Seneca Quarry National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form

Seneca Stone Cutting Mill Photos Summer 2005

Sandstone Workings - MHS Paper

Seneca Creek Quarry - History of its Operations

Seneca Stone Cutting Mill

National Register of Historic Places Inventory

Seneca Stone Cutting Mill Photos

The Seneca Quarry is located on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the east bank of the Potomac River about twenty-five miles northwest of Washington, near the village of Seneca, Maryland. The north retaining wall of the canal, a culvert to conduct a small creek under the canal at the west end of the quarry, and the Seneca Aqueduct, which carries the canal over Seneca Creek, are constructed of the local Seneca stone.

Only two buildings stand in the designated area: the cutting building at the east side of the quarry, and a duplex on the hill overlooking the quarry and river. Both structures are in ruins and are constructed of Seneca stone.

The cutting building for "working" architectural blocks was built probably in the 1830's, and doubled in size to its present dimensions sometime later than 1830. The four exterior and center walls, of Seneca stone, are standing and are reasonably sound. There are no remains of the timber roof or other wood portions. From the gable (south) which faces the canal, the outline of a low-pitched roof can be traced. The stone is rough finished in rectangular blocks.

Probably dating from mid nineteenth century, the duplex on the hill is built of rough rubble stone laid in regular courses except at the corners, sills, and lintels. On the east facade, the latter are smooth finish, rectangular blocks. Some of the same smooth blocks were used as paving, leading to the two east doors. The two and one-half story structure had two rooms on each floor of each unit. A single fireplace was located in each west room. Most of the south gable has collapsed beneath the 'A1 roof. One dormer on each side of the roof lights the
attic chambers.

The major part of the quarry is located south and southwest of the duplex. Its red walls and rough floor are overgrown with an accumulation of vegetation and look as though they had never been disturbed.

The Seneca Quarry was a source of stone for two Potomac River Canals, the Potomac Company and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company (1780's to 1820's), and for the Smithsonian Institution (1847-1848).

The initial major quarrying 'activities at Seneca occurred in 1785. The Potomac Company, whose first president was George Washington, had been incorporated to extend navigation upstream on the Potomac River. At Great Falls, the Company constructed five locks on the Virginia side of the river. The Company used Seneca stone for these locks which were a major contribution to the development of American engineering. Expensive maintenance, because of the vicissitudes of the Potomac Company, forced the firm to close the canal. The Seneca stone, however, has withstood the ravages of nature and is still in place along the ruins of the Potomac Company canal.

The second canal project on the Potomac River--the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company--used Seneca stone because of its durability and the proximity^ of the quarries to the canal route. The C & 0 Canal Company used Seneca stone on its canal around Great Falls, on the Maryland side of the Potomac. The C & 0 aqueduct across Seneca Creek was also built of Seneca stone. The Montgomery County stone proved its durability for it is still in good condition long after the Canal has ceased to function.

Seneca stone is obvious in James Renwick's building for the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall in Washington, D. C. (1847-1848). The building committee for the Smithsonian c6nducted a thorough investigation to uncover the most durable and practical building material. For several reasons, the committee chose stone from the Seneca quarries, then operated by John Peter. A large supply of the stone existed. The quarry was near the C & O Canal which assured easy transportation to Washington. Seneca stone, although malleable when first quarried, becomes extremely hard. It is able to resist damage from changes in the atmosphere and from mechanical assaults.

Renwick personally visited the quarry and selected the stone for the Smithsonian.
As the C & 0 Canal used Seneca stone for building, the Seneca quarries in turn used the Canal for transportation. After 1830 when the Seneca section of the Canal had been completed, the operators of the quarry used the water power from the canal to smooth, cut and polish stone blocks. A diversionary stream from the canal provided the power for the machinery used to finish the rough blocks.

In 1833, the Potomac Red Sandstone Company signed a lease with the C & 0 Canal Company for 1,250 inches of water at fifty cents per inch per annum. In 1893, the Seneca Stone Company paid $833.33 for the use of water power from the canal.

By 1900, quarrying operations at the Seneca Quarry had stopped. The quality of-the remaining stone' had deteriorated beyond the point of usefulness.

Major Bibliographical References:
Douglas, Paul H. and William K. Jones. “Sandstone, Canals and the Smithsonian.” The Smithsonian Journal of History. Vol. III. Spring 1968, 41-58

Geographical Data

Corner	Latitude			Longitude
	Degrees	Minutes	Seconds	Degrees	Minutes	Seconds
NW	39	04	15.0	77	21	05
NE	39	04	15.0	77	20	26
SE	39	04	02.5	77	20	26
SW	39	04	03.0	77	21	04

Form Prepared by: Nancy Miller, Historian, and Michael Bourne, Field Surveyor.
Date Prepared: September 26, 1972
Organization: Maryland National Trust, 2525 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD
Approximate Acreage of Property: 91.2 acres.

[Editor's Note: This information is from the archives at the Montgomery County Historical Society Library and used with their very kind permission.]

 

Copyright © 2008 SamLindsey.com.  All rights reserved.

Privacy Statement

Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited