Lock and Lockhouse 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath
Lock and Lockhouse 44 are located at Mile 99.1 on the C&O Canal towpath. They cannot be accessed by vehicle, so reaching them requires hiking or biking a half mile (one way) downstream from the closest parking area, the Williamsport Visitor Center. See the Locks and Lockhouses web page for an interactive location map.
Lock 44, which was built in 1834, is one of 74 lift locks on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. A lift lock is what raises and lowers a boat between two segments of a canal that are at different elevations. Think of a staircase in your house. To get from the top to the bottom there are a number of steps. When one step butts into another, you must move your foot up or down to get to the next level. That’s what a lock does—it’s really nothing more than an elevator for boats that uses water as its lifting method. By connecting together many level sections of a canal that are at different elevations using lift locks to maneuver the boats between them, you can build a long canal over uneven terrain. Some locks may raise or lower a boat only a few feet, while others may cover dozens of feet. Locks on the Panama Canal raise and lower ships 90 feet.
Lock 44 has been restored to working condition. On select weekends during the summer, visitors are able to help open and close the lock doors.
Upstream view of Lock 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Downstream lock doors on Lock 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Visitors to Lock 44 help open the lock doors, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Along with the lock itself stands Lockhouse 44. 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.
Lockhouse 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
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!
Some of the lockhouses along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal are open to the public, and seven have been restored and can be rented for overnight stays (see the Lockhouse Rentals web page for details). Lockhouse 44 was restored in 2012, and today it is open (daytime visits only) whenever the Launch Boat Rides at the Williamsport Visitor Center are being held, typically on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer. It is furnished as it might have been back in the canal days.
Dining room of Lockhouse 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Living room of Lockhouse 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Kitchen of Lockhouse 44 at Mile 99.1 on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
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Last updated on June 20, 2026
