Point of Rocks, MD
| Point of Rocks, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place | |
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U.S. Route 15 crossing the Potomac River at Point of Rocks
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|
 Location in Maryland |
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| Coordinates: 39°16′33″N 77°32′21″W / 39.27583°N 77.53917°WCoordinates: 39°16′33″N 77°32′21″W / 39.27583°N 77.53917°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |
 Maryland
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| County |
 Frederick
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| Area | |
| • Total | 1.10 sq mi (2.85 km2) |
| • Land | 1.10 sq mi (2.85 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 250 ft (80 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,466 |
| • Density | 1,331/sq mi (513.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 21777 |
| Area code(s) | 301 and 240 |
| FIPS code | 24-62575 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0591032 |
Point of Rocks is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,466. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent , which was formed by the Potomac River cutting through the ridge in a water gap, a typical formation in the Appalachian Mountains. The formation is not visible from the town and can only be seen from boats on the river, or from the southern bank of the river in Virginia.
For centuries before European settlers arrived in the Point of Rocks area, indigenous populations inhabited the region. The Piscataway Nation was one of the Native American cultures to live in Point of Rocks, inhabiting an island in the Potomac River today known as Heater's Island. Forced from their homelands in modern-day Prince George's County by English settlement in the mid-18th century, the Piscataway migrated to Heater's Island around 1699, though their population was severely decreased by an outbreak of smallpox in 1704. The Piscataways remained on the island for a few more years before migrating north into Pennsylvania and New York.
About a decade after the Piscataway abandoned their settlement on Heater's Island, the first European settler in Point of Rocks, Arthur Nelson, received a patent for a tract of land called "Nelson's Island." The Nelson Family retained their status as prominent landholders in Point of Rocks in the early-18th century, developing several plantations on which tobacco was grown. Commercial interests in the region led the Nelsons to petition for a road to be built connecting Frederick and "Nelson's Ferry," the first English name assigned to the village that became Point of Rocks. This road was eventually constructed and became known as Ballenger Creek Pike.
In the early-19th century, the arrival of the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad led to an increase in settlement and industry in the Point of Rocks area. The village became a temporary terminus for both the C&O Canal and the B&O Railroad in 1828 when the companies went to court to determine which would control the right of way through the narrow passage between the Potomac River and Catoctin Mountain immediately west of Point of Rocks. After six years of court battles, the companies agreed to compromise and share the right of way, the B&O Railroad eventually constructing a tunnel through the mountain to broaden its lines through the narrow water gap.
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