Seneca Quarry - Seneca, Maryland
N 39° 04.146 W 077° 20.562
18S E 297327 N 4327056
The Seneca Quarry and Cutting Mill in Maryland provided the stone for the C&O canal and for the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall.
Waymark Code: WM6KGE
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 06/15/2009
Views: 17
The ruins of the Seneca cutting mill can be seen through the trees when one walks the C&O Canal towpath near Riley's lock. One can leave the towpath to visit the red sandstone remains of the mill. The quarry nearby was first opened in 1785 by the Patowmack Company whose president was George Washington. Built in 1837, the mill works were run by water from the canal that ran in a channel through the building.
The distinctive red stone quarried here was used to construct locks in the C&O Canal and for the Smithsonian Institute Building, known as "The Castle", on the National Mall in Washington. The mill also cut the stone from other quarries that was used for the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. The cut stone was transported up and down the C&O Canal to its various destinations through locks built of stone cut at this Seneca Mill.
The cutting mill operated until 1900 when the quarry was depleted of high quality stone.
The mill ruins can be viewed at Mile 23 on the C&O Canal towpath, or by a short walk from the parking area at the end of Riley's Lock Road off River Road in Seneca, Maryland.
Street address:
Tshiefeley Mill Road, off Seneca Road
(Mile 23 on the C&O Canal towpath)
Seneca , MD USA
County / Borough / Parish: Montgomery County, Maryland
Year listed: 1973
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1785 - 1900
Historic function: Industry/Processing/Extraction
Current function: Landscape - Park
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Privately owned?: Not Listed
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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