Renovated C&O Canal Lockhouse Opens for Overnight Stays
Unique Accommodations Found Within the Country’s Most Visited National Historical Park
Williamsport, Maryland (August 19, 2026) – The C&O Canal Trust, the official philanthropic partner to the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal National Historical Park, is pleased to announce the addition of a newly rehabilitated lockhouse to its Canal Quarters program.
Located at Mile Marker 8.4 near the border of Maryland and Washington, DC, Lockhouse 8 will now welcome overnight guests as part of the Trust’s unique historic preservation and education program. This lockhouse, originally constructed in the 1830s, will become the eighth lockhouse in this nationally renowned partnership program between the C&O Canal Trust and the National Park Service.
Each of the eight Canal Quarters locations has been restored and furnished to reflect a different time period and share a different story about the C&O Canal, a historic waterway running from Georgetown in Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. On July 4, 1828, ground broke on the C&O Canal, which was envisioned as a way of connecting a growing nation. In the canal’s heyday, boats laden with cargo – including lumber and other building materials, plus food products like meat and grains – moved east and west along the waterway. The boats were pulled by mules that traveled along a towpath.
The National Park Service (NPS) acquired the C&O Canal in 1938 and designated it as a National Historical Park in 1971. Today, the C&O Canal National Historical Park spans 184.5 miles, preserving iconic parts of the nation’s transportation heritage and welcoming millions of visitors each year. In fact, it’s the most visited National Historical Park in the country, with hikers and cyclists traveling back and forth along the old towpath as they explore the countryside leading from Washington and across Maryland.
Guests staying in Lockhouse 8 will discover what life was like for rangers and visitors in the early 1960s, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower designated the C&O Canal as a national monument and the house was considered for housing park employees. Interspersed with the stories of these first park stewards, guests will find information about the many lockkeepers who called Lockhouse 8 home, the recreational history of the lockhouse during its time as the Potomac Conservancy’s River Center, and the impact of the mighty Potomac River on the house.
Lockhouse 8 joins the Canal Quarters program as a half-amenity house, meaning it features electricity and heat but no indoor plumbing. As with the other houses in the program, Lockhouse 8 is available for overnight reservations for up to eight guests for as many as three nights. Rates for the houses range from $75 to $255 per night, depending on amenity level and time of year; rates for Lockhouse 8 will range from $90 to $135. Booking a stay at any of the lockhouses directly supports upkeep of the 200-year-old historic structures. Visitors can sleep soundly, knowing that their stay ensures the lockhouses will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.
Lockhouse 8 is accepting reservations now for visits starting in September. For more information or to book a night in history, please visit https://www.canaltrust.org/
About the C&O Canal Trust
The C&O Canal Trust was founded in 2007 as the official philanthropic partner to the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal National Historical Park. The Trust serves as a bridge between the National Park Service (NPS) and a vibrant community of individuals and partners who raise funds to preserve and protect the C&O Canal and its natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources now and for the future.
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