New Canal Boat Speaker Series

Join Georgetown Heritage for a new, monthly speaker series onboard the docked Canal boat, beginning Wednesday, June 18 with History Unlocked: Captain George Pointer and Canal-Fever. Enjoy light refreshments and wine or beer from 6-8pm while Tim Hannapel of Historic Chevy Chase explores the early history of how “canal-fever” infected early post-colonial U.S. history, including the contributions of an intrepid free Black man, Captain George Pointer, and his family. Pointer was one of the first employees of George Washington’s Patowmack Canal and spent his entire adult life working on that canal, rising to Supervising Engineer in 1816. He piloted President John Quincy Adams to the groundbreaking of the C&O Canal on July 4, 1828. The talk will also explore the early history of the C&O Canal and Georgetown in the 1830s and 1840s. The speaker series is one of the new ways Georgetown Heritage is engaging the community while the C&O Canal remains drained for important repair and rehabilitation work. Event proceeds will support canal boat and education programs.