The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was started in Washington D.C. in 1828 and made it to Cumberland, Md in 1850. It was constructed to provide transportation for people, and shipping for food, building materials, and other goods. The canal was susceptible to siltation from runoff and it was used as a sewer. It had to be shut down and dug out from time to time. In Georgetown near Wisconsin Avenue, between locks 4 and 5, the canal was repeatedly dredged and the spoil was piled against the rear of the buildings. In the spring of 2000 one of those buildings was razed to make way for a new business and some of the dirt and rubble was trucked to Centreville, Va for use as fill dirt. Five of the area relic hunters noticed the enormous amount of glass and bone in these particular dump loads. We made a lot of interesting discoveries. Here are some of mine.


 

Georgetown finds
Identifiable finds from Georgetown including Navy buttons, Artillery button, toothbrush, picket bullet, mouth harp, pipe bowl, "puppy paw" hooks from belt plate, part of breastplate, part of bull's eye rosette, thimbles, coins, oarlock, 1/2 ink well, clock key...

Georgetown finds
More finds from Georgetown including padlocks, lock covers, marbles and lots of unidentified things.

Georgetown finds
Parts of bottles, pipe stem, and a doll's arm.