Explore the history of the Brunswick Towpath with Charlotte Taylor Fryar, followed by a discussion of Potomac Fever at C&O Canal Lock 30.
Experience the history of the Brunswick Towpath on a guided walk with author Charlotte Taylor Fryar, followed by a discussion of her book Potomac Fever. This walk explores the layered history of the land, from Indigenous presence to canal-era industry, and examines the environmental and cultural shifts that have shaped this region.
After the walk, Charlotte will share insights from Potomac Fever, weaving together the stories of the Potomac River, its people, and its past.
Location: C&O Canal Lock 30, Brunswick, MD 21716
Finding it: From the Brunswick Visitor Center (40 West Potomac Street), take South Maple towards the Potomac River, cross railroad tracks, and then take the first right after passing a second set of tracks.
About the Book
Potomac Fever takes its title from an affliction that was said to beset George Washington as he obsessively sought to transform the river into an industrial waterway and to place the nation’s capital city on its banks. In the mid-twentieth century, the term was resurrected to describe a condition that afflicted bureaucrats, desperate to stay close to the power and money of Washington. Potomac Fever is a remedy for these false fever dreams of what defines our nation’s capital. By subverting these past definitions of “Potomac Fever,” the book maps a version of the District determined not by the presence of the federal government or the preconceptions that have come to define it as placeless, but by the history of its river and the people who have made their home along its banks.
About the Author
Charlotte Taylor Fryar is a writer, historian, educator, and herbalist. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Glen Echo, Maryland, less than seven hundred feet from the banks of the Potomac River. Potomac Fever: Reflections on the Nation’s River is her first book.
Available for purchase here!
