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46-698: Seneca Quarry is a historic site located at Seneca , Montgomery County , Maryland . It is located along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal on the north bank of the Potomac River , just west of Seneca Creek . The quarry was the source of stone for two Potomac River canals: the Patowmack Canal (opened in 1802, and officially known as the Great Falls Skirting Canal) on the Virginia side of Great Falls ; and

92-797: A Germantown campus known as the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology. It also has a campus in Rockville and a training center in Gaithersburg. The Universities at Shady Grove is located within North Potomac and offers select degree programs from nine public Maryland universities. Instead of being a university itself, this campus partners with other universities and offers courses for 80 upper-level undergraduate, graduate degree, and certificate programs. The participating universities handle admissions. Johns Hopkins University has

138-642: A campus in Rockville near the Universities at Shady Grove. Two libraries, part of the Montgomery County Public Library system , are located less than 10 miles (16 km) from Seneca. Poolesville Library, also known as Maggie Nightingale Library, is northwest of Seneca in Poolesville. Potomac Library, constructed in 1985 by the county, is located east of Seneca in Potomac. Priddy Library is part of

184-508: A community in 1787. He called it Newport, and it was located on the west side of the mouth of Great Seneca Creek, on the Potomac River and about 22 miles (35 km) upriver from Georgetown . The Newport name did not last long—the locals called the community Seneca. Robert Peter died in 1806, and his eldest son Thomas inherited land near Seneca including the quarry. Construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (a.k.a. C&O Canal) along

230-556: A housing density of 1,779.3 units per square mile (687.0 units/km ). Citizens of Seneca are part of District 1 of the Montgomery County Council . The county council has representatives from each of five districts plus four at-large members. All members are elected at once and serve four-year terms. Seneca's major roads are River Road (Maryland Route 190) and Seneca Road (Maryland Route 112). Three Interstate Highways are reasonably close. Maryland's Interstate 270

276-491: A permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village). A populated place is usually not incorporated and by definition has no legal boundaries. However, a populated place may have a corresponding "civil" record, the legal boundaries of which may or may not coincide with the perceived populated place. Seneca is located close to the intersection of River Road (Maryland Route 190), Seneca Road (Maryland route 112) , and Rileys Lock Road, east of Great Seneca Creek and north of

322-518: A total area of 17.70 square miles (45.8 km ). The population density for the CDP was 415.0 inhabitants per square mile (160.2/km ). The CDP had 2,275 housing units at an average density of 138.8 units per square mile (53.6 units/km ). These densities were much lower than county seat Rockville , where the District 4 portion had a population density of 4,403.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,700.1/km ) and

368-510: Is 17.70 square miles (45.8 km ) with the Potomac River as its southern border and the Muddy Branch as much of its eastern border. Seneca Creek borders portions of its north and west sides. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the Darnestown CDP population was 6,802—and Seneca's population is a small subset of the CDP total. Total land area for the CDP was 16.39 square miles (42.4 km ) out of

414-621: Is a major north–south Interstate Highway for Montgomery County that connects with Washington's Capital Beltway (a.k.a. Interstate 495). Interstate 95 is a major north–south highway for the nation's east coast . Portions of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 's Metrorail system are located in Montgomery County, and Red Line stations on the west side of the county are closest to Seneca. Among those west side Metro stations with ample parking lots

460-687: Is a public recreation area encompassing more than 6,300 acres (2,500 ha) along 14 miles of Seneca Creek in its run to the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland , United States. The park features facilities for boating and fishing as well as trails for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. It is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources . The park opened as Seneca State Park in 1958. The Maryland General Assembly authorized funds for land purchases in each year from 1965 to 1968. The park saw "Stage A" development when, in

506-533: Is also located along the Potomac River and C&O Canal. The Callithea Farm Special Park is a 91-acre (37   ha) horse farm. The Montgomery County Park System has over 200 miles (320 km) of hiking trails. Among those trails is the Muddy Branch Greenway Trail , which has a 9-mile (14 km) route between Darnestown Road and Blockhouse Point Conservation Park near the Potomac River. Seneca Creek State Park Seneca Creek State Park

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552-713: Is available for drop off of garbage, recycling, and yard debris. The nearest general hospital is the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville. This medical facility has a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services . Adventist Health Care has multiple satellite locations throughout the county. Seneca is served by Montgomery County Public Schools . Those that live on, or east of, Rileys Lock Road attend Darnestown Elementary, Lakelands Park Middle School , and Northwest High School . Northwest High School

598-476: Is bounded by Clopper Road to the north, Longdraft Road to the east, Great Seneca Highway to the south, and Riffleford Road to the west in Gaithersburg . Clopper Lake averages a depth of 18 feet (5.5 m), has shallow enclaves, is stocked with largemouth bass, tiger muskie, channel catfish, sunfish, bluegill, and pumpkinseed sunfish, and allows boating. The park contains 50 miles (80 km) of trails, some in

644-507: Is located in Germantown. Those that live west of Seneca Creek attend Poolesville elementary, middle, and high schools . Private schools in the area include Butler Montessori, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School, and Seneca Academy. Bullis School , which serves kindergarten through high school, is located slightly further away on a 102-acre campus in Potomac, Maryland . Montgomery College has

690-491: Is located where the Seneca Aqueduct carries the canal over Seneca Creek near the community. By 1833, enough of the canal was completed to enable canal service between Georgetown and Lock 24, and further upriver—providing access to new markets for Peter's sandstone quarry. Portions of the canal locks and lock houses were constructed using the quarry's distinctive red sandstone. The same quarry, with its own stone-cutting mill ,

736-505: Is still listed by the United States Geological Survey as a populated place. Seneca is a populated place that is not a census-designated or incorporated place having an official federally recognized name. Previous names for the community are Newport and possibly Middlebrook Mills. Seneca is located in Montgomery County, Maryland. The USGS defines a populated place as a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and

782-497: Is the Grosvenor-Strathmore station . Seneca's electric power is provided by Pepco (Potomac Electric Power Company), which serves much of Montgomery County, portions of Prince George's County , and all of the District of Columbia. Washington Gas provides natural gas service to residents and businesses. The Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station, a county waste collection facility located in Rockville,

828-512: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park , as is the nearby Pennyfield Lock . These locks are used by kayakers, bikers, and hikers, and are also good places to observe wildlife. The 40–acre (16 ha) Dierssen Waterfowl Sanctuary is located at towpath marker 20.0 between Violette's Lock and the Pennyfield Lock. The McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area is located on River Road west of Seneca in Montgomery County, and borders

874-487: The Seneca Historic District . The community of Seneca exists in Montgomery County, Maryland , on Seneca Creek near the Potomac River . The creek was once very powerful, and eight of Montgomery County's 44 mills in existence before 1800 were located on this creek or its tributaries. The Seneca Mill, a gristmill , began operation around 1780, and was located on Seneca Creek close to the Potomac River. In 1781,

920-516: The University of Maryland Libraries system and is located at the Universities at Shady Grove in North Potomac. The Priddy Library opened in 2007 and is available to the public. The Seneca Schoolhouse Museum provides tours to schoolchildren so that they can experience a typical school day as it would have been on March 13, 1880. Glenstone Modern Art Museum is about six miles east of Seneca near

966-529: The 1966, the General Assembly authorized funds for camping and picnicking sites, roads, utilities, buildings, and other features. In 1975, Clopper Lake was created for recreational use and flood control by damming Long Draught Creek, a tributary of Seneca Creek. The developed portion of the state park centers on 90-acre (36 ha) Clopper Lake and the Clopper Lake Day Use Area (CLDUA) which

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1012-525: The C&;O Canal for two years. Baltimore quarry operator George Mann purchased the Seneca quarry in 1891 and operated it for the next decade. By 1901, quarrying operations had stopped as the quality of the rock diminished and Victorian architecture was no longer in vogue. The Seneca Schoolhouse, a small one-room schoolhouse of red sandstone, was built in 1866 to educate the children of the stone cutters who worked at

1058-481: The C&O Canal, having supplied red sandstone for the latter for locks 9, 11, 15 - 27, and 30, the accompanying lock houses, and Aqueduct No. 1, better known as Seneca Aqueduct , constructed from 1828 to 1833. Seneca red sandstone, also known as redstone, formed during the Late Triassic age, 230 to 210 million years ago. The current geological name is Poolesville Member of Manassas Sandstone. Iron oxide gives

1104-583: The C&O Canal, just NW of the aqueduct" and the restored quarry master's house, located within Seneca Creek State Park . The quarry proper, Seneca Aqueduct, and the quarry cemetery are all part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park . The quarry falls within the boundaries of the Seneca Historic District . Seneca Quarry was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Seneca, Maryland Today (2020),

1150-499: The C&O Canal. The Seneca Ridge Trail is a 5.8 miles (9.3 km) natural surface trail in the upland areas on the south bank of Seneca Creek. It provides a connection between Clopper Lake and Schaeffer Farm and is usable for hiking , trail running , and biking . Sections of Seneca Creek can be travelled by kayak, especially south of Route 28, Darnestown Road, or further north during periods of high water. North of Route 28, it may be necessary to portage around trees down across

1196-538: The C&O National Park and Seneca Creek State Park. It is a 1,971 acres (798 ha) tract that provides habitat for deer, turkeys, squirrels, songbirds, and waterfowl. On the Potomac River, the Seneca Landing Special Park has a boat landing near Riley's Lock. The 630-acre (250-hectare) Blockhouse Point Conservation Park, which has views of the Potomac River and ruins from the American Civil War,

1242-697: The CLDUA, and 12 miles (19 km) in the Schaeffer Farm Trails Area. Trails are used for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. The Lake Shore Trail loops around Clopper Lake. 16.5 miles (26.6 km) miles of the Seneca Creek Greenway Trail follows Great Seneca Creek within the park from Route 355 to the Potomac River . The Seneca Bluffs Trail is a 7.5 miles (12.1 km) natural surface trail between Black Rock Mill, Darnestown Road, Poole's General Store, and

1288-705: The D.C. Jail in the 1870s. Montgomery C. Meigs purchased the Government Quarry nearby for the Washington Aqueduct project in the 1850s, and that quarry provided stone for the parapet of the Union Arch Bridge , better known as the "Cabin John Bridge," the Washington Aqueduct Dam at Great Falls, McClellan Gate at Arlington National Cemetery , as well as the mile-long boundary wall that surrounds

1334-463: The Potomac River began on July 4, 1828. The canal was necessary because portions of the river were too shallow and rocky for freight boat traffic. By that time, the Seneca Quarry and some nearby land on the Potomac River were owned by John Parke Custis Peter, the eldest son of Thomas and Martha Peter. The canal increased the importance of Seneca, and C&O Canal Lock 24, now known as Riley's Lock ,

1380-558: The Potomac River. The C&O Canal runs along the river, and Riley's Lock is the closest canal lock. The southern portion of Seneca Creek State Park is nearby, as is the Bretton Woods Golf Course. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) lists the community's elevation as 187 feet (57 meters). Seneca is part of the Darnestown census-designated place (CDP), an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. The CDP

1426-524: The Washington, D.C. market, and the quarry's success is attributed to the canal. The Peter family of Georgetown, which built Tudor Place , owned the quarry from 1781 until 1866. John P.C. Peter, a great-grandson of Martha Washington, made the quarry into a commercial success by utilizing the C&O and winning the bid to supply red sandstone for the Smithsonian Castle , constructed 1847-1855. Peter built

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1472-681: The cemetery. After the American Civil War , the Seneca Sandstone Company purchased the quarry in 1866, expanding the stonecutting mill in 1868, but went bankrupt in 1876 after financial mismanagement, sometimes referred to as the "Seneca Stone Ring Scandal." It was closed for seven years. In 1883, the Potomac Red Sandstone Company reopened the quarry but only operated until 1889, when the Great Flood of 1889 knocked out

1518-639: The community uses a Poolesville ZIP code , but is part of the Darnestown census-designated place . The Seneca schoolhouse is a museum, and nearby Riley's Lock and lock house are part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park . The community is located near the Dierssen Wildlife Management Area and the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area . Since 1978, Seneca and additional territory have been part of

1564-417: The creek. The park has picnicking facilities, a tire playground, a 27-hole disc golf course, and a restored 19th-century cabin. Hunting is permitted in several areas of the park. Since 1995, the annual Winter Lights Festival has featured a drive-through holiday light show at year's end in the Clopper Lake Day Use Area. The park also offers visitors hayrides that showcase the local fauna. The highlight of

1610-424: The hayride is when the tour guide shines a flashlight into a particular glade and dozens of pairs of white-tailed deer eyes light up in response. The remains of Seneca Quarry , built in 1837, is off Tschiffely Mill Road just west of where Seneca Creek empties into the Potomac. The mill cut the red sandstone for the Smithsonian Castle . The restored quarry masters house stands above the quarry site. Both are part of

1656-490: The intersection of Travilah Road and Glen Road. The Strathmore Music and Arts Center in North Bethesda has a concert hall and art exhibits. Seneca Creek State Park is an irregular-shaped park of 6,300 acres (2,500 ha) that follows Seneca Creek for 14 miles (23 km) to the Potomac River. The park has 50 miles (80 km) of trails for hiking, horseback riding and biking. Riley's Lock and Violette's Lock are in

1702-561: The quarry. Located in Poolesville, Maryland , it provides tours to schoolchildren so that they can experience a typical school day as it would have been on March 13, 1880. Seneca Quarry is now overgrown with sycamore trees, tulip poplars, and dense brush such as wild rose , such that it is impenetrable much of the year. It is best visited in winter. The property includes ruins of the stonecutting mill, located at "the Junction of Seneca Creek and

1748-440: The ruins were destroyed when River Road was widened in the 1960s. In 2021, the radio telescope is gone and the site is now part of the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area . A historical marker commemorating the discovery is located on River Road at the management area's parking lot. All that remains of Seneca are a few homes, the schoolhouse as a museum, the store, and ruins of the stone-cutting mill and quarry. The community

1794-420: The sandstone its rust color. It was prized for its ease of cutting, durability and bright color. The stone quarried here for the Smithsonian Castle was originally described as "lilac grey" in color when quarried," but turned rusty red as it weathered. Numerous quarries operated on the one-mile stretch of the Potomac River west of Seneca Creek. The C&O Canal provided a way for the heavy sandstone to reach

1840-692: The state of Maryland confiscated the lands of Daniel Dulany the Younger , a prominent Loyalist to the Crown from Annapolis . His land along the Potomac River included a portion along Seneca Creek, and it was sold to help the state pay for the American Revolutionary War . Robert Peter purchased 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) of the Dulany property in Montgomery County, including the land that contained red sandstone . Not far from Peter's property, John Garrett laid out

1886-456: The state park. The partially restored Black Rock Mill has interpretive exhibits featuring a history of area floods. The Seneca Schoolhouse is a restored 19th-century schoolhouse which was built for the children of local quarry laborers. Parts of the park were once part of an estate owned by the Clopper family. The Woodlands area near the Clopper Lake Day Use Area commemorates the Clopper family with

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1932-633: The stonecutting mill, drawing power from the adjacent canal turning basin. He also built a miniature of Tudor Place near the quarry called Montevideo, now owned by the Kiplinger family. Seneca Quarry provided the stone for hundreds of buildings around the Washington, DC area, including houses in the Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan area, the James Renwick Jr. -designed Trinity Episcopal Church (1849; demolished 1936), Luther Place Memorial Church (1873), and

1978-487: The vicinity". The community also had a store and post office. However, freight traffic on the C&O Canal had already peaked in 1871, starting a downward trend that would end with the canal closing permanently in 1924. As the canal declined, Seneca declined, and the permanent closure of the canal caused Seneca to lose its relevance. The school closed in 1910. Seneca was the location of the Mills Cross Array , once

2024-557: The world's largest radio telescope which, in 1955, was used to make the first observations of radio waves emitted from a planet. In this case, the planet was Jupiter , and the discovery led to the growth of a new field of radio astronomy . The Seneca Mill, a gristmill also known as the Darby Mill and later the Tchiffely Mill, was located on the west side of Seneca Creek about 0.5 miles north of River Road. The mill burned around 1956 and

2070-556: Was difficult for the Peter family. Several skirmishes between Union and Confederate troops occurred nearby, including an attack in 1863 that damaged nearby canal infrastructure. After the war in 1866, the Peter family sold the quarry and nearby property to the newly created Seneca Sandstone Company. Upton Darby donated land for a one-room schoolhouse that was built using red sandstone from the local quarry. An 1879 Montgomery County directory lists Seneca as having "public schools and churches in

2116-494: Was used to produce material for buildings in Washington such as the Smithsonian Institution Building . The canal also opened markets for area farmers. John Darby, and his son Upton, purchased the Seneca grist mill in 1855. In addition to milling operations, Darby's company shipped products on the C&O Canal. They had a warehouse on the creek (near Lock 24) and their own canal boats. The American Civil War

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