Too late for paw paw fruit but we made it to Paw Paw, WV. It was a longer than earlier legs - about 23 miles. The early miles had a strong wind in our face! This leg had long scenic sections of the Potomac River. Only a few short stretches of muddy rutted trail, but we did need to avoid walnuts. We saw a large turtle, mallard and wood ducks. Leafs starting to turn made this a pretty ride.
Mile Marker 156.2
Superintendent’s House
Adjacent to the parking area for the Paw Paw Tunnel, about a half mile from the upstream entrance to the tunnel, is a frame house that once belonged to the superintendent for this section of the canal. The superintendent was in charge of the maintenance for this section of the C&O Canal. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)
Mile marker 155
Paw Paw Tunnel
Made up of six million bricks and at three-fifths of a mile long, the Paw Paw Tunnel is considered the most notable landmark and greatest engineering marvel on the C&O Canal. It took 14 years and cost more than $600,000 to complete, coming in way over budget. The tunnel was built to eliminate six miles of canal and cut across a neck of land formed by the Paw Paw bends. Immigrant laborers worked on the tunnel in difficult conditions. A great deal of labor unrest including riots, strikes, violence, and even arrests, disrupted progress on the tunnel. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)
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