Point of Rocks, Maryland
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Point of Rocks is a community in Frederick County, Maryland. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoctin Mountain, which were formed by the Potomac River cutting through the ridge in a water gap, a typical formation in the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians. The formation is not visible from the town and can only be seen from boats on the river, or from the southern bank of the river in Virginia.
Duke Energy applied to construct a power plant on the north edge of town. In November 2002, however, Duke officially canceled its proposal, though it retains property in the area.
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[edit] Transportation
The community contains the Point of Rocks Bridge of U.S. Route 15 over the Potomac River into Virginia. The bridge is the first such crossing of the river upstream of the American Legion Bridge on I-495 in Montgomery County. The only other crossing between them is White's Ferry.
Point of Rocks is a stop on the MARC Brunswick Line. The station, designed by E. Francis Baldwin, was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and completed in 1876. Marking the junction between the current main line and the Old Main Line, it remains one of the B&O's signature landmarks, and is a popular subject of railroad photography.
[edit] History
At one point, the narrow passage between the rocks at this site provoked a violent legal battle between the C&O Canal Company and the B&O Railroad over who could have control of the narrow pass. After years of disputes, both companies were allowed to build through the passage, with a wall between the two to avoid scaring the mules pulling the canal boats.
During the American Civil War, the town was often raided by Confederate partisans, such as John Mosby, Elijah V. White and John Mobberly, operating in Loudoun County, Virginia. The presence of the B&O railroad and C&O canal along with many exiled Unionists from Loudoun made the town such an attractive target.
[edit] Flooding
Older portions of the town are on the Potomac River flood plain and have been repeatedly inundated. An ongoing FEMA program to reduce flood insurance payouts has resulted in the purchase and demolition of a large portion of the lowest-lying properties.
[edit] External links
- Point of Rocks Community community website
- Point of Rocks, Maryland at the Open Directory Project
- Catoctin Formation
- Point of Rocks, Maryland is at coordinates Coordinates:
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