Williamsport in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Canal Home
The boatsmen had a hard life. But the locktenders did too, because they couldn't go nowhere. They had to be on the job all the time. - Harvey Brant, Locktender, Lock 44.
The canal company supplied locktenders with a house next to the lock which enabled them to work the lock day and night. The house provided more than a roof over their heads: it was a stable home for their families. For children, used to the transient canal boat life, a permanent home meant a chance to attend school and make lasting friends.
In addition to the house, locktenders received a small monthly salary and an acre of land. The low pay meant that locktenders had to supplement their incomes. A garden plot helped put food on the table and any excess produce could be traded with boatmen for coal and other necessities. Women baked bread or pies for trade. Children contributed by helping in the garden and at the lock, as well as by fishing or hunting muskrats for the canal company's bounty reward.
[Caption:]
The son of the last locktender at Lock 28, Willie Fulton, Jr., and his family continued to call the lockhouse home for many years after the canal stopped running.
The Keefer family lived at Lock 75 from 1914 until 1955.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1914.
Location. 39° 35.644′ N, 77° 49.523′ W. Marker is in Williamsport, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from Main Street, 0.1 miles Canal Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is next to the lockhouse, beyond the lock at the end of Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Williamsport MD 21795, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. At All Hours (a few steps from this marker); Lock 44 (within shouting distance of this marker); Honor Roll (approx. 0.2 miles away); WWII (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Bowie List (approx. ¼ mile away); River View Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Doubleday Hill (approx. 0.3 miles away); Light's Ford and Lemen's Ferry (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Williamsport.
More about this marker. This marker is nearly identical to one in Brookmont, Montgomery County, Maryland. Only the marker's background picture and initial quote of the text are different.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2016, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 306 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 15, 2016, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.