The Canal Towns Partnership is an economic and community development program along the C&O Canal National Historical Park (NHP). It is designed to assist the communities along the C&O Canal NHP to reap the multiple benefits of trail-based tourism and recreation. The program encourages an active lifestyle for residents and visitors alike.
Canal towns are communities along the C&O Canal that:
Offer services to trail users, including lodging, restaurants, shopping and equipment repair,
Enrich the C&O Canal experience with their history, hospitality, and small-town charm,
Provide valuable support to the National Park Service in its stewardship of this important historical and recreational resource.
Beginning in 1828, the C&O Canal brought industry and growth to communities along its route. The canal had a profound impact on the towns’ early culture and architecture that resonates even today. Historical challenges around the Canal also left their mark, through labor conflict, disease, Civil War, and floods. When those floods combined with newer transportation systems to shut down the Canal in the 1920s, Canal Towns suffered decline.
Now with this old transportation system transformed into a National Park and popular trail, Canal Towns are once again thriving and extending a welcome to tourists and trail users alike.
