The Potomac Company (1865-1828)

Abstract

The Potomac Company was the first, canal company in the United States. But at the time of its formation it was considered to be just another of a long series of schemes by the Virginia plantation aristocracy to tap the riches of western trade. In order, to more fully understand the reasons the Potomac Company came into existence, it is necessary to understand certain aspects of the culture which arose in the Chesapeake Bay region, for as a result of this culture, there arose an almost obsessive desire to exploit the Potomac River as a trade link with the west.