Last updated: October 10, 2024
Place
C&O Canal Lock 56
Quick Facts
Amenities
1 listed
Scenic View/Photo Spot
Along the 184.5 miles of the canal are 74 lift locks. These locks were put into place to help boats overcome the 605-foot elevation change between Georgetown and Cumberland. The C&O Canal is like a staircase, canal boats traveled along the flat sections and used the locks to take a “step up or down” about eight feet. The locks typically had hand-operated miter gates that were simple and followed Leonardo da Vinci’s original 1485 design. Entering the lock was the most demanding part of canalling.
This lock is known as the Pearre/Sideling lock. It began being built in 1837 but it wasn’t completed until about 1849 due to lack of funds and abandoned contracts. It has a 7.7’ lift and is accompanied by a bypass flume that allowed water to bypass the lock to water the level below. On the other side of the towpath is a two-and-a-half story frame lockhouse.
Pearre (a minor civil division of Washington County) was a little community that sprang up around this lock. It consisted of the lockhouse, homes, a general store, and a small hotel. Western Maryland Railroad chose this area to build Pearre depot and one-mile section of a “passing track”. In 1990, DNR acquired sections of the abandoned railroad line and converted it into a rail trail. This 26-mile long paved trail stretches from a mile west of historic Fort Frederick State Park in Big Pool, MD to the Potomac River in Little Orleans, MD. Along the entire length of trail are access points to the C&O Canal towpath.
This lock is known as the Pearre/Sideling lock. It began being built in 1837 but it wasn’t completed until about 1849 due to lack of funds and abandoned contracts. It has a 7.7’ lift and is accompanied by a bypass flume that allowed water to bypass the lock to water the level below. On the other side of the towpath is a two-and-a-half story frame lockhouse.
Pearre (a minor civil division of Washington County) was a little community that sprang up around this lock. It consisted of the lockhouse, homes, a general store, and a small hotel. Western Maryland Railroad chose this area to build Pearre depot and one-mile section of a “passing track”. In 1990, DNR acquired sections of the abandoned railroad line and converted it into a rail trail. This 26-mile long paved trail stretches from a mile west of historic Fort Frederick State Park in Big Pool, MD to the Potomac River in Little Orleans, MD. Along the entire length of trail are access points to the C&O Canal towpath.