The C&O Canal on the Maryland side of the Potomac River was one of many great projects which allowed the United States to grow and prosper. Starting in 1828, the canal brought coal, wheat, stone and many other commodities from the Potomac River basin and its tributaries down to Georgetown and Washington.
But great projects such as canals require, among other commodities, building stone. Fortunately, along the Potomac there were many sources of that stone for example the Johson Quarries for the red and white quartzite which built the beautiful Monocacy Aqueduct and the red sandstone from Seneca quarry used in many locks on the C&O Canal and all over Washington, DC including the Smithsonian Castle. For a fuller discussion of these strategically located quarries check out the posts on this website.
It has been great fun over the last few years to explore these historical quarries along with my friend and fellow historian Jon Wolz, but yesterday our search was for something even more mundane than stone. We drove to West Virginia searching for the ruins of the great cement works of Shepherdstown.
Canals require a cement which will not dissolve in water, so called hydraulic cement. To produce this cement limestone deposits with a high percentage of clay are needed. In 1828 a search for such limestone proved successful. Deposits were found right along the Potomac River in Shepherdstown, West Virginia and soon a cement industry sprang up along the banks of the river. On June 23rd, 1829, the first bushels of hydraulic cement arrived at the Monocacy Aqueduct.
The ruins of the old cement factory are located a few miles down river from Shepherdstown along River Road. There are multiple lime kilns, a few buildings and at least two quarries in the area. The whole place is quite evocative if not a bit eerie as you imagine the hundreds of quarrymen, kiln keepers and boatmen going about their hot and dirty business joking, swearing and all the while their bosses yelling out orders.
Only across the river is Sharpsburg, Maryland where the in 1862, Antietam, the deadliest one-day battle in American military history took place. It was also the sufficient victory President Lincoln needed to release his Emancipation Proclamation. As a result, there are historical signs relating to this great battle everywhere. As you listen closely for the ancient sounds of the early 19th century workmen, they may be drowned out by the cries and screams of the over 22,000 casualties of the mid-19th century battle.
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Here are some links you may find interesting:
https://www.jeffersoncountyhlc.org/…/botelers-cement-mill/
https://www.jeffersoncountyhlc.org//wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Potomac-Mills.pdf
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