C&O Canal National Historical Park Partnerships and Volunteer Coordinator John Noel and Park Superintendent Kevin Brandt join Randall Family, LLC Director of Corporate Relations Ruth Ann Randall, Corporate Liaison Dee Dee Luttrell, Dr. George Lewis, Frances Randall, and Community Foundation President Betsy Day at some of the recovered stones of the historic Catoctin Aqueduct.

Community Foundation’s Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration Fund
Receives Major Donation

July 27, 2007: A beautiful summer morning along the C&O Canal Towpath was the setting recently as Dr. George Lewis, President of The Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration Fund, Inc., thanked community leader Frances Randall and The Randall Family, LLC, for a donation to the Community Foundation’s C&O Canal Current Initiatives/Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration Fund.

“The Randalls commitment to the history of Frederick County and in particular the Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration Project, will ensure the timely restoration of this important and endangered historic structure, which carried the C&O Canal over a major Potomac River tributary for over a century,” says Dr. Lewis

The three arch stone Aqueduct, with its signature elliptical center arch and wrought-iron railing, was once known as the most beautiful aqueduct on the C&O Canal. Built in the 1830s to convey the canal across Catoctin Creek, the Aqueduct fell into disrepair in the 1950s and 1960s and partially collapsed in 1973, a year after Hurricane Agnes took a toll on the integrity of the structure.

Dr. Lewis has led the charge to restore the Aqueduct to its original beauty so that future generations can understand its importance in the development of trade during the tremendous industrial growth of the United States in the 1800s.

With the recovery of over 400 of the original hand-cut granite stones used in the construction of the Aqueduct and ongoing community and governmental support, the magnificent structure will again come to life, with reconstruction scheduled to begin in 2008.

“The restored Catoctin Aqueduct will quickly become both an educational platform for interpretation of the major role Maryland played in the development of our nation’s transportation infrastructure, and a major destination for heritage tourism,” says Dr. Lewis.

Additional information on the Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration project can be found at www.catoctinaqueduct.org.

Contributions to preserve the history of the Catoctin Aqueduct are accepted at any time and may be sent to The Community Foundation of Frederick County, 312 E. Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701. Simply insert Catoctin Aqueduct Restoration Fund in the check’s memo line. To donate online, click here. All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.