Water Power

Canal water helped produce C.F. Wenner's Choice Family Flour as Brunswick businessman Charles F. Wenner drew surplus water from the canal near Lock 30 to power the wheels and turbines of his flour mill. He was one of several 19th century entrepreneurs who expanded the use of the C&O Canal beyond navigation, as businessmen along the canal built mills that processed corn, wheat, cotton, and lime. These mills formed the foundation of many canal communities, where towns grew and prospered as stores, warehouses, and lumber yards opened to provide services. Over time, people became attached to the way of life that developed around the canal, and although some towns such as Brunswick survived the canal's demise in 1924, many people never regained the sense of community the waterway had forged and mourned the loss of both a convenient transportation route and power source and a fading heritage. Charles Fenton Wenner, who lived from 1825 to 1882, also owned 550 acres of farmland, two canal boats, and two warehouses.

Brunswick, Maryland · United States