At the Monocacy Aqueduct

A smudge on the lens, but a good day out with my mother and my son nonetheless.

Because the place we intended to visit was unexpectedly closed, we took a detour to the Monocacy Aqueduct where the dogs could stretch out and noodle around a little.

Construction of the Monocacy Aqueduct began in 1829 and was completed four years later. Three separate contractors labored on the immense stone structure, which was constructed for $127,900. The plan for the Monocacy Aqueduct, often referred to as C&O Canal Aqueduct No. 2, was for a stone masonry structure with a waterway of 19 feet at the bottom and 20 feet at the top. The towpath parapet wall is 8 feet wide and the upstream wall is 6 feet wide. Benjamin Wright drew the plans with 6 piers, 2 abutments and 7 arches, each with a span of 54 feet. The piers are 10 feet thick with pilaster at each end. The aqueduct is 516 feet in length. Much of the building material was large granite stone blocks quarried at the base of nearby Sugarloaf Mountain.

During the Civil War, the Confederates tried to blow up the aqueduct, but they were unable to drill enough holes into the granite to place enough explosives to break the structure.