October 17, 2024 -- Today I went to Four Locks. I took Ty with me. He was due for an outing. I've been to Four Locks several times. It isn't far from where I live. Sometimes, I take Ty. I've also taken my mom. Four Locks is a canal town, actually now a ghost town. The town developed when the canal came through it and disappeared when the canal closed. Four Locks gets its name from four locks that transverse a quarter mile section of the C&O Canal, raising it 32 feet.
Welcome to Four Locks
The four locks (47, 48, 49, and 50) were built between 1836 and 1839. They were built when the canal company was running out of money. The canal closed in 1924 and the town eventually disappeared. At one time, there were 30 buildings in Four Locks, including two general stores, a post office and one-room school house. Several buildings remain, serving as a reminder of the not-so-distant past.
Lockhouse 49 is in good shape. It's where the lead lock tender for Four Locks (Lock #47, 48, 49, and 50) resided, along with his family. Lock 49 is one of 26 lockhouses remaining on the C&O Canal. It can be rented for the night. It is furnished in 1920's style. It would be cool to stay there overnight.
Lockhouse 49, ca. 1840
The Four Locks Post Office was either located in or behind the Flory House. The Post Office operated from 1878 to 1903. Eight different postmasters, only one woman, worked and lived there.
One room schoolhouse, ca. 1860
The mule barn was used to house mules during the winter when the canal was closed. It has been reconstructed for historical value as a tribute to the hard working mules who pulled tons of coal along the canal.
The mule barn
Thomas Stone House, ca. 1860
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