Snowy conditions and trees growing out of old bridge supports

We didn't wipe out and both of us got a much harder workout moving in the parts with soft snow.

Mile marker 75.7                   

Killiansburg Cave

After the Battle of South Mountain, as the Confederate army retreated and settled in Sharpsburg, the town residents felt the tension mounting between the Confederates and the Federals. Many families left their homes to go stay with nearby relatives while others found refuge in caves, including the Killiansburg Cave, along the Potomac River. Out of the line of fire, the caves provided a safe haven for residents to gather until the battle ceased. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 72.8                   

Ferry Hill Plantation

Ferry Hill sits on the high bluff overlooking the Potomac River and the C&O Canal, opposite Shepherdstown. The property has been a farm, a restaurant, an encampment for Union troops, and, at one time, the headquarters for the C&O Canal National Historical Park. Ferry Hill was built by Col. John Blackford in 1813 and once encompassed 700 acres. Blackford had one of the largest slaveholdings in the area, owning 18 slaves and hiring part-time laborers as well. In 1850 the Douglas family moved into the mansion with their four children, which included Henry Kyd Douglas. Henry enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861 and served as Stonewall Jackson’s youngest staff officer. Maryland was a border state but because Henry enlisted as a Confederate, the Federals kept the Douglases under house arrest for much of the Civil War. Ferry Hill was used by both armies during the war and wounded Confederates were cared for here following the September 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam. Henry’s father Robert was suspected of spying for the Confederates. The Federals arrested him and sent him to Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, for several months. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile Marker 72.7

Thomas Swearingen Ferry/James Rumsey Bridge

After the Virginia General Assembly recognized the need for a proper river crossing in 1755, the Swearingen family began operating a ferry across the Potomac between here and Shepherdstown. The ferry operated for more than 50 years until John Blackford, who married into the family, gained a controlling interest in 1816. Blackford, who built and lived at Ferry Hill Plantation, had two slaves who operated the ferry until service was discontinued in 1850 and the Virginia and Maryland Bridge Company built a covered wooden bridge. Potomac Bridge carried travelers across the river, though it was destroyed several times. In 1939, the bridge was rebuilt again and named after James Rumsey, inventor of the steamboat. It now carries Route 34 overhead.

On December 3, 1787, Rumsey’s steamboat, which used a type of hydraulic jet-propulsion, made its debut in this calm section of the Potomac River. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the craft, which started at Shepherdstown ferry landing and made its way upstream at a rate of four miles per hour. A 75-foot monument sits on the hillside in West Virginia to commemorate Rumsey’s first-in-steam navigation. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 72.6                   

James Rumsey Monument and State Park

Just across the Potomac River on top of the cliff is the James Rumsey Monument and State Park. James Rumsey was a pioneer of steam navigation and was the first superintendent of the Patowmack Company, a position that George Washington recommended him for. On December 3, 1787, Rumsey’s steamboat, which used a type of hydraulic jet-propulsion, made its debut in this calm section of the Potomac River. Hundreds of spectators witnessed the craft make its way upstream from the Shepherdstown ferry landing at a rate of four miles per hour. A 75-foot monument sits on the hillside to commemorate Rumsey’s first-in-steam navigation. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 71.4                   

Packhorse Ford

Also known as Blackford’s Ford, Boteler’s Ford, and Shepherdstown Ford, this is the site where Stonewall Jackson’s Command crossed en route from Harpers Ferry to Sharpsburg to join Confederate forces on September 17, 1862, during the Battle of Antietam. This is also where the entire Army of Northern withdrew into Virginia on September 18 and 19. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)