In the mid-nineteenth century, Lockhouse 25 and the surrounding community of Edwards Ferry, Maryland, prospered from their location. With the nearby river lock, the area became a busy entry point to the C&O Canal for agricultural goods from Loudoun County, Virginia, bound for the port of Georgetown. After the canal opened in 1833, a community grew up quickly, with a store established, warehouses built, and trade with southern neighbors flourishing. That prosperity ended when Virginia seceded from the Union in April 1861. The north bank of the Potomac became a militarized border, neighbors became enemies, homes were occupied, innocents were arrested, farms and warehouses were plundered, and crops were trampled and destroyed. The small community at Edwards Ferry was turned into an armed camp, and life along the canal was disrupted for the next four bloody years.