Fletcher's Cove: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Gjesfjeld CC and Quinn Evans. 2023. Fletcher's Cove: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 600270. National Park Service. NPS National Capital Regional Office, Washington, D.C. / CRIS-CL Database

The content of the Fletcher’s Cove CLI has largely been adapted from the Fletcher’s Cove Cultural Landscape Report that was prepared by Quinn Evans in 2022. Fletcher’s Cove is situated within the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Northwest Washington, District of Columbia. The 44-acre Fletcher’s Cove cultural landscape is a natural feature of the Potomac River that played a role in human cultures throughout history. Affected by tidal flows, the area was a fertile fishing ground used by Indigenous Peoples with human occupation at the cove documented to at least as early as 9500 BCE. In the eighteenth century, canals represented the future of commerce and transportation in the United States, and by the early nineteenth century, George Washington’s Potomac Company constructed the Little Falls Skirting Canal, which terminated in Fletcher’s Cove. The Company was established in 1784 with the mission to establish a reliable navigable connection between Western Maryland and Washington, D.C. Some of the earliest known developments in the area include the construction of the extant 1801 Abner Cloud House and a contemporaneous, nonextant grist mill that later developed into an industrial complex for guano production. Later, between 1828 and 1831, the C&O Canal was built, utilizing the Potomac Company’s canal prism and extending it from Fletcher’s Cove to Georgetown. The canal prism, towpath, and associated features are visible in the cultural landscape today and provide interpretive and recreational opportunities for park visitors. During the period of canal operation, Fletcher’s Cove became a hub of commercial and residential activity. As early as the 1850s, the area was also utilized for recreation. Fletcher’s Boathouse rented rowboats to fishermen and visitors. These uses persist today with over 600,000 visitors every year. Significance Summary The C&O Canal was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A, C, and D in the areas of Architecture, Commerce, Conservation, Engineering, Military, and Transportation. This CLI proposes that Fletcher’s Cove is eligible for individual listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A, C, and D in the areas of Commerce, Conservation, Transportation, Engineering, and Archeology. The period of significance extends from 1793 to 1966, which encompasses the physical development of Fletcher’s Cove including the mill, mill races, guano factory, and circulation associated with the canal and industrial buildings. Analysis and Evaluation Summary and Condition Several landscape characteristics help to convey the historic character of the site, including natural systems and features, land use, topography, spatial organization, constructed water features, circulation, views and vistas, vegetation, buildings and structures, small‐scale features, and archeological sites. Overall, the Fletcher’s Cove cultural landscape retains integrity in location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Although there have been some changes since the historic period, the landscape retains the characteristics, physical attributes, and historic associations it had during the period of significance from 1793 to 1966 and remains in fair condition.

Type
Published Report
Authors
Gjesfjeld, Cortney; Quinn Evans
Date of Issue
2023
Publisher
National Park Service
Units
CHOH , NCR
Keywords
Abner Cloud House, Archeology, Battery Kemble, Battery Kemble Culvert, boathouse, Branch, bridge, C&O, C&O Canal, Canal, Canal Road, Chesapeake, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, circulation, CLI, Cloud, Cloud House, Commerce, Conservation, constructed water feature, Cove, Cultural Landscape, Cultural Landscapes Inventory, culvert, Engineering, Entertainment/Recreation, Fletcher’s, Fletcher’s Road, Fletcher's Boathouse, Fletcher's Cove, Georgetown, landscape, landscape treatment, Little Falls, Little Falls Skirting Canal, Lock Cove, locks, Maddox, Maddox Branch, mill, Ohio, park, Potomac, Potomac Canal Company, Potomac River, Reservation 404, Reservoir Road, river, riverfront, Skirting Canal, towpath, trail, Transportation, Washington
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Human Use | Cultural Landscapes | Cultural Landscapes , NPS.gov Subject Site: Cultural Landscapes , CRIS-CL: 600270: Abner Cloud House / Patowmack Canal , CRIS-CL: 600268: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Full text (PDF)

Series

See also

Browse the catalog