Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, park, eastern United States. It consists of the former Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a waterway running along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Md. Construction of the canal, which extends 184.5 miles (297 km), began in the late 1820s. Competition from the railroads later caused its economic decline. The canal was purchased in 1938 by the U.S. government; it was restored and established as a historical park in 1971.