Next in the Lovettsville Historical Society 2026 Lecture Series:

The Monocacy Aqueduct –

Past Stories and Fresh Findings

Presented by Jon T. Wolz
Public Historian
Poolesville, MD

Sunday, October 11, at 2:00 p.m.
St. James United Church of Christ,
10 East Broad Way, Lovettsville

On Sunday, October 11, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal historian Jon Wolz will be lecturing for the first time at the Lovettsville Historical Society. His talk will provide some information not previously documented in writings about the Monocacy Aqueduct.
The Monocacy Aqueduct was a watered bridge over the Monocacy River during canal operating days. In 1828, the Canal Company purchased the land for the aqueduct from Dr. Charles Byrd and requested he cease his ferry operation at that location. The construction of the aqueduct began in 1829 and stones were quarried from Mrs. Nelson’s quarry that was located at the base of the Sugarloaf Mountain. In 1831 the stones were found to be defective and the work done to build the aqueduct with those stones was torn down. The stones used in its successful construction come from the Joseph Johnson quarries where both white and red quartzite stones were used.
Workers labored through the cholera epidemic of 1832 and the project was completed in 1833. You will learn of Father McElroy and his service to the men at the construction site and at the Johnson quarries.
The aqueduct is 516 feet long with seven arches that are 54 feet wide. The aqueduct carried canal boats over the Monocacy River from 1834 to 1924. The aqueduct was used by fleeing enslaved people and there were two attempts to blow up the aqueduct in 1862 by the Confederate Army.
Jon will discuss events and some of the history that occurred after the canal stopped operation up until the present time. The aqueduct is prominently featured today in the C&O Canal National Historical Park.
Upon his retirement from NASA in 2014 Jon Wolz became a prominent local historian, author, and dedicated volunteer in Poolesville, Maryland, widely recognized for his deep expertise on the C&O Canal National Historical Park. His involvement with the canal stretches back to his youth, notably testifying before a Senate subcommittee as an Eagle Scout in December 1970 to help secure its national historical park designation. He has authored over 100 historical articles for the Monocacy Monocle newspaper and has written articles for the publication Along The Towpath. He serves as the Poolesville representative for the Canal Towns Partnership. He is the President of the General William Smallwood Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, in Montgomery County. He frequently partners with the Poolesville Seniors and the C&O Canal Association to lead educational history hikes, river crossings, and informational panels.

Admission to our lectures is free, but donations are welcome to defray expenses of the program and to support the activities of the Lovettsville Historical Society.

For more information, call 540-822-9194.