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Come experience a chance to cross a unique popular
attraction that almost went under the wrecking ball several years ago:
one of the few private toll bridges left in the country. The Bridge can
be found just north of the scenic C&O Canal path frequented by bikers
and hikers.
By description, Oldtown Toll Bridge is a simple
crossing, simply constructed, and simply managed. A dozen concrete
pedestals secured in the Potomac River support an all wooden bridge that
connects Maryland to West Virginia. in 1937, Mr.
Carpenter, through an act of Congress, obtained the proper permits to
build the Bridge saving motorists commuting to Cumberland an hour
in travel time. Carpenter's blueprints and the Army Corp of Engineers
constructed the bridge and it remained under the same ownership for 34
years until 1971. In 1987, Charles Walters was
sentimental for the Bridge and purchased it that year. When he passed
away in 1991, his wife, Frances inherited the business. The bridge
almost met the hard end of a wrecking ball when the county commissioners
citing it unsafe and put up barricades. The barricades didn't stop the
people from using the Bridge. They took them down and crossed it anyway
for years until it was restored in 1999 with grants from both West
Virginia and Maryland. In 2010 the Bridge operates under
new management which encourages the use of the beautiful scenic river by
revamping the 9 riverfront acres and exposing the riverbanks for
campsites. The Bridge and their ramp into the Potomac is used by
Kayakers, Canoers, Tubers, Horseback riders. Pedestrians and fisherman.
For more information call the Oldtown Bridge Toll Booth at 301.478.5500.
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