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2016 Map of Seneca

Name: 2016 Topographic Map of Seneca
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2016
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2016

About this map

Darnestown and Travilah anchor this study of the Potomac River corridor where Maryland and Virginia meet at the Culpeper Basin. The landscape is defined by the legacy of early transportation, most notably the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and its Seneca Aqueduct, which sits near the settlement of Seneca. The river itself is punctuated by numerous named landforms including Watkins Island, Clagett Island, and Lowes Island, reflecting a complex shoreline shared by Montgomery, Loudoun, and Fairfax counties.

Local history is deeply recorded in the numerous small burial grounds and parish sites that dot the area. Genealogists can trace family footprints through the Ford-Ellis-Simms Cem, Smith's Chapel United Methodist Cem, and Darnestown United Presbyterian Cem. These sites, along with established communities like Quince Orchard and Rushville, highlight the transition from a river-and-canal economy to the residential growth spreading from Gaithersburg and North Potomac.