Thompson Boat Center

"Located at the mouth of Rock Creek, at the historic Tidelock of the C&O canal, the Thompson Boat Center is the only existing public boat storage facility on the Georgetown waterfront. The facility was the brain child of Department of the Interior worker Harry S. Thompson.

The original name of the facility was The National Capital Water Sports Center a decision made in 1952 just before opening, when Mr. Thompson passed away. Until the flood of 1972, the Thompson Boat Center was an active facility with boat storage, canoe and rowboat rental, and the operation of the C&O canal barge. Its receding waters left nearly a foot of mud and debris in the boathouse, washed away the docks, and sank the canal barge. Between 1972 and 1981, Thompson Boat Center activity dropped dramatically.

With the development of Washington Harbor an explosive growth of rowing in the area, demand for the center services and capacity has grown steadily. Thompson Boat Center currently houses the vessels of four collegiate, thirteen scholastic, several club teams, hundreds of individual scullers and paddlers, and offers boat and bicycle rentals."