Canal Trust Raising Funds, Not for Replacement Canal Boat

When The Georgetown is towed away later this fall, the canal in Georgetown will be boatless.

The Georgetown C&O Canal Boat will be towed away from Georgetown some time in November before Thanksgiving, but there is no replica replacement boat in the works. The National Park Service plans to begin a motorized launch program in Georgetown next spring. There is no fundraising campaign to secure a new mule-drawn boat. When a supporter of The Georgetown wooden replica boat saw a notice for a fundraiser being held by The Canal Trust in October, he told Patch he felt "snubbed." Get daily and breaking news email updates from Georgetown Patch by signing up for newsletters here. The Canal Trust is holding a fundraiser, Park in the Dark, on Oct. 13, which costs $150 a head. The proceeds this year "will support improvements in the park and the…

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Shaun Courtney

10:50 am on Thursday, September 27, 2012

Thanks, Mary Jo. We're happy to let people know about what sounds like a great event! -Shaun   more ›

Canal Boat Departure Delayed Until Fall

Logistical challenges in transporting the aging boat have delayed its departure from Georgetown.

One day this fall a team of mules will tow The Georgetown canal boat along the C&O Canal towards Fletcher's Cove, where the boat will be demolished. The National Park Service, which operates the C&O Canal and its historic outreach programs, determined that repairs to the mule-drawn 1870's replica boat would be "cost prohibitive." Since making that determination, the challenge has been to determine how exactly to move the vessel. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Georgetown Patch by signing up for newsletters here. Brian Carlstrom, the deputy superintendent for the NPS's C&O Canal, said the bids from companies that would have used a crane to lift the boat from its dry dock all came in "far too expensive." "We would have liked …

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Crowd Bids Farewell to Georgetown Canal Boat

The Georgetown mule-drawn canal boat is slated to be removed and demolished because extensive repairs needed are too expensive.

Dozens of community members, history lovers and volunteers found their way to Lock 4 of the C&O Canal Thursday to share memories and honor The Georgetown canal boat. The boat will be moved in the next several weeks to Fletchers Cove where it will be dismantled; disassembled out of existence. The National Park Service, which operates the C&O Canal and its historic outreach programs, determined that repairs to the mule-drawn 1870's replica boat would be "cost prohibitive," according to John Noel, a regional spokesperson for the agency. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Georgetown Patch by signing up for newsletters here. Arlette Cahen-Coppock, a local salon owner, along with her husband Bob Coppock organized the farewell party …

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TONIGHT: Farewell Party for 'The Georgetown'

Neighbors will gather to mourn the loss of The Georgetown, a replica mule-drawn canal boat, at 5 p.m. at Lock 4 (between Thomas Jefferson and 31st Streets).

Canal Boat Farewell Party Planned for Wednesday

Neighbors will gather to mourn the loss of The Georgetown, a replica mule-drawn canal boat.

The farewell party for "The Georgetown" replica canal boat, which will soon be transported to Fletchers Cove and destroyed, is Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Lock 4 (between Thomas Jefferson and 31st Streets). "Demonstrate your support for our historic, reproduction canal boat and the loss of this interpretive treasure by joining with us," reads an invitation sent to neighbors and supporters last week. It is not clear if the boat will be taken away to be destroyed this week or at a later time. The National Park Service (NPS) did not respond to an email Patch sent Thursday inquiring about the timeline. As Patch previously reported, the NPS, which operates the C&O Canal and its historic outreach programs, determined that repairs to the mule-drawn …

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Shaun Courtney

11:46 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Thanks P Leary. The wake is part real, part PR; they hope to raise funds to have a new boat made!   more ›

Saying Farewell to The Georgetown, a Boat With a 'Soul'

The Georgetown mule-drawn canal boat is slated to be removed and demolished

A group of neighbors and local history lovers are planning a farewell party for The Georgetown canal boat, which will soon be transported to Fletchers Cove and destroyed. Certain parts of the boat will be kept for posterity. Though National Park Service (NPS) Regional Director Steven Whitesell wrote in a letter dated Feb. 23 "Our long term plan for the boat is to preserve its legacy as a fixed interpretive and educational exhibit in Williamsport, Maryland," the boat will not become an exhibit. NPS, which operates the C&O Canal and its historic outreach programs, determined that repairs to the mule-drawn 1870's replica boat would be "cost prohibitive," according to John Noel, a regional spokesperson for the agency. Get daily and breaking …

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