Conowingo Lost and Found

After 85 years, a rare historical film documenting Conowingo Dam’s construction is rediscovered.

[@josephkavanagh7724]

Saw Tom Shields in several of the pictures of the guys building Conowingo Dam. Knew he worked for PECO for a long time but he really is a "Back In The Day" guy. WOW !!! Way to go Tom !!! And you did do some nice work on the dam. Thanks.

[@RobOlsen42]

Amazing to see what we were able to accomplish, even before the invention of "Talkies".

[@jetbd50]

I fished off the catwalks of the Conowingo Dam for many years, best of times. :)

[@davidkilminster6332]

My father helped build this dam. He didn't talk about it very much. We lived in Darlington, Maryland, and I lived there after being married. Many of my friends worked there, and the dam was a big deal in our area. They even had a village of housing for many of the workers there, especially the superintendent and others. The workers had to get on a waiting list for the housing. I went to school with many of the kids who lived in the housing. The housing is now gone, but the dam is still there.

[@Beardwhip]

there are still old raliroads & wrecked buildings along the banks of the the river. good fishing spots

[@Claytone-Records]

I lived in Aberdeen as a kid in the late 60’s. The forest and Chesapeake bay were our playground. And that was when it was supposed to be really polluted. I understand that it is much cleaner today. Even with silt continuing to build up. I hope the kids today are able to enjoy the backyard that was once mine.

[@billshuey9801]

I’m in my 50s and moved to Churchville from Pasadena 6 years ago. I’m totally in love with the area. One thing I enjoy is tubing from just at the bottom of the Dam on Cecil side ( put in where the athletic fields are on 222) and you take out at the Rock Run boat launch just past the VFW in Port Deposit ( of course you leave a car there it’s a 3 mile run.) It’s quite fun as you can call the hotline to find out when they are releasing water and you ride the current. I do it several times each summer and am very surprised that I have never ever seen anyone else out there doing it. I would figure youngsters would be out there all the time but no. Did you ever do it?

[@Claytone-Records]

@@billshuey9801 Man that is so cool. It sounds like you have the run to yourself. We knew people that had a nice country place in Churchville that we visited regularly, but don’t remember the name of the road. I don’t believe I went tubing when I was a kid, but would be if still there, but I remember we used tubes on the bay at least. I remember collecting and repairing tubes. Mainly hiked all over the sticks back then. I have lived not too far from lake Travis in Austin since the early 80’s. I love swimming in the lakes and rivers and have been itching to get back to camping. We hit the rivers between here and San Antonio in New Braunfels and San Marcos. Tube city. Enjoy. C.K.

[@sammyvh11]

It's still polluted

[@dcsmooth]

And not one worker is wearing a hard hat or safety glasses!!

[@TheCullercrew]

my dad was 9 when they flooded old conowingo and pop pop got a job on the railroad as they had to raise it up out of oldtown

[@Pat21617]

Logistics, logistics logistics! It's all about logistics. Very impressive! I was wondering if the temporary trestle was going to wash away due to all the scouring! They must have really anchored the trestle!

[@rothsuede]

Awesome video - collectors idem for sure -

[@jeanbrandt2624]

Quite an undertaking. I wonder how the amount of concrete used would compare with Hoover Dam?

[@jamesbrittian885]

Very Cool Video

[@jayizzett]

Wow

[@luciabell1028]

No sound?

[@psmith41]

...estimates that 20 men died during construction. Tough work, tougher men. www.cecildaily.com/our_cecil/article_eb1485fa-d52c-5041-9813-e9e6abfe3edb.html

[@danarussell4246]

My wife’s grandfather was working on the dam and for an unknown reason committed suicide by jumping off. I cross the dam every now and then and still wonder why. He was up from Mountain City Tennessee working on the project.

[@sadboisonly1004]

Does anybody know that Old Conowingo is completely underwater? If we go through a drought, the steeple from the church will poke through the water

[@Claytone-Records]

When did this happen? I was just commenting about growing up not far away from Conowingo. Is it because of the silt?

[@sadboisonly1004]

@@Claytone-Records no it's because the water rose above the town when the dam was finished

[@sadboisonly1004]

@@Claytone-Records as to when exactly I get no clue

[@Claytone-Records]

Mr. Unpredictable Thanks for your time and input.

[@sadboisonly1004]

@@Claytone-Records no problem

[@roypatterson9910]

Man, wouldn't it be cool if you could go back in time and see how this was built in person, I would love to be able to do something like that! I used to go fishing 🎣 here all the time, every since I was a little kid, I remember when I was too young to be allowed on the catwalk with my parents, then I gotten older and used to fish from the catwalk, I'm 51 years old now, I'll be 52 in October on the 4, I was born October 4th 1970. Now you can't even fish from the catwalk anymore since 9/11, that's when they closed it off to the public. The whole 9/11 incident was all bullshit, it was planned and carried out by our good ole crooked and corrupt Government and that crook Larry Silverstien, which he wanted those Towers brought down, because they were costing him too much money in asbestos removal, and to cover up all the shady and crooked shit that was going on in the offices where the alleged planes hit, and the boss called a meeting that was supposed to have taken place on the 82nd floor, or whatever the floor it was where the planes hit, and the boss never showed up, and neither did Larry Silverstien, and he never missed a day, but he said that his wife wanted him to go to the dentist, which is a crock of shit! It's all bullshit!!!