Become a Volunteer Quartermaster

The C&O Canal Quarters Program is seeking new Quartermasters for Lockhouses 6, 10, 21, 22, 25, 28 and 49!

The ideal Quartermaster is someone who lives relatively close to the lockhouse, has a good understanding of home maintenance and cleanliness, and has the ability to interact with guests and visitors in a professional yet friendly manner. The primary responsibility of the Quartermaster program is to provide a layer of accountability between our guests, the Park, and the Trust to ensure that our lockhouses are clean, safe, and looked after between guest visits. Mild physical exertion may be necessary for certain tasks.

Quartermasters at each house work in teams and with the Trust to develop schedules and provide assistance for the following tasks:

  • Responding to urgent on-site visitor concerns (e.g. keys that do not open the door or a power outage).
  • Inspecting lockhouse premises between guest stays. The Quartermaster will check status of utilities, furnishings, and supplies. Restock or rectify, as needed, and report issues to the Trust.
  • Make small repairs within their capacities, as needed, and with the approval of the Canal Quarters Manager
  • Inventory supplies such as toilet paper, light bulbs, and tableware after each guest stay. Replace as needed, or report to Canal Quarters Manager for restock.
  • Maintain the yard (mowing, string trimming, removing downed or low hanging branches), clean signs, rake leaves, shovel snow, weed,  and remove and dispose of ashes from fire pits as necessary.
  • Monitor for routine rodent and pest issues, bait and set traps as needed.
  • Notify the Trust if there is evidence of non-compliance with NPS or Trust lockhouse user regulations and policies (indoor fires, structural damage, damaged furniture, vandalism, etc.)

If you are interested in applying to serve as a Quartermaster, please send an email or call us:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 240-202-2625 Ext. 108

C&O Canal Trust
142 W. Potomac Street
Williamsport, MD 21795

Our Teams:

Lockhouse 6

Davey & Jennifer Hearn live in Brookmont above Lockhouse 6 in Bethesda, Maryland. They own Sweet Composites, offering everything you need to build your own canoe or kayak and many other things too. They married at the head of the Potomac River Feeder Canal just upstream of Lock 6, where they often trained for whitewater slalom. Davey, a member of the US Whitewater Team for 26 years, won the World Championships twice and competed in three Olympic Games. Both volunteer for the annual Potomac River cleanup and support initiatives to protect and preserve this awesome resource for generations to come.

Full List:

  • Jennifer Hearn
  • Davey Hearn
  • Charlie Rankin
  • Steve Sharpe

Lockhouse 10

Bob Walsh works as a certified financial planner in Cabin John, Maryland near Lockhouse 10. He enjoys paddling outrigger canoes on the Potomac River with the Washington Canoe Club and biking on the towpath. In addition to volunteering with the C&O Canal Trust, he volunteers with the Bannockburn Elementary School PTA and Potomac Soccer Association.

John & Susan Gelb are quartermasters at Lockhouse 10.  They live in Cabin John, MD, just minutes from the C&O Canal.  Since retiring, they spend many hours a week hiking on the towpath and Billy Goat Trail.

“Our main interest in volunteering with the Canal Trust is to help preserve the history and beauty of this unique National Park.”

Linda Rieger received her Master’s Degree in Education and Special Education at Purdue University. She attended Stanford until Chuck and Linda’s first son was born.   Linda loves gardening and is a Master Gardener with the University of Maryland Extension Services.  She taught at the elementary, middle school, and university level at American University. Linda still maintains her connections with children (besides their 5 grandchildren) through the Canal Classrooms Corps and little science books that she has written for very young children and families that may have literacy issues.  She is an activist in their River Falls community on environmental issues.

Chuck Rieger received his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1974 in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.  He was a professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland and a Visiting Professor at MIT.  He was a participant in NASA’s interplanetary space exploratory symposia with Carl Sagan.  Chuck has co-founded four successful high tech start-ups.  Dr. Rieger is the author of six U.S. patents.  Today he is interested in historic houses and gardens which he visits with Linda, his wife.  He is a roller coaster junkie.  He loves to fix things and make 3-D prints for his friends and 5 grandchildren.  He loves getting into discussions with anyone about science and technology.  He is writing a book for young people (with all the humor of middle school children) on how to build your own computer.

Full List: 

  • Tim Shank
  • John Gelb
  • Susan Gelb
  • Bob Walsh
  • Linda Rieger
  • Chuck Rieger
  • Dallas Harrison
  • Bear Van Horn
  • Rachel Donnan
  • Lisa Landsman
  • David Morris
  • Susan Mulroney
  • Adam Meyers
  • Laura Anderson

Lockhouse 21

Full List:

  • Eric Rhode
  • Matthew Nau
  • Balsac Montes
  • Jenny Krivanek
  • Andy Bealieu
  • John Rinzel
  • Pete Freudenberger
  • Hooman Meghdadian
  • Dean Deanowski

Lockhouse 22

Full List:

  • Pete Freudenberger
  • Dean Deanowski

 

Lockhouse 25

Lockhouse 25 Quartermasters Don Street & Linda Bergofsky became Canal Trust volunteers in July 2016. They are both avid gardeners and outdoors enthusiasts, and are very active with local sustainability efforts in Poolesville, Maryland, where they reside. In addition to his quartermaster duties, Don is also a member of the C&O Canal Bike Patrol, assisting visitors along the towpath. Linda has been involved as a volunteer with a number of social services organizations and serves as an Election Judge for the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Don retired from the federal government in February 2017, and Linda hopes to follow him in that regard in 2018 after 25 years working with health care policy issues for several government agencies.

Full List:

  • Don Street
  • Linda Bergofsky
  • David Clarke
  • Christy Johnson
  • Pamela Mattes

Lockhouse 28

Kris Caraher – Kris is a career employee with the United States Department of Agriculture where she works with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. She has lived in Point of Rocks, Maryland along the C&O Canal for 30 years. As a daily user of the C&O Canal and seasonal paddler of the Potomac River, becoming a volunteer as a quartermaster for Lockhouse 28 was a natural calling. Kris and her husband Kai, also a quartermaster for Lockhouse 28 spent the night there starting the first year the Lockhouse was open for public rental with their three small children (at the time). Giving back to the canal is their prime reason; however, the couple aspires to become campground hosts at Yellowstone National Park and other National Parks in their retirement, and hopes to build their volunteer park resume through service to the C&O Canal Trust first. Kris is passionate about nature, trail building, trail maintenance, water sports, hiking, biking, and animals.

Full List:

  • Kris Karaher
  • Kai Karaher
  • Thomas Rozelle
  • Christopher Nunley

Lockhouse 49

Full List:

  • Cheryl Gates
  • John Gates
  • Elizabeth Bedard
  • Justin Bedard
  • Shaun Smith
  • Sean Myers
  • Emily McFarland