One canal lock keeper's house has stood in Washington for 180 years. And instead of oak and pine, the bulk of the boat is being built of lightweight panels of high-density, polyurethane foam ...

It took NPS nearly two years to restore these locks from the 1800s. The occasion marks one step closer towards bringing back canal boats.

The C&O Canal is a 184.5-mile waterway linking D.C. and western Maryland. From 1828 to 1924, keepers helped shipments of goods flow through by controlling the water levels near their houses.