West Virginia is a small town located near a section of the Potomac River that contains five horseshoe-shaped bends. Town and bends are named after the native paw paw fruit trees that flourish in the area. In the 1830s the C&O Canal’s engineers found themselves with the task of constructing the Canal around or through this difficult area of the Potomac. They settled on a plan that bypassed the river by building a 3,118-foot-long tunnel straight through a mountain. The time and cost to build the tunnel were severely underestimated and, as a result, almost bankrupted the C&O Canal Company. This was the reason that the Canal terminus was changed from its planned destination of Pittsburgh to Cumberland.

The Town of Paw Paw was incorporated in 1891 on the West Virginia shore of the Potomac River, along the B&O Railroad line. Through the years the town bustled with its apple packing industry and a large tannery. Today, visitors can find several buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places, including the 1880 B&O Depot, designed by E. Francis Baldwin.

After exploring the Paw Paw tunnel and nearby towpath, bicyclists and hikers can access the Town of Paw Paw by following a short paved trail and crossing the MD 51/Oldtown Road Bridge across the Potomac River. There, they’ll find food and lodging options in the friendly West Virginia town.

Photos by John Gensor and Sharon Mattson