Ashburn Magazine

150 year-old canal lies hidden in the woods of Lansdowne

By nature, I’m a history buff. I enjoy learning about the past – especially the local past and the history of the places where I live. Before becoming editor of Ashburn Magazine, I wrote three history books about the Florida community I lived in.

So, when I heard that ruins of an old canal and stone locks were in the woods along Goose Creek near the Potomac River north of Ashburn, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about them and to see them for myself.

That was a decade ago. I am nothing if not a procrastinator. But after years of thinking about it, I finally decided to tackle finding this section of old canal hidden so close to home. So, on a cool October morning, I set off on my quest.

I headed to the Bazil Newman Riverfront Park in Lansdowne. (You may recall this used to be known as the Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park until the county changed the name earlier this year.)

I parked in the small public parking lot, walked past a starter’s booth at The Golf Club at Lansdowne and made my way down a golf cart path before veering off into the park. From there, I headed in a northerly direction down a shaded path along the Potomac.

As I hiked, I thought about the canal and what I had learned about it.

To read more about the history of the Goose Creek Canal and what’s actually hidden in the easily accessible woods in Lansdowne, click here and head over to the Ashburn Magazine website for the rest of the story.