Williamsport High School - Guneukitschik Yearbook (Williamsport, MD)

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i i i WILLIAMSPORT’S LIFE LINE: Left: Dam 4 and power plant A The C O Canal began in 1828 and was complet- ed in 1850. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal paral- ! lels the Potomac River from Washington D.C. to jLCumberland. Maryland, a distance of 185 miles. w Seventy-five locks of about an 8 foot lift were needed. The Canal can be traveled on horseback, bicycle, and by canoe on the river. The first perma- nent settlement on the river was St. Mary’s in 1634, a colony of Maryland granted to Lord Balti- more. George “Hooper” Wolfe, born 1894, in William- sport, MD, less than 200 feet from the Canal, near the Conococheague aqueduct, and was known as Mr. “C O Canal”, or “Mr. Williamsport” because of his knowledge on the Canal and Town. He wrote a book that can be found in our W.H.S. library, entitled I Drove Mules ON the C O Canal. As a very yound man, and mule driver on the Canal, he was privileged to take part in some of the very historical events that occurred on the Canal.

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WILLIAMSPORT! WILLIAMSPORT BRIDGE In 1907, after lying dormant for 56 years, the project of build- ing a bridge across the Potomac was again resurrected. A bid of $ 100,000 for the bridge was the goal. A managing company was organized as follows: Pres. — Victor Cushwa; Vice-P. — Deca- tur Hedges; Secretary — Edward W. Byron; Assistant — J. Harry Earhart, plus an additional nine directors. On May 27th, 600 Williamsport citizens rode to Hagerstown to make an appeal for the Bridge to the County Commissioners. Celebration began with parading, bands, etc., asking the Court House to appeal to the decision. It was proposed to build the bridge out of concrete, and paved brick wide enough for a trolly track. The bridge would be 2,200 feet long. On December 16, 1908, a few minutes before 9:00, the top of pier No. 10 gave way on the north side due to the heavy weight of the traveler on the new concrete. The traveler and 14 workmen were thrown a distance of 60 feet of the bridge into a mass of steel and wreckage. Nine died, the others survied. SPRINGFIELD FARM At the beginning of the Civil War, a family by the name of Febrey lived at “Springfield Farm” and then a Mrs. Harriet Lancester lived there until April 1863. The place was occupied by Elie Williams, brother of the Gen. for many years and the farm was the homestead where Pres. Wash- ington stayed on his visit to Williamsport. RIVERVIEW CEMETERY The origin of River view Cemetery dates back to the Novem- ber session of the General Assembly of Maryland, in the year 1786 when it was incorported by a special Act of that body. The land was donated by Otho Williams, the town’s founder. 9 v

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THE C 0 CANAL CANAL STATISTICS The following are some statistics on the Potomac River: RIVER DISCOVERY: First detailed re- port in 1608 by Captain John Smith MOUTH: Chesapeake Bay between Point Lookout, Md. and South Point, Va. LENGTH: Approx. 400 miles, ranks 25th in length among U.S. rivers enter- ing tide waters. WIDTH: At mouth of estuary it is 11.3 miles, average width between Harper’s Ferry and Washington, D.C. is 1,500 feet. DEPTH: Deepest point is 107 ft. near Morgantown, MD. RECORD FLOOD: In 1936, the highest flood recorded since 1733 was 49.9 ft. above normal on March 19, 1:00 AM, 1936. In November 1985, the river crested 53 ft. in Paw Paw, West Virgin- ia, 36 ft. in Williamsport. LOWEST FLOW: 1930-32 and 1961-62 droughts. COMMERCIAL USES OF RIVER: Shipping in estuary from D.C. to Chesa- peake Bay; fishing in estuary; recrea- 0 tion and resort areas above Washington, fi DC. Limited hydro electric power use. AVERAGE RAINFALL: 35 to 45 inches £ annually. 60 inches at higher elevation. An epitaph on a stone grave- marker, near the Canal reads: “Reader, whosoever thou art, as I am now, you soon will be; thy life must shortly end. Prepare in time that God may be thine everlasting friend.” i 1 I lili