Seneca Landing Special Park is located near the historic C&O Canal on Seneca Creek and Riley’s Lock Road and includes a boat ramp for motorized boats, a fully accessible floating boat launch for kayakers and canoeists (an adaptive kayak launch), an accessible picnic area with tables and grills. The renovated Seneca Store (formerly known as Poole’s Store) is located on 16315 Old River Road, Poolesville. Land for this 20-acre park was acquired in 1972.
Park Features
- Accessible, fully
- Kayak and canoe launch
- Picnic area with picnic tables and grill
- Boat dock
- Boat ramp for motorized boats
- Interpretive signage
History: Creeks & Commerce
The landscape around Seneca Creek has long featured in the county’s history. In fact, in 1780 the state of Maryland confiscated more than 1,000 acres of land near Seneca owned by British supporter Daniel Dulaney. The sale of those lands helped fund the American Revolution. The creek was also the site for several mills. A grist mill began grinding grain in 1725 and close to one hundred years later stored and shipped goods down the nearby C&O Canal. In 2019, archaeologists working for Montgomery Parks discovered another 18th-century mill next to Seneca Store.
Check out the interpretive signage at this park to learn about the area through time, including its commercial history, its time as a resort location, and its role in the Civil War.