Williamsport

Williamsport lay on the edge of the Maryland frontier in 1787 when it was founded by Revolutionary War hero General Otho Holland Williams. In 1790, this river town nearly became capital of the United States when President George Washington personally visited Williamsport before selecting the current site of Washington, DC, 100 miles east. In 1832, Williamsport changed as the C&O Canal reached the town, and it became a major transfer point for goods transported by canal boats. In 1863, Confederate troops advanced and retreated through Williamsport during the Gettysburg Campaign, and the Civil War could have ended here when the flooded Potomac River trapped General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Today, with more canal structures than any other town along the canal, Williamsport is reconnecting with its canal heritage as town leaders revitalize the town center to serve canal hikers and bikers.

Williamsport, Maryland · United States