Lock 51 at Mile 122.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath (photo by Jerry Edmundson)
Lock 51 is located 300 yards downstream from the Bowles House (former Hancock Visitor Center) at Mile 122.7 on the C&O Canal towpath. See the Locks and Lockhouses web page for an interactive location map.
There’s nothing left of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal’s Lock 51 other than its stone retaining walls, nor is there much left of Lockhouse 51 across the towpath. A lockhouse is the residence of the man who is hired to operate the lock. In addition to a yearly salary, he and his family—almost all lockkeepers were family men—lived in the company provided lockhouse and had use of an acre of land for farming. Those who tended multiple locks got extra money per lock, up to two. The locks had to be very close together for the C&O Canal Company to assign multiple locks to one person.
Operating the lock was a year-round, 24-hour-a-day job. When a canal boat approached, the captain would blow a whistle to notify the lockkeeper. If it were nighttime, somebody had to wake up and go to work. Of course that’s the benefit of being a family man—your kids had to get up for the late night and early morning arrivals!
Ruins of Lockhouse 51 at Mile 122.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath (photo by Jerry Edmundson)
If you look closely at the stone wall of the lockhouse, you will see the words Upton Rowland March 29 + 1845 chiseled into it. Rowland was the lockkeeper in charge of both Lock 51 and Lock 52 from 1840 until 1848.
Lockhouse 51 Inscription (photo by Jerry Edmundson)
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Last updated on June 21, 2024
