October 25, 2023 -- The first time I visited Paw Paw Tunnel, Mom was with me and didn't have time to walk to the tunnel. I knew I had to come back. The second time I brought Ty. Ty and I hiked to the tunnel and went through it and back. The tunnel was dark and damp. It was creepy. You needed a flashlight. Ty boldly led the way.
Paw Paw Tunnel
Upstream side of the tunnel
The Paw Paw Tunnel is a 3,118 foot long tunnel on the C&O Canal. It was built to bypass Paw Paw Bends, a curvy six mile stretch of the Potomac River. There are five horseshoe bends in this part of the Potomac river. The tunnel eliminated 6 miles of the canal and is credited with the economic success of nearby Cumberland. Cumberland isn't so prosperous now, but it must have been then. Visiting the Cumberland part of the C&O Canal is still on my bucket list. Ty's, too.
Ty and I on the other side
Muddy canal water leading away from the tunnel
Path to the tunnel
The tunnel was used by canal boats until 1924 when the canal was closed. In its day, the Paw Paw Tunnel was a great engineering feat. It utilized more than 6 million bricks in its construction. Construction began in 1836, but the tunnel didn't open until 1850, more than a decade behind schedule. Fights between workers and the difficulty of the work is what delayed construction.
Dark and creepy
Boatmen could usually tell if another boat was in the tunnel because the water level would be down about four inches. The tunnel was so narrow that nobody could pass between the mules and the side of the tunnel. Must have been the scariest part of the C&O Canal.
Steps: what for?
The Paw Paw Tunnel gets its name from the Paw Paw trees that grow alongside it.
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