BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Point of Rocks

MD -- Point of Rocks:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. PTROCK_160905_014.JPG: Point of Rocks Point of Rocks During the War The rail line immediately before you served as an important means of supply and communication during the Civil War (the station, and tracks to Washington, D.C., on the southern or right side of the station were built later). Here at Point of Rocks, formerly Trammelstown, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached the banks of the Potomac River from Baltimore. This narrow strip of bottomland, which allowed passage beyond the Blue Ridge's Catoctin and South Mountain ranges, had been the subject of a court fight decades earlier when the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the railroad sought to use it. In May 1861, Col. Thomas J. (later Gen. "Stonewall") Jackson convinced the railroad to consolidate its coal shipments at a specific time period. He then captured 56 locomotives and more than 300 rail cars by halting all train traffic east of Point of Rocks. In 1864, Confederate Lt. Col. John S. Mosby, in what became known as the "Calico Raid" or the "Crinoline Raid," attacked the Union garrison here. Throughout the war, pro-Union families living in Loudoun County, Va., crossed the river here to shop.
2. PTROCK_160905_018.JPG: A barge on the C&O Canal, adjacent to Point of Rocks
3. PTROCK_160905_020.JPG: Mid-1860s view of B&O rail line and adjacent C&O Canal at Point of Rocks predating the railroad tunnel.
4. PTROCK_160905_023.JPG: Point of Rocks Confederates Capture Train -- Gettysburg Campaign -- In mid-June 1863, with rumors of a pending reinvasion of Maryland by Confederate forces, most Baltimore and Ohio trains stopped running past here. As tension mounted, the New York Times reported that no trains were departing Baltimore, "except the mail train to Harpers Ferry and the accommodation for Frederick." In the predawn hours of June 17, Confederate cavalry crossed the Potomac River and attacked Union cavalry at nearby Catoctin Station, while another unit captured a military train here. The train was carrying provisions for the Harpers Ferry garrison, which was moving from the imminent danger there to Baltimore. Four earlier trains had passed safely, and this was the last of the convoy. After first being attacked at Catoctin Stations, the train escaped to Point of Rocks, but here the engineer and conductor was captured together with fifteen passengers. The train, with its cargo of flour, was burned. Reports of the incident caused considerable anxiety in Frederick and the surrounding countryside. Before the end of the month, thousands of Union soldiers would pass by here on their way to cover the nearby gaps, knowing that Gen. Robert E. Lee's army was on the other side of the mountains.
5. PTROCK_160905_029.JPG: 1863 B&O Railroad in Maryland
6. PTROCK_160905_122.JPG: Point of Rocks In 1832, Point of Rocks served as the western terminus for the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad. This was not deliberate, but the result of competition as the transportation pioneers wrangled in court for rights to the narrow passage between the Potomac River and Catoctin Mountains. A small village grew here in the early 1830's which eventually took the name of the nearby geologic landmark. Considerable trade was done with neighbors from across the river in Virginia, desirous to send goods east via the transport lines. Today, Point of Rocks is undergoing revitalization with new residents moving into the area, additional MARC train commuters, and heightened C&O Canal visitation. Towns along the C&O Canal Since 1828 and the beginnings of the C&O Canal, towns along this waterway have both benefited from the commerce on the canal and supported those who used the canal. Expand your canal experience with a visit into Point of Rocks and take in the history and services available today in this classic canal town.
7. PTROCK_160905_178.JPG: Battle at Point of Rocks "This [railroad] company was met by the most decided and inveterate opposition, on the part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company." -- Philip E. Thomas, President, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company The proximity of railroad tracks by the canal belies the intense battle over the right-of-way between the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The idea route west lay on this narrow strip of land between the river and the mountains. Both the canal and the railroad were convinced that the land should belong to them. A bitter four-year battle followed that divided the citizens of Point of Rocks and other towns along the river. Merchants and townspeople were forced to choose between the canal and the new and unproven railroad. Citizens participated in boycotts, refused to sell land, or demanded outrageous purchase prices for their property. By the time the courts finally ruled in the canal's favor in 1832, the canal company had almost gone broke with legal fees. Strapped for cash, the canal company agreed to a compromise. In exchange for funds to continue canal construction, the company allowed the railroad to build next to the canal between Harper's Ferry and Point of Rocks.
8. PTROCK_160905_183.JPG: The 1924 flood devastated the canal and damaged the railroad. Before construction of the railroad tunnel in the 1860s, the canal and the railroad operated in very close quarters.
9. PTROCK_160905_193.JPG: Point of Rocks
10. PTROCK_160905_231.JPG: USGS Science for a changing world Century Stream Gage Providing continuous streamflow data on the Potomac River at Point of Rocks, Maryland since February 1895.
11. PTROCK_160905_282.JPG: Public Health Man Bitten by Dog along the C&O Canal Near Point of Rocks Seeking Owner of the Black and Tan, German Shepherd-type Dog [The sign goes on the indicate that the man was bitten by the dog, who was with some kids, and wanted to know if the dogs had its rabies shots so the guy wouldn't need to take rabies protection.]
Wikipedia Description: Point of Rocks, Maryland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Point of Rocks is a community in Frederick County, Maryland. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoctin Mountain, which were formed by the Potomac River cutting through the ridge in a water gap, a typical formation in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians. The formation is not visible from the town and can only be seen from boats on the river, or from the southern bank of the river in Virginia.

History:

In 1828, the narrow passage between the rocks at this site provoked a violent legal battle between the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Company and the B&O Railroad over who could have control of the narrow pass. After years of disputes, both companies finally compromised and allowed both canal and railroad to build on the right-of-way through the passage, with a wall between the two to avoid trains scaring the mules that pulled the canal boats.

During the American Civil War, the town was often raided by Confederate partisans, such as John S. Mosby, Elijah V. White and John Mobberly, operating in Loudoun County, Virginia. The presence of the B&O railroad and C&O canal along with many exiled Unionists from Loudoun made the town such an attractive target.

In 2001 Duke Energy filed an application with the Maryland Public Service Commission to construct a power plant on the north edge of town. In November 2002, however, Duke officially canceled its proposal, though it retains property in the area.

The Point of Rocks Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and St. Paul's Episcopal Church was listed in 1978.
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