With a name like White Ferry, you are going to offend a lot of people.
I’ve never actually used the ferry, but have driven down to it on the VA side a few times. My guess is the landowner and the ferry company will eventually reach an agreement on this.
That’s going to suck for the few people that depended on the ferry. It’s quite a drive to a bridge.
The time to contest the land usage was 200 years ago. It’s way past 7 years. Probably a corrupt judge. Though these days “corrupt judge” would be redundant.
Rename it the BLM ferry, arrange a few peaceful riots on the MD side, then setup a CHOP zone.
About 30 years ago, my buddy and I were riding our motorcycles and took the ferry to Virginia. The skies opened up and soaked us to the skin. No shelter. We just stood there next to our bikes. Rain stopped when we got to Virginia. That was a great ride.
Shame...it was always a scenic drive through country roads at slow speed to wind down and enjoy the day. And the peaceful ferry ride always ended too soon reaching the Virginia side where traffic became hellish quickly, even 12-15 years ago.
Beat the other river crossings hands down. Glad that was a quiet secret known to few that lasted as long as it did.
Mosby’s Grey Ghosts are said to have used the crossing
Let the carpet baggers in you get screwed over...
FYI
I expect that behind the corruption is a deal to muscle out this ferry owner and then have another one come in afterwards and take over the route.
Lee crossed at White’s Ford on his way to Antietam. The ford is about three miles upstream from today’s White’s Ferry, which was known as Conrad’s Ferry during the Civil War. The approximate site of White’s Ford is marked with a sign along the C&O Canal towpath. It’s also close to a canal access point tucked into the woods along backroads adjacent to the Dickerson power plant.
Drove right by there one time and didn’t even realize it.
ML/NJ
Now. Let's see Plaintiff's title, because surely they encompass part of the 1871 Order. How did Defendant's counsel miss this; and/or the opportunity to insist upon a forensic survey restaking the 1871 Order.
Riverbank erosion is not that much of an issue if Defendant can show consistent egress to the same spot for a century -- 1871-1971 -- buttressed by the fact that this lawsuit originated from Defendant removing an old 'low wall' that the river had never bothered to swallow up.
Defense had the right theory of the case but didn't slam dunk it. I'd appeal it and get that forensic survey post-haste.
Take the ferry up within a few feet of shore and sink it so that it’s a eyesore.
“Historic Rocklands” farcebook post of explanation. It has been a long, long contention with prior owners as well.
Quote:
“Historic Rockland
2 hrs · Today.
In 1871, Loudoun County condemned a landing at Rockland Farm of 1 perch by 16 perches for a Ferry landing called Conrad’s Ferry. At that time there were many ferries that crossed the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland such as Edward’s Ferry and Sphinx Ferry. Unfortunately, there are no records that show where the condemnation for Conrad’s ferry occurred. In 1947, Elijah White wanted to reopen Conrad’s Ferry under the name White’s Ferry after a terrible flood which had closed Conrad’s ferry for a long time. They sent a letter to Rockland Farm acknowledging that they had no right to use Rockland’s property for the landing and asked the owners of Rockland Farm, for an agreement. In 1952, Elizabeth Rust Brown and Stanley Noel Brown, owners of Rockland Farm entered into a licensing agreement with White’s Ferry for $5.00 per year for the use of a landing at Rockland Farm so long as the ferry landing was never changed or enlarged under its current configuration. Since that time, White’s Ferry evolved from being a small operation of a few cars per day to a major commuter route.
Sixteen years ago, on July 4th weekend, White’s Ferry (without prior notification or permission from Rockland and without obtaining any government permits) unlawfully enlarged the ferry landing and built structures on Rockland. So doing violated a license agreement between White’s Ferry and Rockland that had been in place for more than half a century. Since then Rockland has been attempting to work out some fair arrangement with the owners of White’s Ferry. In response, all White’s Ferry has done is to delay, delay, delay, all the while making millions of dollars off the use of Rockland. Finally, after being stonewalled time and again by White’s Ferry, Rockland had no choice but to file suit on December 2, 2009. After many attempts to settle the case out of court which delayed the trial by years, the suit was decided in Rockland’s favor on November 23rd, 2020. The court definitively ruled that the owners of White’s Ferry had been and are trespassing and are no longer able to make use of Rockland without Rockland’s permission.
Since that decision over four weeks ago, Rockland Farm has made numerous attempts to reach White’s Ferry in order to negotiate a fair and equitable solution that will keep the ferry running. Rockland has offered to purchase White’s ferry, to be paid rent for its land, and to consider other arrangements that will keep the ferry running. On multiple occasions, White’s Ferry told Rockland Farm that it would get back to Rockland on certain dates, but missed their own deadlines. Multiple attempts to reach White’s Ferry have gone unanswered. All the while White’s Ferry continued, unjustly and now in violation of a court ruling, to make money off of the use of Rockland.
Rockland Farm knows that it is in everyone’s best interest to keep the ferry running and sent White’s Ferry an interim licensing agreement so that the ferry operation could continue without interruption until a deal between the two parties could be negotiated. Rockland Farm received no response from White’s Ferry. Having not gotten a response from White’s Ferry, Rockland Farm wrote to them last Wednesday letting them know that if Rockland did not hear back from them by noon on Monday, it would send a final notice of entry of Order to the court. Instead of engaging with Rockland Farm to negotiate a fair and equitable arrangement to keep the ferry running, the response by White’s Ferry was to close the ferry and walk away from the business.”
While on a romantic jaunt to Point of Rocks, I thought we’d take a quick ride on White’s ferry. Once we got to the Maryland side, it took hours of waiting in line to get back across. Still and all, a quaint summer day.
I would have thought that they had an established easment after the first 100 years.
People with money love to close roads and take over the land. The road leading to the dock will be abandon, and will give the landowner a whole bunch of new private riverfront. Clearly a grab for public land.
Are used to take that ferry years ago bike riding in the area. Unless I miss reading this, their lease ended, they didn’t continue paying, and were operating on borrowed time. Too bad.