1901 Map of Hancock

About this map

Hancock stands at the narrowest point of the Maryland panhandle, where the Potomac River carves a deep valley between the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. This 1899 survey documents the critical transportation corridor of the era, where the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the Cumberland and Baltimore Turnpike, and the Baltimore and Ohio R. R. all converge in a tight race for westward passage. To the southeast, the bastion of Fort Frederick remains a prominent landmark near Big Pool, overlooking the river's winding course.