- Point of Rocks, Maryland
Point of Rocks is a community in
Frederick County, Maryland . It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacentCatoctin Mountain , which were formed by thePotomac River cutting through the ridge in awater gap , a typical formation in theRidge-and-valley Appalachians . The formation is not visible from the town and can only be seen from boats on the river, or from the southern bank of the river inVirginia .Duke Energy filed an application with theMaryland Public Service Commission to construct a power plant on the north edge of town. In November 2002, however, Duke officially canceled its proposal, though it retains property in the area.Transportation
The community contains the
Point of Rocks Bridge ofU.S. Route 15 over the Potomac River into Virginia. The bridge is the first such crossing of the river upstream of the American Legion Bridge on I-495 in Montgomery County. The only other crossing between them isWhite's Ferry .Point of Rocks is a stop on the MARC Brunswick Line. The station, designed by
E. Francis Baldwin , was built by the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad and completed in1876 . Marking the junction between the current main line and the Old Main Line, it remains one of the B&O's signature landmarks, and is a popular subject of railroad photography.History
In 1828, the narrow passage between the rocks at this site provoked a violent legal battle between the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Company and the B&O Railroad over who could have control of the narrow pass.Citation|last=Lynch|first=John A.|author-link= |title=Justice Douglas, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, and Maryland Legal History|journal=University of Baltimore Law Forum|volume=35|issue=Spring 2005 |pages=104-125|date= |year=|url= |doi= |id = ] After years of disputes, both companies finally compromised and allowed both canal and railroad to build on the right of way through the passage, with a wall between the two to avoid trains scaring the
mules that pulled the canal boats.During the
American Civil War , the town was often raided by Confederatepartisans , such asJohn Mosby ,Elijah V. White andJohn Mobberly , operating inLoudoun County, Virginia . The presence of the B&O railroad and C&O canal along with many exiled Unionists from Loudoun made the town such an attractive target.Flooding
Older portions of the town are on the Potomac River
flood plain and have been repeatedly inundated. An ongoingFederal Emergency Management Agency program to reduceflood insurance payouts has resulted in the purchase and demolition of a large portion of structures on the lowest-lying properties.References
ee also
*
Loudoun County in the American Civil War External links
* [http://www.pointofrocks.org Point of Rocks Community] community website
*dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Maryland/Localities/P/Point_of_Rocks/|Point of Rocks, Maryland
* [http://mcmullans.org/geoweb/BasicPageListing/catoctin_formation.htm Catoctin Formation]
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