Lockhouse 21, locally known as “Swains” after the family who lived there for over a century, is the newest lockhouse to join the Canal Quarters program. Opened in July 2019, this lockhouse is located in Montgomery County, Maryland, and has been completely modernized and is ADA-accessible with a bathroom and Murphy bed on the first floor, ramps into the house, and hallways wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

The house interprets 1916, the year the National Park Service was formed and the date when the C&O Canal was beginning to transition from a working canal to a recreational space. Unique period furnishings transport visitors to the early twentieth century, and scrapbooks tell stories of a time when Woodrow Wilson was President, the United States had not yet entered World War I, and the women’s and civil rights movements were gathering steam.

Lockhouse 21 features accessible parking, accessible ramps to the front door and within the first floor of the building (upon request during booking), accessible bathroom, kitchen, and picnic area facilities, and single-sized Murphy bed located on the first floor. The second floor is only accessible via stairs.