Seneca, Maryland

Image:Darnestown-Seneca 1865.png

The community of Seneca exists in Montgomery County, Maryland, on Seneca Creek near the Potomac River. The creek was once very powerful, and eight of Montgomery County's 44 mills in existence before 1800 were located on this creek or its tributaries. The Seneca Mill, a gristmill, began operation around 1780, and was located on Seneca Creek close to the Potomac River.{{cite web

|title=Capsule Summary Seneca Creek State Park

|website=Maryland Historical Trust

|publisher=Maryland government

|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2019-38.pdf

|access-date=2020-08-11

|archive-date=2021-07-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190004/https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2019-38.pdf

|url-status=live

}} In 1781, the state of Maryland confiscated the lands of Daniel Dulany the Younger, a prominent Loyalist to the Crown from Annapolis. His land along the Potomac River included a portion along Seneca Creek, and it was sold to help the state pay for the American Revolutionary War. Robert Peter purchased {{convert|2500|acres}} of the Dulany property in Montgomery County, including the land that contained red sandstone. Not far from Peter's property, John Garrett laid out a community in 1787. He called it Newport, and it was located on the west side of the mouth of Great Seneca Creek, on the Potomac River and about {{convert|22|mi}} upriver from Georgetown. The Newport name did not last long—the locals called the community Seneca.{{harvnb|Scharf|1882|p=728}} Robert Peter died in 1806, and his eldest son Thomas inherited land near Seneca including the quarry.{{#tag:ref|Thomas Peter was married to Martha Parke "Patty" Custis, step–granddaughter of George Washington.{{harvnb|Peck|2013|loc=Ch.2}}{{cite web

|title=The Builders of Tudor Place - Thomas and Martha Peter

|website=The White House Historical Association

|url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-builders-of-tudor-place

|access-date=2021-07-19

|archive-date=2021-07-19

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719190749/https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-builders-of-tudor-place

|url-status=live

}} Thomas and Martha's oldest son was John Parke Custis Peter, who developed the Seneca Quarry and constructed its stone-cutting mill around 1837. He died in 1848, and his eldest son Thomas gained control of the mill. The quarry and mill were sold to the Seneca Sandstone Company in 1866. The company went bankrupt in 1876, causing a minor scandal for former president Ulysses S. Grant. In 1901, the mill was closed permanently.{{cite news

|title=The Story Behind Smithsonian Castle's Red Sandstone

|publisher=Smithsonian Institution

|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-story-behind-smithsonian-castles-red-sandstone-17818600/

|access-date=2021-07-08

|newspaper=Smithsonian Magazine

|date=2013-04-09

|last1=Bisceglio

|first1=Paul

|archive-date=2022-09-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909013907/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-story-behind-smithsonian-castles-red-sandstone-17818600/

|url-status=live

}}|group=Note}}

Construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (a.k.a. C&O Canal) along the Potomac River began on July 4, 1828.{{cite web

|title=C&O Canal versus the B&O Railroad

|website=C&O Canal Trust

|url=https://www.canaltrust.org/about-us/about-the-co-canal/history/canal-history-co-canal-vs-bo-railroad/

|access-date=2020-06-28

|archive-date=2020-06-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609133726/https://www.canaltrust.org/about-us/about-the-co-canal/history/canal-history-co-canal-vs-bo-railroad/

|url-status=live

}} The canal was necessary because portions of the river were too shallow and rocky for freight boat traffic. By that time, the Seneca Quarry and some nearby land on the Potomac River were owned by John Parke Custis Peter, the eldest son of Thomas and Martha Peter. The canal increased the importance of Seneca, and C&O Canal Lock 24, now known as Riley's Lock, is located where the Seneca Aqueduct carries the canal over Seneca Creek near the community. By 1833, enough of the canal was completed to enable canal service between Georgetown and Lock 24, and further upriver—providing access to new markets for Peter's sandstone quarry. Portions of the canal locks and lock houses were constructed using the quarry's distinctive red sandstone. The same quarry, with its own stone-cutting mill, was used to produce material for buildings in Washington such as the Smithsonian Institution Building.{{cite web

|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

|publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (National Archives)

|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/117692021

|access-date=2020-07-21

|author1=Romigh, Philip S.

|author2=Mackintosh, Barry

|year=1979

|archive-date=2020-07-21

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721124852/https://catalog.archives.gov/id/117692021

|url-status=live

}} The canal also opened markets for area farmers. John Darby, and his son Upton, purchased the Seneca grist mill in 1855.{{harvnb|Kelly|Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission|2011|p=153}} In addition to milling operations, Darby's company shipped products on the C&O Canal. They had a warehouse on the creek (near Lock 24) and their own canal boats.{{cite web

|title=Capsule Summary - Seneca Creek State Park

|website=Maryland Historical Trust

|publisher=Maryland Government

|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2019-38.pdf

|access-date=2020-05-13

|archive-date=2021-07-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190004/https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2019-38.pdf

|url-status=live

}}

The American Civil War was difficult for the Peter family. Several skirmishes between Union and Confederate troops occurred nearby, including an attack in 1863 that damaged nearby canal infrastructure.{{#tag:ref|On June 27, 1863, 5,000 cavalry troops under the command of Confederate Major General James "Jeb" Stuart crossed the Potomac River near Lock 24. Intent on disrupting Union supply lines, they seized the canal between Locks 23 and 24, and damaged lock gates, drained water from the canal, and burned canal boats.{{cite web

|title=Rowsers Ford

|website=C&O Canal Trust

|url=https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/rowsers-ford/

|access-date=2020-08-07

|archive-date=2020-08-06

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806131441/https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/rowsers-ford/

|url-status=live

}}{{harvnb|Scott|1889|p=114}} On July 11, 1864, Confederate partisian rangers led by Colonel John S. Mosby crossed the Potomac River and burned the camp of the 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment, which was at Blockhouse Point about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} southeast of Seneca.{{cite web

|title=Blockhouse Point Conservation Park Master Plan, Proposed Public Hearing Draft - November 2003

|publisher=Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County

|url=http://www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/meetings_archive/03_meeting_archive/agenda_110603/item6a_110603_opt.pdf

|access-date=2021-07-15

|archive-date=2021-07-15

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715154607/http://www.montgomeryplanningboard.org/meetings_archive/03_meeting_archive/agenda_110603/item6a_110603_opt.pdf

|url-status=live

}}|group=Note}} After the war in 1866, the Peter family sold the quarry and nearby property to the newly created Seneca Sandstone Company. Upton Darby donated land for a one-room schoolhouse that was built using red sandstone from the local quarry.{{harvnb|Peck|2013|loc=Ch.1}} An 1879 Montgomery County directory lists Seneca as having "public schools and churches in the vicinity". The community also had a store and post office.{{harvnb|Boyd|1879|p=142}} However, freight traffic on the C&O Canal had already peaked in 1871, starting a downward trend that would end with the canal closing permanently in 1924.{{cite web

|title=Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

|website=National Park Service

|publisher=U.S. Department of the Interior

|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc6.htm

|access-date=2020-07-07

|archive-date=2020-08-15

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815151221/https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/Wash/dc6.htm

|url-status=live

}} As the canal declined, Seneca declined, and the permanent closure of the canal caused Seneca to lose its relevance.{{cite web

|title=Tour of Historic Seneca Maryland with the Historical Society of Washington, DC

|website=DC Preservation League

|url=https://www.dcpreservation.org/event/tour-of-historic-seneca-maryland-with-the-historical-society-of-washington-dc/

|access-date=2020-08-11

|archive-date=2021-07-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184924/https://www.dcpreservation.org/event/tour-of-historic-seneca-maryland-with-the-historical-society-of-washington-dc/

|url-status=live

}}{{cite web

|title=Tschiffely Mill at Seneca

|website=Gaithersburg Then and Now

|publisher=Shaun Curtis

|url=https://gaithersburghistory.com/tschiffely-mill-seneca-creek-potomac-river-stone-cutting.html

|access-date=2020-08-11

|archive-date=2021-05-06

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506065202/https://gaithersburghistory.com/tschiffely-mill-seneca-creek-potomac-river-stone-cutting.html

|url-status=dead

}} The school closed in 1910.

Image:Seneca Creek as seen from the Seneca Aqueduct.jpg

Seneca was the location of the Mills Cross Array, once the world's largest radio telescope which, in 1955, was used to make the first observations of radio waves emitted from a planet.{{cite web

|title=Field of Dreams

|date=11 August 2017

|publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), U.S. Department of Commerce

|url=https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2017/08/field-dreams

|access-date=2021-07-08

|archive-date=2021-07-29

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729075146/https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2017/08/field-dreams

|url-status=live

}} In this case, the planet was Jupiter, and the discovery led to the growth of a new field of radio astronomy. The Seneca Mill, a gristmill also known as the Darby Mill and later the Tchiffely Mill, was located on the west side of Seneca Creek about 0.5 miles north of River Road. The mill burned around 1956 and the ruins were destroyed when River Road was widened in the 1960s.{{cite web

|title=Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form: Seneca Creek State Park

|publisher=Maryland Historical Trust

|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2019-38.pdf

|accessdate=2021-07-14

|author=Brian Cleven, Jeff Maymon, Chris Heidenrich, Dan Grose

|year=2003

|archive-date=2021-07-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190004/https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/Montgomery/M;%2019-38.pdf

|url-status=live

}}

In 2021, the radio telescope is gone and the site is now part of the McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area. A historical marker commemorating the discovery is located on River Road at the management area's parking lot. All that remains of Seneca are a few homes, the schoolhouse as a museum, the store, and ruins of the stone-cutting mill and quarry. The community is still listed by the United States Geological Survey as a populated place.{{cite GNIS |id=587270 |name=Seneca |entrydate=September 12, 1979 |access-date=December 6, 2020}}

Image:Seneca MD USGS map.png

Seneca is a populated place that is not a census-designated or incorporated place having an official federally recognized name. Previous names for the community are Newport and possibly Middlebrook Mills. Seneca is located in Montgomery County, Maryland. The USGS defines a populated place as a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population (city, settlement, town, village). A populated place is usually not incorporated and by definition has no legal boundaries. However, a populated place may have a corresponding "civil" record, the legal boundaries of which may or may not coincide with the perceived populated place.{{cite web

|title=USGS Feature Class Definitions

|publisher=USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior

|url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:8

|access-date=2021-07-07

|archive-date=2021-06-27

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627203345/https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=138:8

|url-status=live

}}

Seneca is located close to the intersection of River Road (Maryland Route 190), Seneca Road (Maryland route 112), and Rileys Lock Road, east of Great Seneca Creek and north of the Potomac River. The C&O Canal runs along the river, and Riley's Lock is the closest canal lock. The southern portion of Seneca Creek State Park is nearby, as is the Bretton Woods Golf Course.{{Cite map

|author = United States Geological Survey

|year = 2021

|title = Seneca

|url = https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=39.078719&p_longi=-77.3391513&fid=587270

|location = Washington, DC

|publisher = USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior

|accessdate = 2021-07-07

|archive-date = 2021-07-09

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190219/https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/gazvector.getesrimap?p_lat=39.078719&p_longi=-77.3391513&fid=587270

|url-status = live

}} The United States Geological Survey (USGS) lists the community's elevation as {{convert|187|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}}.

{{Weather box |location = Poolesville, MD (same zip code as Seneca)

|single line = Y

|Jan high F = 39

|Feb high F = 44

|Mar high F = 53

|Apr high F = 65

|May high F = 75

|Jun high F = 83

|Jul high F = 89

|Aug high F = 87

|Sep high F = 79

|Oct high F = 67

|Nov high F = 54

|Dec high F = 45

|Jan low F = 27

|Feb low F = 29

|Mar low F = 36

|Apr low F = 46

|May low F = 56

|Jun low F = 64

|Jul low F = 69

|Aug low F = 67

|Sep low F = 61

|Oct low F = 51

|Nov low F = 39

|Dec low F = 33

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.7

|Feb precipitation inch = 4.4

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.6

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.4

|May precipitation inch = 5.9

|Jun precipitation inch = 5.0

|Jul precipitation inch = 5.4

|Aug precipitation inch = 5.4

|Sep precipitation inch = 5.0

|Oct precipitation inch = 5.6

|Nov precipitation inch = 3.6

|Dec precipitation inch = 4.8

|source 1 = WeatherWX{{cite web

|title=Poolesville Monthly Averages

|website=WeatherWX

|url=https://www.weatherwx.com/hazardoutlook/md/poolesville.html

|access-date=2021-07-08

|archive-date=2021-07-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709191431/https://www.weatherwx.com/hazardoutlook/md/poolesville.html

|url-status=live

}}

}}

Image:DarnestownAndSeneca.png

Seneca is part of the Darnestown census-designated place (CDP), an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. The CDP is {{convert|17.70|sqmi|km2}} with the Potomac River as its southern border and the Muddy Branch as much of its eastern border. Seneca Creek borders portions of its north and west sides. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the Darnestown CDP population was 6,802—and Seneca's population is a small subset of the CDP total.{{harvnb|United States Census Bureau|2012|p=44}} Total land area for the CDP was {{convert|16.39|sqmi|km2}} out of a total area of {{convert|17.70|sqmi|km2}}. The population density for the CDP was {{convert|415.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. The CDP had 2,275 housing units at an average density of {{convert|138.8|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}.{{harvnb|United States Census Bureau|2012|pp=28–29}} These densities were much lower than county seat Rockville, where the District 4 portion had a population density of {{convert|4403.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}} and a housing density of {{convert|1,779.3|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}.{{harvnb|United States Census Bureau|2012|p=18}}

Citizens of Seneca are part of District 1 of the Montgomery County Council.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery County Council (map)

|website=Montgomery County Council

|publisher=Montgomery County Government

|url=https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mccouncildistrict/

|access-date=2020-03-28

|archive-date=2020-10-17

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017055510/https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mccouncildistrict/

|url-status=live

}} The county council has representatives from each of five districts plus four at-large members. All members are elected at once and serve four-year terms.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery County Council - About the Council

|website=Montgomery County Council

|publisher=Montgomery County Government

|url=https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mccouncildistrict/

|access-date=2020-03-28

|archive-date=2020-10-17

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017055510/https://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mccouncildistrict/

|url-status=live

}}

Image:2016-10-21 14 11 06 View east along Maryland State Route 190 (River Road) at Maryland State Route 112 (Seneca Road) in Darnestown, Montgomery County, Maryland.jpg

Seneca's major roads are River Road (Maryland Route 190) and Seneca Road (Maryland Route 112).{{cite web|title=Darnestown, CDP, Maryland - Place Selection Map|website=United States Census Bureau|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/map?q=Darnestown%20CDP,%20Maryland&tid=ACSDP5Y2018.DP05&mode=selection|access-date=2020-08-29|archive-date=2021-07-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720160518/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/map?q=Darnestown%20CDP,%20Maryland&tid=ACSDP5Y2018.DP05&mode=selection|url-status=live}} Three Interstate Highways are reasonably close. Maryland's Interstate 270 is a major north–south Interstate Highway for Montgomery County that connects with Washington's Capital Beltway (a.k.a. Interstate 495).{{harvnb|United States Department of Transportation|Maryland Department of Transportation|2002|p=12}} Interstate 95 is a major north–south highway for the nation's east coast. Portions of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's Metrorail system are located in Montgomery County, and Red Line stations on the west side of the county are closest to Seneca.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery, Maryland - Washington DC

|website=MD DC Montgomery, Maryland

|publisher=Conference and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County, MD, Inc.

|url=https://visitmontgomery.com/get-inspired/washington-dc/

|access-date=2020-03-16

|archive-date=2020-03-26

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326000027/https://visitmontgomery.com/get-inspired/washington-dc/

|url-status=live

}} Among those west side Metro stations with ample parking lots is the Grosvenor-Strathmore station.{{cite web

|title=Metro System Map

|website=Metro System Map

|publisher=Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

|url=https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps/upload/2019-System-Map.pdf

|access-date=2020-03-16

|archive-date=2019-11-10

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110015544/https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps/upload/2019-System-Map.pdf

|url-status=live

}}

Seneca's electric power is provided by Pepco (Potomac Electric Power Company), which serves much of Montgomery County, portions of Prince George's County, and all of the District of Columbia.{{cite web

|title=Pepco - About Us

|website=Potomac Electric Power Company

|url=https://electricityrates.com/maryland/pepco/

|access-date=2020-05-22

|archive-date=2020-10-30

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030203323/https://electricityrates.com/maryland/pepco/

|url-status=live

}} Washington Gas provides natural gas service to residents and businesses.{{cite web

|title=Washington Gas Service Territory

|publisher=WGL Holdings, Inc.

|website=Washington Gas

|url=https://www.washingtongas.com/builders-contractors/contractor-services/service-territory

|access-date=2020-05-22

|archive-date=2020-09-30

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930172601/https://www.washingtongas.com/builders-contractors/contractor-services/service-territory

|url-status=live

}} The Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station, a county waste collection facility located in Rockville, is available for drop off of garbage, recycling, and yard debris.{{cite web

|title=Shady Grove Processing Facility and Transfer Station

|publisher=Montgomery County Government

|website=Department of Environmental Protection of Montgomery County, Maryland

|url=https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/sws/facilities/ts/

|access-date=2020-05-22

|archive-date=2020-05-13

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513075021/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/SWS/facilities/ts/

|url-status=live

}}

The nearest general hospital is the Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville.{{cite web

|title=Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center

|website=Adventist HealthCare

|url=https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/locations/profile/shady-grove-medical-center/

|access-date=2020-05-22

|archive-date=2020-05-23

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523072703/https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/locations/profile/shady-grove-medical-center/

|url-status=live

}} This medical facility has a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.{{cite web

|title=Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center Earns Five-Star Rating from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

|website=Adventist HealthCare

|url=https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/news/2020/shady-grove-medical-center-earns-five-star-rating/

|access-date=2020-05-22

|archive-date=2020-06-06

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606135932/https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/news/2020/shady-grove-medical-center-earns-five-star-rating/

|url-status=live

}} Adventist Health Care has multiple satellite locations throughout the county.{{cite web

|title=Adventist HealthCare - Locations

|website=Adventist HealthCare

|url=https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/locations/

|access-date=2021-07-14

|archive-date=2021-07-14

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714195320/https://www.adventisthealthcare.com/locations/

|url-status=live

}}

Image:Darnestown Elementary School.jpg

Seneca is served by Montgomery County Public Schools. Those that live on, or east of, Rileys Lock Road attend Darnestown Elementary, Lakelands Park Middle School, and Northwest High School.{{Cite map|author = Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland)|year = 2021|title = Address Found - 16800 River Road|url = https://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAssignmentTool2/AddressFound.xhtml|location = Rockville, Maryland|publisher = Montgomery County Public Schools|access-date = 2021-07-14|archive-date = 2021-07-14|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210714202227/https://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAssignmentTool2/AddressFound.xhtml|url-status = live}}{{Cite map|author = Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland)|year = 2020|title = Northwest HS Service Area 2021-2022|url = http://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps/NorthwestHS.pdf|location = Rockville, Maryland|publisher = Montgomery County Public Schools Division of Capital Planning|access-date = 2020-05-16|archive-date = 2021-07-17|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210717012252/https://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps/NorthwestHS.pdf|url-status = live}} Northwest High School is located in Germantown.{{cite web

|title=Northwest High School

|website=Montgomery County Public Schools

|url=https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northwesths/

|access-date=2020-08-24

|archive-date=2020-07-29

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729222346/https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/northwesths

|url-status=live

}} Those that live west of Seneca Creek attend Poolesville elementary, middle, and high schools. Private schools in the area include Butler Montessori, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School, and Seneca Academy.{{cite web

|title=Butler Montessori

|website=Butler Montessori

|url=https://www.butlerschool.org/

|access-date=2020-08-24

|archive-date=2020-08-06

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806080032/https://www.butlerschool.org/

|url-status=live

}}{{cite web

|title=Mary of Nazareth Catholic School

|website=Mary of Nazareth School

|url=https://www.maryofnazareth.org/

|access-date=2020-08-24

|archive-date=2020-09-28

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928093559/https://www.maryofnazareth.org/

|url-status=live

}}{{cite web

|title=Seneca Academy

|website=Seneca Academy

|url=https://www.senecaacademy.org/

|access-date=2020-08-24

|archive-date=2020-08-11

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811185025/https://www.senecaacademy.org/

|url-status=live

}} Bullis School, which serves kindergarten through high school, is located slightly further away on a 102-acre campus in Potomac, Maryland.{{cite web

|title=Bullis

|website=Bullis

|url=https://www.bullis.org/

|access-date=2021-07-14

|archive-date=2021-07-14

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210714203629/https://www.bullis.org/

|url-status=live

}}

Montgomery College has a Germantown campus known as the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery College Germantown Campus - Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC MC)

|website=Montgomery College

|url=https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/about-mc/campuses-and-locations/germantown-campus/index.html

|access-date=2020-08-24

|archive-date=2020-08-05

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805190140/https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/about-mc/campuses-and-locations/germantown-campus/index.html

|url-status=live

}} It also has a campus in Rockville and a training center in Gaithersburg.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery College

|website=Montgomery College

|url=https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/

|access-date=2020-03-17

|archive-date=2020-03-14

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200314141647/https://www.montgomerycollege.edu/

|url-status=live

}} The Universities at Shady Grove is located within North Potomac and offers select degree programs from nine public Maryland universities.{{cite web

|title=The Universities at Shady Grove - About USG

|website=The Universities at Shady Grove

|url=https://shadygrove.umd.edu/about-usg

|access-date=2020-03-17

|archive-date=2020-03-11

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311204802/https://shadygrove.umd.edu/about-usg

|url-status=live

}} Instead of being a university itself, this campus partners with other universities and offers courses for 80 upper-level undergraduate, graduate degree, and certificate programs. The participating universities handle admissions.{{cite web

|title=The Universities at Shady Grove - USG at a Glance

|website=The Universities at Shady Grove

|url=https://shadygrove.umd.edu/sites/default/files/u80/USG%20At%20A%20Glance%20-%20Executive%20Flyer.pdf

|access-date=2020-03-19

|archive-date=2019-08-29

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829031506/https://shadygrove.umd.edu/sites/default/files/u80/USG%20At%20A%20Glance%20-%20Executive%20Flyer.pdf

|url-status=live

}} Johns Hopkins University has a campus in Rockville near the Universities at Shady Grove.{{cite web

|title=Johns Hopkins University - Montgomery County

|website=Johns Hopkins University - Montgomery County

|url=http://mcc.jhu.edu/

|access-date=2020-03-25

|archive-date=2020-03-28

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328153742/http://mcc.jhu.edu/

|url-status=live

}}

Two libraries, part of the Montgomery County Public Library system, are located less than {{convert|10|mi}} from Seneca. Poolesville Library, also known as Maggie Nightingale Library, is northwest of Seneca in Poolesville.{{cite web

|title=Maggie Nightingale Library

|publisher=Montgomery County Government

|url=https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Library/branches/nightingale.html

|access-date=2021-07-08

|archive-date=2021-07-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190608/https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Library/branches/nightingale.html

|url-status=live

}} Potomac Library, constructed in 1985 by the county, is located east of Seneca in Potomac.{{harvnb|Welles|2019|p=121}} Priddy Library is part of the University of Maryland Libraries system and is located at the Universities at Shady Grove in North Potomac.{{cite web

|title=The Universities at Shady Grove - Priddy Library

|website=The Universities at Shady Grove

|url=https://shadygrove.umd.edu/library

|access-date=2020-05-22

|archive-date=2020-05-25

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200525082237/https://shadygrove.umd.edu/library

|url-status=live

}} The Priddy Library opened in 2007 and is available to the public.{{harvnb|Zdravkovska|2011|p=135}}{{cite web

|title=Discover USG - Students & Alumni: The Priddy Library is here to Help You!

|website=The Universities at Shady Grove

|date=10 May 2019

|url=https://discoverusg.org/2019/05/10/students-alumni-the-priddy-library-is-here-to-help-you-guest-post-franklin-ofsthun-library-services-specialist/

|access-date=2020-03-17

|archive-date=2020-09-29

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929100647/https://discoverusg.org/2019/05/10/students-alumni-the-priddy-library-is-here-to-help-you-guest-post-franklin-ofsthun-library-services-specialist/

|url-status=live

}}

The Seneca Schoolhouse Museum provides tours to schoolchildren so that they can experience a typical school day as it would have been on March 13, 1880.{{Cite web|title = Kids Live History At One-Room Seneca Schoolhouse In Maryland|url = http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/03/20/kids_live_history_at_one_room_seneca_schoolhouse_in_maryland|website = WAMU 88.5|accessdate = 2015-10-12|date = 2015-03-20|last = Sheir|first = Rebecca|archive-date = 2015-09-11|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150911083553/http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/03/20/kids_live_history_at_one_room_seneca_schoolhouse_in_maryland|url-status = live}}{{Cite web|title = Seneca Schoolhouse|url = http://www.historicmedley.org/visit/seneca-schoolhouse/|website = Historic Medley District, Preserving the Historic Heritage of Western Montgomery County, Maryland|accessdate = 2015-10-12|archive-date = 2015-09-30|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150930070946/http://www.historicmedley.org/visit/seneca-schoolhouse/|url-status = live}} Glenstone Modern Art Museum is about six miles east of Seneca near the intersection of Travilah Road and Glen Road.{{cite web

|title=Glenstone

|website=Glenstone

|url=https://www.glenstone.org/

|access-date=2020-05-31

|archive-date=2020-05-31

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531210913/https://www.glenstone.org/

|url-status=live

}}{{cite news

|title=Going to Glenstone? Here's what you need to know about D.C.'s new must-see art museum

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/museums/going-to-glenstone-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-dcs-new-must-see-art-museum/2018/10/02/92a29468-c00f-11e8-9005-5104e9616c21_story.html

|access-date=2020-04-05

|newspaper=Washington Post

|date=2018-10-03

|last1=Ramanathan

|first1=Lavanya

|last2=Hahn

|first2=Fritz

|archive-date=2020-06-09

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609172423/https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/museums/going-to-glenstone-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-dcs-new-must-see-art-museum/2018/10/02/92a29468-c00f-11e8-9005-5104e9616c21_story.html

|url-status=live

}} The Strathmore Music and Arts Center in North Bethesda has a concert hall and art exhibits.{{cite news

|title=Strathmore A High Note For County

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2005/02/06/strathmore-a-high-note-for-county/32d82501-6f26-4772-b877-c555f13a22de/

|access-date=2020-05-22

|newspaper=Washington Post

|date=2005-02-06

|last1=Mir

|first1=A.

|last2=Spivack

|first2=Matthew

|last3=Mosk

|first3=A.}}

Image:Seneca Ridge Trail sign.jpg

Seneca Creek State Park is an irregular-shaped park of {{convert|6300|acre}} that follows Seneca Creek for {{convert|14|mile}} to the Potomac River. The park has {{convert|50|mile}} of trails for hiking, horseback riding and biking.{{cite web

|title=Seneca Creek State Park

|website=Maryland Department of Natural Resources

|publisher=Maryland government

|url=https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/central/seneca.aspx

|access-date=2020-05-19

|archive-date=2020-06-24

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624221833/https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/seneca.aspx

|url-status=live

}} Riley's Lock and Violette's Lock are in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, as is the nearby Pennyfield Lock.{{cite web

|title=Chesapeake & Ohio Canal - National Historical Park

|website=National Park Service

|publisher=National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

|url=https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm

|access-date=2020-04-14

|archive-date=2020-04-16

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416095614/https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm

|url-status=live

}}{{cite web

|title=Riley's Lock & Seneca

|website=C&O Canal Trust

|url=https://www.canaltrust.org/discoveryarea/rileys-lock-seneca/

|access-date=2020-09-02

|archive-date=2020-09-26

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926061314/https://www.canaltrust.org/discoveryarea/rileys-lock-seneca/

|url-status=live

}}{{cite web

|title=Lock 23 (Violettes Lock) & Dam No. 2

|website=C&O Canal Trust

|url=https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/lock-23-violettes-lock-dam-no-2/

|access-date=2020-09-02

|archive-date=2020-08-12

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812214650/https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/lock-23-violettes-lock-dam-no-2/

|url-status=live

}} These locks are used by kayakers, bikers, and hikers, and are also good places to observe wildlife.{{cite web

|title=C&O Canal – Pennyfield, Violette's & Riley's Locks

|website=The Maryland Ornithological Society

|url=https://birdersguidemddc.org/site/co-canal-pennyfield-violettes-rileys-locks/

|access-date=2020-09-02

|archive-date=2020-06-28

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628171631/https://birdersguidemddc.org/site/co-canal-pennyfield-violettes-rileys-locks/

|url-status=live

}} The 40–acre (16 ha) Dierssen Waterfowl Sanctuary is located at towpath marker 20.0 between Violette's Lock and the Pennyfield Lock.{{cite web

|title=Dierssen Waterfowl Sanctuary

|website=C&O Canal Trust

|url=https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/dierssen-waterfowl-sanctuary/

|access-date=2020-08-07

|archive-date=2020-08-12

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812213702/https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/dierssen-waterfowl-sanctuary/

|url-status=live

}} The McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area is located on River Road west of Seneca in Montgomery County, and borders the C&O National Park and Seneca Creek State Park. It is a {{convert|1971|acre}} tract that provides habitat for deer, turkeys, squirrels, songbirds, and waterfowl.{{cite web

|title=McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area

|publisher=Maryland Department of Natural Resources

|url=https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/central/mckeebeshers.aspx

|access-date=2021-07-19

|archive-date=2021-07-19

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210719211923/https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/publiclands/central/mckeebeshers.aspx

|url-status=live

}}

On the Potomac River, the Seneca Landing Special Park has a boat landing near Riley's Lock.{{cite web

|title=Seneca Landing Special Park

|website=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks

|publisher=Montgomery County, Maryland

|url=https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/seneca-landing-special-park/

|access-date=2020-05-19

|archive-date=2020-11-29

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129111437/https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/seneca-landing-special-park/

|url-status=live

}} The {{convert|630|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} Blockhouse Point Conservation Park, which has views of the Potomac River and ruins from the American Civil War, is also located along the Potomac River and C&O Canal.{{cite web

|title=Blockhouse Point Conservation Park & Trails

|website=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks

|publisher=Montgomery County, Maryland

|url=https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/blockhouse-point-conservation-park-trails/

|access-date=2020-04-16

|archive-date=2020-04-12

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412161524/https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/blockhouse-point-conservation-park-trails/

|url-status=live

}} The Callithea Farm Special Park is a 91-acre (37{{nbsp}}ha) horse farm.{{cite web

|title=Callithea Farm Special Park

|website=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks

|publisher=Montgomery County, Maryland

|url=https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/callithea-farm-special-park/

|access-date=2020-05-19

|archive-date=2020-08-13

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813022524/https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/callithea-farm-special-park/

|url-status=live

}} The Montgomery County Park System has over {{convert|200|mi}} of hiking trails.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks - Park Trails

|website=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks

|publisher=Montgomery County, Maryland

|url=https://www.montgomeryparks.org/activities/park-trails/

|access-date=2020-03-17

|archive-date=2020-04-10

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410012545/https://www.montgomeryparks.org/activities/park-trails/

|url-status=live

}} Among those trails is the Muddy Branch Greenway Trail, which has a {{convert|9|mi|km|adj=on}} route between Darnestown Road and Blockhouse Point Conservation Park near the Potomac River.{{cite web

|title=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks - Muddy Branch Greenway Trail

|website=Montgomery County, Maryland - Montgomery Parks

|publisher=Montgomery County, Maryland

|url=https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/muddy-branch-stream-valley-park/muddy-branch-greenway-trail/

|access-date=2020-03-17

|archive-date=2020-04-17

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417105005/https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/muddy-branch-stream-valley-park/muddy-branch-greenway-trail/

|url-status=live

}}

{{Reflist|group=Note|colwidth=30em}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{refbegin|20em}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Boyd

| first = T. H. S.

| title = The History of Montgomery County, Maryland, From its Earliest Settlement in 1650 to 1879

| publisher = W.K. Boyle & Son

| year = 1879

| location = Clarksburg, MD [Baltimore]

| oclc = 79381943

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Buglass

| first = Ralph

| title = The Montgomery County Story (Teaching Yet Today: A Century of One- and Two-Room Schools)

| publisher = Montgomery County Historical Society

| year = 2015

| location = Rockville, Maryland

| url = https://www.preservationmaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Montgomery_Story_Fall2015_Final.pdf

| access-date = 2020-08-27

| archive-date = 2020-04-07

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200407025657/https://www.preservationmaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Montgomery_Story_Fall2015_Final.pdf

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Hopkins

| first = Griffith Morgan

| title = Atlas of Fifteen Miles around Washington, Including the County of Montgomery, Maryland

| publisher = F. Bourquin

| year = 1879

| location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

| url = https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850m.gct00186/?sp=1&r=-0.439,0.112,1.783,1.217,0

| access-date = 2021-07-20

| archive-date = 2021-07-09

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709195225/https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3850m.gct00186/?sp=1&r=-0.439,0.112,1.783,1.217,0

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite book

| last1 = Kelly

| first1 = Clare Lise

| last2 = Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

| title = Places from the Past: The Tradition of Gardez Bien in Montgomery County, Maryland - 10th Anniversary Edition

| publisher = Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

| year = 2011

| location = Silver Spring, Maryland

| url = https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Places-from-the-Past-web_with_cover.pdf

| oclc = 48177160

| isbn = 978-0-97156-070-3

| access-date = 2020-03-26

| archive-date = 2021-04-12

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210412012413/https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Places-from-the-Past-web_with_cover.pdf

| url-status = live

}}

• {{cite magazine

|last = Peck

|first = Garrett

|date = 2014-03-01

|title = Bull Run Culvert and Retaining Wall: Site of a Stonecutting Mill?

|url = http://www.candocanal.org/atp/2014-03.pdf

|magazine = Along the Towpath

|location = Glen Echo, Maryland

|publisher = Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Association

|access-date = 2021-07-19

|archive-date = 2021-07-19

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210719192714/http://www.candocanal.org/atp/2014-03.pdf

|url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Peck

| first = Garrett

| title = The Smithsonian Castle and the Seneca Quarry

| publisher = The History Press

| year = 2013

| location = Charleston, South Carolina

| url =

| oclc = 841413490

| isbn = 978-1-61423-857-7

}}

• {{Cite book

| last1 = Scharf

| first1 = J. Thomas

| title = History of western Maryland: Being a History of Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties from the Earliest Period to the Present Day; Including Biographical Sketches of their Representative Men

| publisher = L.H. Everts

| year = 1882

| location = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=evCCpWAUp3EC&q=history+of+darnestown+presbyterian+church&pg=PA762

| oclc = 2955029

| access-date = 2020-07-19

| archive-date = 2023-02-09

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230209215517/https://books.google.com/books?id=evCCpWAUp3EC&q=history+of+darnestown+presbyterian+church&pg=PA762

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite book

| editor-last = Scott

| editor-first = Robert N.

| title = The War of the Rebellion : A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I – Volume XXVII Part I

| publisher = Government Printing Office

| year = 1889

| location = Washington

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8cZaAAAAYAAJ&dq=Seneca&pg=PA4

| oclc = 12241509

| access-date = 2021-12-04

| archive-date = 2023-02-09

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230209215517/https://books.google.com/books?id=8cZaAAAAYAAJ&dq=Seneca&pg=PA4

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = United States Census Bureau

| title = Maryland: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts

| publisher = U.S. Government Printing Office

| year = 2012

| location = Washington, DC

| url = http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-22.pdf

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210307224754/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-22.pdf

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = 2021-03-07

| access-date = 2020-12-07

}}

• {{Cite book

| last1 = United States Department of Transportation

| last2 = Maryland Department of Transportation

| title = Multi-Modal Corridor Study, Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland - Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Evaluation Volume 2 of 2

| publisher = Maryland Department of Transportation

| year = 2002

| location = Baltimore, MD

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=AaE1AQAAMAAJ&q=north+potomac+highways&pg=RA2-PA45

| oclc = 49960675

| access-date = 2020-03-15

| archive-date = 2023-02-09

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230209215517/https://books.google.com/books?id=AaE1AQAAMAAJ&q=north+potomac+highways&pg=RA2-PA45

| url-status = live

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Welles

| first = Judith

| title = Potomac

| publisher = Arcadia Publishing

| year = 2019

| location = Charleston, South Carolina

| oclc = 1111392250

| isbn = 978-1-46710-436-4

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Zdravkovska

| first = Nevenka

| title = Academic Branch Libraries in Changing Times

| publisher = Chandos Pub

| year = 2011

| location = Oxford, U.K.

| oclc = 1047817835

| isbn = 978-1-78063-270-4

}}

{{refend}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Mulligan

| first = Kate

| title = Towns along the Towpath

| publisher = Wakefield Press

| year = 1997

| location = Washington, DC

| oclc = 37221393

| isbn = 978-0-96555-520-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Sween

| first = Jane Chinn

| title = A History of Dawsonville and Seneca, Montgomery County, Maryland

| publisher =

| year = 1967

| location = Dawsonville, Maryland

| oclc = 37314070

| isbn =

}}

{{Commons category|Seneca, Maryland}}

• [https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/pages/publiclands/central/dierssen.aspx Dierssen Wildlife Management Area]
• [https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/seneca-landing-special-park/seneca-store/ Seneca Store]
• [https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/seneca-scholhouse/ Seneca School House]
• [https://www.canaltrust.org/pyv/seneca-stone-cutting-mill/ Seneca Stone Cutting Mill]

{{Montgomery County, Maryland}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Unincorporated communities in Montgomery County, Maryland