteran’s Life in Montgomery County (within shouting distance of this marker); Seneca Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Seneca Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Seneca.

Also see . . .
1. Seneca, Maryland. An excerpt from the book Towns along the Towpath by Kate Mulligan. (Submitted on December 16, 2006.)

2. Towns Along the Towpath. book by Kate Mulligan, on Amazon.com, with the Look Inside feature. (Submitted on December 16, 2006.) This website may earn income if you use this link to make a purchase on Amazon.com.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, November 4, 2006

2. Seneca Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 16, 2006, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,215 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 16, 2006, by Tom Fuchs of Greenbelt, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 16, 2006, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.