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Mile 48.9 - Historical notes from Gary Pyles:
My grandfather, William Henry Fulton, was the last lock keeper at lock
28 at Point-of-Rocks, Maryland. The Fultons were originally from
Loudouncounty, Virginia, just across the Potomac from Point-of-Rocks,
Maryland,where they had a farm since the late 1700's. In
1864 the Union army hadpurposely devastated Loudoun county
and ruined the economy there for manyyears to come. Under
orders from Grant to raze the area, Gen. Phillip H.Sherman
burned fields and farms, drove off all livestock and took all slaves
and white men under the age of 51,regardless of political leanings,
in orderto deny forage, comfort and manpower to Confederate
Mosby and his raiderswhich had been a thorn in the Union
army's side in the area. Ruined farmersand artisans were
forced to leave their homes and relocate across the river
in Point-of-Rocks where many of them found jobs on the canal and railroad.
William Henry Fulton eventually married Emma Florence Oden of
Point-of-Rocks and they raised 10 children including my mother, Lula
FultonPyles, in the tiny lock house where he had become the
lock keeper. WilliamHenry died on Christmas morning in 1933
and his wake and funeral took placeat the lock house 28.
His wife Emma died January 14, 1940 and they are bothburied
in a corner of the St. Paul's cemetery near Point-of-Rocks. Their
children are buried in different locations in the the cemetery. A
son who isalso buried there, Ollie Fulton, was found dead
on the railroad tracksacross from the lock house in 1913,
allegedly killed by a train but thoughtby most to have been
murdered. A daughter Esther, who was said to have beenstrikingly
beautiful, died at a young age in the great flu epidemic which
swept the area around 1918 and is buried near her father.
Two sons, Willie and Walter lived for many years until their deaths,
along the side of Catoctin mountain near the lock house and were
familiarsights near the Potomac as they were both avid bass
fishermen. Walter diedin 1968 at age 78 and Willie died in
1964 at age 79. Willie had worked attimes on the family farm
of Pepper Scotto of this forum. I believe one orboth of them
had met Bobby Kennedy and Justice Douglas when they hiked the canal. I'd like
to hear about any families from this area and stories of the canal era and the railroad
there.
Mile 48.9 - The lock house is 18 x 30, made of whitewashed brick and 1 1/2 stories high with a basement.
Notice the clump of bamboo to the right, there was a very healthy bamboo grove growing here that NPS destroyed a few years ago. Bamboo does grow in the Washington DC area, the National Zoo has it planted all over its ground as food for the pandas.
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