The pressure was off once I flipped the status of Washington County to “overnight” on my County Counting list. Officially it became Overnight County #205. Now I could concentrate on exploring beyond Hagerstown and further into the countryside.
Hancock
I’ve always loved driving through Hancock on the western side of Washington County. I’ve mentioned it in Twelve Mile Circle before due to its fortunate placement inside of Maryland’s odd little neck.
I even wrote an entire article about it way back in 2008, called the Narrowest point in Maryland. Here, only about 1.4 miles (2.25 kilometres) separates West Virginia from Pennsylvania. It comes ever-so-close to pinching Maryland into two separate sections. But a lot happens in this tightly confined space where Hancock nestles.
First I drove through the neck and even went a few miles further to a favorite spot, the roadcut at Sideling Hill. Then I looped back on the old National Pike and crossed the mountain like travelers did in the days before the Interstate Highway existed, for no reason other than I’d never done it before. That led back to Hancock in a slower more scenic fashion.
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Hancock has long been a transportation hub along the Potomac River. Initially it provided a favorable place for a ferry crossing, allowing a settlement to form as early as the 1730’s. Then came the National Pike, the C&O Canal, a railroad line, and finally the Interstate Highway System where I-68 splits from I-70. So Hancock always had plenty of good reasons to exist for more than three centuries.
Today the town attracts travelers who need to pull-off the highway for fuel or supplies, but it also caters to tourists on its own merits. This is one of several gateways to the C&O canal towpath. Boats no longer navigate the canal, but hikers, runners, and bicyclists love to use the trail (as well as the adjacent Western Maryland Rail Trail which is paved). Tons of people pour into the area weather permitting, but not so much on a cold, rainy February day.
I’ve ridden portions of the trail many times but not out here yet. The entire journey stretches about 185 miles (300 km) from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. Someday I’ll do it.
Hancock 5k
This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about racing in Hancock. For instance, I discussed one possibility in Fictional Geo-Marathons during the early days of 12MC. That time I concocted a completely theoretical 26.2 mile marathon course that would include the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The last portion would leverage the unique geographic situation of Maryland’s narrow neck.
It was wildly impractical and it will never happen. However, what if I narrowed down my ambitions to a 5 kilometre race involving three states instead. Would that work?
So yes, I explored a potential race course on the ground. This is the Pennsylvania end, just across Maryland’s northern border. I would start the race in Pennsylvania because the terrain slopes downhill towards the Potomac River and I’d rather work with gravity than fight it. I’m lazy like that.
Entering Hancock, the course would head straight down Main Street and cross the river on U.S. Route 522. This is the West Virginia end, just across Maryland’s southern border.
My wife has some experience working with running companies to organize races and she said it would be highly complicated. Organizers would have to work with three completely different jurisdictions. Nobody wants to deal with three times the number of permits, road closures, police departments, and everything else needed for a successful race.
Nonetheless, I think it would be entirely feasible for a single person to run it unsupported, maybe at the crack of dawn on a weekend morning. Maybe someone has already done that.
Stopping for Lunch
So it was approaching noon by then and we were getting a little hungry. Fortunately Hancock offered several choices, both national fast food chains and local mom-and-pops. We chose the latter. Sunday brunch at Buddylou’s Eats Drinks & Antiques seemed like a decent choice, right along the canal with a large parking lot. I wasn’t sure what to make of the restaurant and antique store combination but it seemed to be a thing, and it sufficiently scratched my itch for kitsch.
Wilson
Next we drove to the tiny village of Wilson (map) along the old National Road, heading back in the general direction of Hagerstown. This isn’t really a tourist spot but I wanted to see something specific.
Wilson Bridge
This was the site of the Historic Wilson Bridge. I’ve always been a sucker for a good bridge and I’ll go out of my way to see one. I first learned about this particularly fine example when a reader mentioned it in a comment several years ago. From there it became a part of my “someday” list and fortunately someday finally arrived.
Wilson Bridge dates to 1819, originally constructed for the Hagerstown and Conococheague Turnpike, spanning Conococheague creek. Later the National Road followed the same path across. The bridge continued to perform well into the automobile age until flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Agnes damaged it in the 1970’s. Then the state built a modern bridge next to it and rerouted Route 40, preserving Wilson Bridge as an historical site.
However the “new” bridge complicated our visit. In the photo, you can barely see a crane and construction in the background where it’s being refurbished. So Route 40 was completely closed. We had to twist-and-turn along back roads to reach the overlook.
Wilson Store
Since we were already in Wilson, we figured we should stop at the Wilson Store. That and the bridge seemingly defined most of the village. This establishment goes all the way back to 1850 when Rufus Wilson wanted to attract customers traveling the National Road. It’s an old-fashioned general store, just like something out of the turn of the last century. My favorite feature: dozens of glass jars filled with loose candy for sale.
So Much More!
We could have visited so many other places in Washington County but I’d seen them before. Nonetheless, anyone exploring the area might want to save some time for a few of these. For example:
- Antietam National Battlefield. 1862 Civil War site of the deadliest single-day battle in American history with over 23,000 casualties.
- Appalachian Trail. Yes, this is an Appalachian Trail county. The renowned trail straddles a crest separating the eastern edge of Washington County from the western edge of Frederick County. The trail meanders back and forth across the line.
- Gathland State Park. It straddles the trail so a portion of it resides within Washington County, even if the famed War Correspondents Arch sits on the Frederick side (my photo from 2018).
- Maryland Heights. A lovely scenic hike with a great view of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, and across to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
- Sideling Hill. I know I mentioned it above but I talked about it a lot more in an earlier article.
Two days really can’t do Washington County justice. It packs so many sites within its footprint.
Breweries
The weather was a lot nastier on this our second day, and the cold, miserable rain discouraged us. So we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting local breweries. I’ll mention the usual caveat about drinking responsibly. This time I tracked it very closely because of the driving involved. I consumed a grand total of 25 ounces — barely two beers — over a three and a half hour period.
Cushwa Brewing Co.
Cushwa Brewing was in Williamsport, a bit southwest of Hagerstown. I wanted to visit the nearby C&O Canal park headquarters and explore canal remnants at Cushwa Basin, but again, all the cold rain was falling plus I’d already seen plenty of the canal in Hancock. So we cut the history lesson short and went straight to the brewery instead. This place drew quite a crowd in its cavernous space.
Interchange Tiki Bar and Brewery
Interchange was literally around the corner, barely worth moving the car. However, it was the complete polar opposite of Cushwa: a small, intimate space with tiki bar decor and subdued ambient lighting.
It was only barely a brewery, definitely falling into the nano-brewery category. But it was different than any other brewery I’ve ever visited, and that’s notable because I’ve been to more than 750 breweries by now. Uniquely, patrons could order a mix-and-match tasting flight that included any combination of small beer pours, umbrella drinks, and specialty cocktails. That was fun. I wish I had something like this closer to home.
Thick-N-Thin Brewing Co.
Our final destination was Thick-N-Thin Brewing on our path back to Hagerstown. It was in a strip mall shopping center just south of town. We checked it out, headed to dinner, and went back to our hotel.
Washington County was a surprisingly nice place to visit. The first day was sunny and warm; the second day rainy and cold. But we found plenty to do on both days.
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