Violette's Lock (Lock 23) is part of the 184.5-mile (296.9 km) Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (a.k.a. C&O Canal) that operated in the United States along the Potomac River from the 1830s through 1923. It is located at towpath mile-marker 22.1, in Montgomery County, Maryland. The name Violette comes from Alfred L. "Ap" Violette and his wife Kate, who were lock keepers from the beginning of the 20th century through the permanent closure of the canal in 1924.
Lock 23, a lift lock, is adjacent to a guard (a.k.a. inlet) lock used to add water to the canal. A dam was also nearby. All three were built during 1829 through 1831. Construction of an aqueduct upriver took longer than other downriver portions of the canal, causing the first phase of canal operation to be between Georgetown and Lock 23. Construction of the entire canal was completed in 1850, and connected Cumberland in Western Maryland with Georgetown on the Potomac River. The canal was necessary because portions of the Potomac River upstream from Georgetown were not navigable.
Today, Violette's Lock is part of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The site is one of the few lift locks with an adjacent inlet lock and (the remnants of) a dam. A picnic table, a restroom, parking, and a canoe ramp are available. The lock and surrounding area are known as excellent places for bird watching, and the 40-acre (16 ha) Dierssen Waterfowl Sanctuary is located less than away between Violette's Lock and the Pennyfield Lock. The locks are connected on land by the canal's towpath, and the path is used by bikers and hikers.
Background
Ground was broken for construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (a.k.a. C&O Canal) on July 4, 1828. One of the early plans was for the canal to be a way to connect the Chesapeake Bay with the Ohio River—hence the name Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The canal had several types of locks, including 74 lift locks necessary to handle a 605-foot (184 m) difference in elevation between the two canal ends—an average of about 8 feet (2.4 m) per lock. Violettes Lock, or Lock 23, is the 23rd lift lock when traveling up the canal toward Western Maryland. The canal also had seven guard locks (a.k.a. inlet locks) used to replenish the canal with water from the Potomac River, and Inlet Lock Number 2 at the Lock 23 location is the second inlet lock when traveling up the canal. From Georgetown to Harpers Ferry (includes Lock 23), the canal is wide at the surface, and at the bottom. Including walls, lift locks are long and wide—usable lockage is less. A typical canal freighter had a cargo of up to 120 tons (110 metric tons).
Portions of the canal (close to Georgetown) began operating in the early 1830s, and construction ended in 1850 without reaching the intended Ohio River termination. Upon completion, the canal ran from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. The canal was necessary because the Potomac River has shallow and rocky points and therefore could not serve for reliable navigation, especially at Great Falls. The canal opened the region to important markets and lowered shipping costs. By 1859, about 83 canal boats per week were transporting coal, grain, flour, and farm products to Washington and Georgetown. Tonnage peaked in 1871 as coal trade increased.
The canal faced competition from other modes of transportation, especially the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O Railroad). Starting in Baltimore and adding line westward, the B&O Railroad eventually reached the Ohio River and beyond, while the C&O Canal never went beyond Cumberland in Western Maryland. An economic depression during the mid-1870s, and major floods in 1877 and 1886, put a financial strain on the C&O Canal Company. In 1889, another flood produced an estimated $1 million () in damages and caused the company to enter bankruptcy. Operations stopped for about two years. Court-appointed trustees recommended by the B&O Railroad took over receivership of the canal and began operating it under court supervision, but canal use never recovered to the peak years of the 1870s. The C&O Canal closed for the season in November 1923. Severe flooding in 1924 prevented the canal from opening in the spring, and the resulting damage from the floods prevented it from opening during the entire year. The flood damage, combined with continued competition from railroads and trucks, caused the shutdown to be permanent. In 1938, the canal was sold to the United States government, and the canal was proclaimed a national monument in 1961.