Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park | LOCK AND LOCKHOUSE 24

Upstream view of Lock and Lockhouse 24 at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Upstream view of Lock and Lockhouse 24 at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath


Lock and Lockhouse 24 are located at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath. A large parking lot is at the site. See the Locks and Lockhouses web page for an interactive location map.


Lock 24 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal is known as Riley’s Lock, named after John Riley, the last lockkeeper to work here before the C&O Canal shut down in 1924. It is connected to the Seneca Creek Aqueduct and is the only instance on the canal where a lock and an aqueduct are constructed as one unit. This was required because the canal on one side of Seneca Creek is at a higher elevation than the canal on the other side. Boats heading downstream would cross the creek via the aqueduct and immediately enter the lock to be lowered down to the level of the east bank section of the canal. Those heading upstream would enter the lock to be raised to the height of the aqueduct, then proceed across the creek.

Downstream view of Lock and Lockhouse 24 at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Downstream view of Lock and Lockhouse 24 at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Downstream view of Lock 24 at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Downstream view of Lock 24 at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Along with the lock itself stands Lockhouse 24 (Riley’s Lockhouse). 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!

Riley’s Lockhouse is made of red sandstone that was quarried at the Seneca Quarry just north of here. The lockhouse is open on weekends from late April through early June and then again from early September through early December for Ranger-led tours. For more information call (301) 384-8584.

Front of Riley’s Lockhouse at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Front of Riley’s Lockhouse at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Back of Riley’s Lockhouse at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Back of Riley’s Lockhouse at Mile 22.7 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath

Back to the Top


With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.

Last updated on June 23, 2024
Share this article