NATIVE AMERICAN HABITATION

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Modern-day Camp Potomac Woods is located on 101 acres of land that were inhabited until the early 1700s by Native Americans, who doubtless chose the site for its wonderful wooded shade, good hunting, access to the river, and  abundant fishing.

Archaeological clues to Native American habitation include an area along Priscilla’s Trail, where arrowheads were chipped from a large outcrop of stone.

Particularly notable is the archaeological remnant of a Native American fishing weir, which stretches across the Potomac River from the mouth of Peace Creek to the island directly opposite. 

A fish weir is a fish trap, a stacked stone wall which is built across the riverbed in a large V-shape, to cleverly funnel and trap large numbers of fish in a small, walled area so that they can be easily netted or speared.

Centuries of river flooding have knocked over the stacked stones of the weir that the Native Americans worked so hard to build.  Yet, the fish trap is still visible today.  Stand on the dock and look downstream to your right, and if the river is low, you just might see a large V-shaped ruffle across the surface of the river.

The 25 miles of Potomac riverbed between Leesburg and Harpers Ferry are said to contain as many as 54 fish weirs.