The Washington National Cathedral or Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington.
The Frederick Douglas National Historic Site.
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
Written By Dorven Dorta
Preservation and Rehabilitation Tecnology. Fall 2014
Prof. Kathy Dixon, AIA.
Washington National Cathedral
The National Cathedral is a historic building located on top of the area known as Mount St. Alban in Washington DC. The original planned site for the building of a non-denominational cathedral in Washington DC was laid out in January 4th, 1792 in a site that is occupied today by the National Portrait Gallery.
Later on, in 1893 the Congress granted a Charter to build the Cathedral…show more content… It has historic significance due to its use as a connecting water way for freight transportation connecting the Potomac River with Cumberland Maryland during old times. It is also referred by some people as the “Grand Old Ditch”. Today it is a site of historic significance.
The canal operated from the year of 1831 until 1924. It was mainly used as a transportation waterway for the trade of farm produce, timber and coal. The last 50 miles to Cumberland were added to the original canal and started operations in 1850. When the original canal was designed it was to connect to the Ohio River in Pittsburgh but this plan did not materialize. The grand plan was to connect the canal to the Ohio River and from there gain access to the eastern seaboard of the great lakes. This was the original idea of George Washington. One canal, Little Falls’ built by George Washington’s company, the Potomac Company, were later incorporated into the C & O canal also.
The total length of the canal is 184.5 miles. It has 74 canal logs to accommodate the elevation change along its course which is of 605…show more content… The C & O canal is also part of the cultural landscape inventory for culturally significant landscapes the National Park Service maintains.
The canal required repairs constantly during the times it operated.
“Even though the railroad beat the canal to Cumberland, the canal was not entirely obsolete. It wasn't until the mid-1870s that through improved technology, specifically with larger locomotives and air brakes, the railroad was able to set rates lower than the canal, and thus seal its fate”.(Source: Davies, William E. (1999). The Geology and Engineering Structures of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: An Engineering Geologist’s Descriptions and Drawings, P.9).
Conservation Efforts:
The park goes along thru many jurisdictions in DC and Maryland. Efforts towards it preservation have been coordinated in many ways. There are many programs coordinating the preservation of locks and waterways along the canal. One example of them is administered through the Maryland Environmental Trust officials and landowners. This program offers tax incentives and cash to any landowner offering conservation easements along the
