Continuing Hike with Jon Wolz: Seneca Aqueduct

Join Jon Wolz on Saturday, January 10 for a 4.5-mile Continuing Hike at Seneca Aqueduct. Access is from River Road in Seneca by turning onto Riley’s Lock Road and following it 0.8 miles to the parking area. The hike will begin at Lock 24 (Riley’s Lock) and Aqueduct No. 1 (Seneca Aqueduct).

Please bring a lunch or snacks and water.

Registration Required. Please sign up in advance if you are coming on the hike.

Both the lock and the aqueduct were completed in 1832. The lock and aqueduct are unique to the C&O Canal because they are the only combination lift lock and aqueduct along the entire length of the 184.5 miles of the canal. One of the three arches of the aqueduct collapsed in 1971 after a localized flood on Seneca Creek. The aqueduct has been stabilized by the National Park Service but not restored. Walking up the towpath passing red sandstones next to the towpath from the collapsed aqueduct arch, we will turn and visit the remains of the Seneca Stonecutting Mill. The stonecutting mill was completed in two parts. The first section was completed in 1837. That section was used to cut the stones that were used for the construction of the Smithsonian Castle. The second section was completed in 1868. Returning to the towpath, we will walk up to culvert #35 (Bull Run) and we will visit the mouth of the stream. The location may have been where river skiffs were loaded with cut sandstones for delivery to lock construction sites for the Potomac and the C&O Canal. We will then return to the towpath and walk back across the Seneca Aqueduct down to lock 23 (Violette’s Lock) and inlet lock #2. At this location is Feeder Dam 2. The locks and dam were completed in 1831. The lock house was destroyed by fire in 1921. A nearby log cabin was purchased and used by the Violette’s as the lock house. We will cross the parking lot and visit the red sandstone foundation of a historic structure. Then we will visit the historic milestone with “22 Miles to W.C” inscribed on it. The W.C. stands for Washington City. We will walk down next to a stone wall viewing the Seneca rapids in the Potomac River. We will stop at milepost 21 and return to our starting point. Along the way, we will see some historical etchings in stones as well as modern graffiti.

Jon has a long history with the canal. As a Montgomery Blair High School sophomore and Eagle Scout, he had already hiked and biked the entire canal as a Boy Scout. In December 1970, Jon was one of two Boy Scouts (Mark Stover was the other scout) chosen to testify before a Senate subcommittee on behalf of the bill to make the C&O Canal into a National Historical Park. Maryland Congressmen Gilbert Gude and J. Glenn Beall sponsored the bill.

Since 2015 Jon has volunteered in several different capacities along the C&O Canal. Jon has led occasional walks canal for the COCA, Poolesville Seniors and Gaithersburg Seniors. Jon has written over 100 stories for the Monocacy Monocle Newspaper, mostly about the C&O Canal. Jon is the Poolesville representative for the Canal Towns Partnership and he is the current president for the Sons of the American Revolution General William Smallwood Chapter in Montgomery County.