Organizational Beginnings

Even before the C&O Canal was designated as a national park, visitors have been taking rides on replica canal boats in Georgetown. The Georgetown, built in 1983, was deemed inoperable in 2011 after years of wear and tear. Georgetown Heritage led the charge to construct a new canal boat and received a grant from the DC government in 2016 to fulfill this goal. The boat was designed by Alexandria-based naval architects, Tridentis and fabricated at the Roudebush Yacht & Engine Works in Dundalk, Maryland. The 80-foot boat was delivered to Georgetown in two halves and then assembled and lifted into the canal by crane from Canal Road. Measuring 12 feet wide, the Georgetown Heritage was modeled after historic packet boats used during the operational years of the canal, and built to fit snugly in the dimensions of the canal lift locks. 

Georgetown Heritage was founded in 2014 by a group of Georgetown residents who were concerned about the future of the C&O Canal National Historical Park in Georgetown. They recognized the importance of the canal to our nation’s history but the condition of the park at that time was not meeting its potential. For decades, the National Park Service (NPS) had maintained and operated the park and offered interpretive programming, including a period-accurate canal boat ride program. Budget cuts in the early 2010s had forced NPS to eliminate all staffing in the Georgetown section of the canal, including the boat program, and to defer important maintenance work. Georgetown Heritage brought the community together to revitalize the park. Through a partnership with NPS, the Georgetown Business Improvement District, and the District of Columbia government, our organization raised funds to build a new canal boat and restart interpretive and educational programs.  Georgetown Heritage’s mission quickly expanded beyond just the canal boat to restore, revitalize, and reimagine the one-mile section of the canal that runs through Georgetown. Click here to learn more about the plans we developed for the canal.

After some delays due to the covid-19 pandemic, Georgetown Heritage launched our first boat season in April 2022. Over the first two years, more than 35,000 guests came for a ride along the canal. Onboard our interpreters shared stories from the perspectives of individuals who lived and worked along the C&O Canal during and after its operational years. We are proud to have returned a canal boat to Georgetown and to continue to grow and expand our program offerings. Although our boat is currently out of service while the National Park Service completes repairs of the canal, we greatly look forward to returning the boat to operation in Spring 2026.