Ferry Hill Place

New exhibits at Ferry Hill include hands-on tactile house model seen in photo

NPS photo

Sharpsburg Pike, Sharpsburg MD, 301-582-0813

Hours: Memorial Day to Labor Day, Wednesday - Sunday 10:00-4:00

Come see the brand new exhibits depicting the history of the house, Henry Kyd Douglas, and the impact the families had on the C&O Canal as well as the surrounding communities. Hands-on area for children as well as models of the house help visitors experience the past.

Ferry Hill sitting above the crossroads of the Potomac River, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and the "great road" has been and continues to be a place of change and adaptation. In 1775 Van Swearingen had constructed a "Ferry Inn" at the ferry landing on the Maryland side of the river. The community that grew as a result of the ferry became known as Bridgeport.

John Blackford acquired interest in the ferry and adjoining acres through an inheritance from the Van Swearingen family when he married Sara van Swearingen in 1812. Looking for an ideal location to build a home and start his family he decided to build the house high on the bluff overlooking the Potomac River.

Ferry Hill has gone through many transformations: home, restaurant, C&O Canal Headquarters, and today is a visitor center.

 

Directions

From Martinsburg: Exit 16E Queen Street. Turn right onto WV 45E/Martinsburg Pkwy/E Moler Avenue. Turn left onto WV 480/N Duke Street. Cross the bridge over the Potomac River (MD 34E). First left after the bridge.

From Hagerstown I-70: Exit 29 MD 65 South toward Sharpsburg. Turn left onto MD 65/Sharpsburg Pike. Turn right onto MD 34. House on the right just before crossing the bridge over the Potomac River.

From Hagerstown I-81: Exit 26 to I-70 West toward Frederick. Exit 29 MD 65 South toward Sharpsburg. Turn left onto MD 65/Sharpsburg Pike. Turn right onto MD 34. House on the right just before crossing the bridge over the Potomac River.