Dam 5 and Hydroelectric Plant
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Dam 5 and Hydroelectric Plant
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Dam 5 is located at milepost 106.6 along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal towpath near Williamsport, Maryland.
The dam was originally constructed of wood and stone when first built in 1835, but it was frequently in need of repair because of flood damage. In 1860, the C&O Canal Company replaced it with a permanent masonry dam.
The dam created a slackwater, deep enough that canal boats could travel directly on the Potomac River. It was a more economical solution than blasting the solid rock walls to build the canal, and it also guaranteed there was always enough excess water to keep the canal watered in times of drought.
Across the dam on the West Virginia side of the river is a hydroelectric plant. Originally a mill, Edward Colston, had an agreement with the C&O Canal Company to use the water to run his sawmill and gristmill. The Colston family ran the mill until the late 1870s. The Potomac Pulp Company eventually purchased the mill, converted it into a paper mill, and ran it from 1887 until 1891. Martinsburg Power Company purchased the complex after the paper mill closed, and it has been a hydroelectric power plant ever since.
Copyright 2020 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
December 29th, 2020
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