Construction of the entire canal was completed in 1850, and connected Cumberland in Western Maryland with Georgetown on the Potomac River.

Today, Violette's Lock is part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

[6] Portions of the canal (close to Georgetown) began operating in the early 1830s, and construction ended in 1850 without reaching the intended Ohio River termination.

The canal was necessary because the Potomac River has shallow and rocky points and therefore could not serve for reliable navigation, especially at Great Falls.

By 1859, about 83 canal boats per week were transporting coal, grain, flour, and farm products to Washington and Georgetown.

Starting in Baltimore and adding line westward, the B&O Railroad eventually reached the Ohio River and beyond, while the C&O Canal never went beyond Cumberland in Western Maryland.

[1] An economic depression during the mid-1870s, and major floods in 1877 and 1886, put a financial strain on the C&O Canal Company.

[10] In 1889, another flood produced an estimated $1 million (equivalent to $33,911,111 in 2023) in damages and caused the company to enter bankruptcy.

[15] The flood damage, combined with continued competition from railroads and trucks, caused the shutdown to be permanent.

[10] Construction work on Lock 23 began in June 1829 and was completed January 1831 at a cost of $8,912.80 (equivalent to $255,017 in 2023).

It was also decided that the grounds and edifices near Lock 23 would be called Rushville, in honor of Richard Rush.

[24] Rush, a diplomat and former Secretary of the Treasury, represented the canal when it sought foreign investors.

[28] An 1865 map of Montgomery County, Maryland, shows three lock keepers living near Dam No.

[34] At the beginning of the American Civil War, Union Army leadership realized that the Potomac River area near Locks 23 and 24 was a possible crossing point for a Confederate invasion that could include Washington.

The small community of Darnestown, less than 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Lock 24, became occupied in late summer 1861 by 18,000 Union troops.

[35][36] About halfway between Lock 23 and Darnestown, Major General Nathaniel P. Banks kept his headquarters at the Samuel Thomas Magruder farm where the Potomac River could be observed from high ground.

[38] On June 27, 1863, 5,000 cavalry troops under the command of Confederate Major General Jeb Stuart crossed the Potomac River near Lock 24.

From there, they advanced to Rockville, Maryland, before rejoining General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in the Battle of Gettysburg.

[43] Although the canal was closed to commercial traffic, Kate Violette was still tending the lock at age 77 in 1938.

[44] Sarah Katherine "Kate" Eberhart Violette died on January 1, 1947, and was also buried in Darnestown.

[10] The lock is listed by the Maryland Ornithological Society as one of the top birdwatching places in Montgomery County, with over 200 species sited.