Montgomery County Buys Whites Ferry Land in Push to Restart Potomac Crossing

Drivers who once used White’s Ferry to skip long Potomac River detours still cannot board a boat today, but Maryland just took a concrete ownership step that changes the restart path.

According to WTOP reporting on a July 24, 2026, news conference, Montgomery County will buy about 2.5 acres of Maryland riverfront land for $1.5 million while owner Chuck Kuhn donates the historic ferry vessel and operations to the county.

The traveler decision is not “drive on tomorrow.” It is whether Poolesville, Loudoun, and western Montgomery trip plans should keep watching for a future ferry reopening instead of treating the 2020 shutdown as permanent.

What Montgomery County is buying

The $1.5 million package covers roughly 2.5 acres of riverfront land on the Poolesville, Maryland, side of the Potomac, plus a store, ferry ramp, boat launch, and storage buildings, WTOP reported.

Kuhn said at the news conference that he and his wife Stacy would donate the historic vessel and its operations so the ferry can return for the community. He emphasized that ownership was less important than getting service running again.

Once the sale is finalized and the county takes possession, officials said the vessel will be pulled from the river and examined for repairs. Montgomery County hopes that transition can finish within about two months.

County Executive Marc Elrich called the arrangement a major milestone toward restart. He said years of negotiation assistance had shown that owning the Maryland property was the most logical way to move service forward.

Montgomery Community Media also covered the county’s purchase as a step intended to pressure complementary action on the Virginia side.

Why the ferry still cannot load cars

White’s Ferry closed in December 2020 after a Loudoun County court ruled the operation had been trespassing on the Virginia landing once a prior licensing agreement ended.

The Virginia dock sits at Rockland Farm, privately owned by Libby Devlin and family interests. Kuhn and the farm owners never reached a new docking deal, even after multi-million-dollar public incentives were floated in earlier years.

Elrich said Montgomery County last spoke with Rockland Farm owners around February and still wants a negotiated restart. Devlin told WTOP she had not been invited into Friday’s announcement and was unaware of the deal beforehand.

Loudoun County officials, in a statement summarized by WTOP, called the Maryland acquisition a positive milestone for regional connectivity. That political signal does not by itself reopen the Virginia ramp.

Until a lawful Virginia landing exists again, no Maryland ownership change can put cars back on the water. Travelers should still plan around bridges and longer surface routes.

What a restart would mean for trip routing

Before the 2020 shutdown, White’s Ferry carried roughly 600 to 800 vehicles daily across the Potomac, and more on busy weekends. That volume made it a practical shortcut for workers and weekend visitors avoiding congested beltway approaches.

Montgomery County transportation director Chris Conklin told WTOP the ferry is a vital service the county wants restored. With the Maryland landing and operations under public control, the remaining gap is where the boat can lawfully land in Virginia.

Elrich said eminent domain on the Virginia side is possible but should be a last resort because court delays can stretch for years. He still argued that state power could become relevant if private talks stay stuck.

For travelers, the near-term map does not change. Point of Rocks, American Legion Bridge corridors, and other highway crossings remain the operating options for car trips between Maryland’s western Montgomery communities and northern Virginia.

Deep Arrival’s Richmond things to do guide helps Virginia road-trippers separate longer southbound city nights from rural Potomac driving days while ferry politics remain unresolved. Keep White’s Ferry reopening as a future routing bonus, not a booked assumption for summer 2026 lodging.

If the same trip includes an Amtrak leg into the Mid-Atlantic, use live carrier notices rather than historic ferry shortcuts when you build station-to-hotel ground plans.

Longer Mid-Atlantic loops that continue into western Pennsylvania can still use Deep Arrival’s Pittsburgh things to do guide for city nights after the Potomac segment is complete.

Weekend visitors should also separate recreation from commuting. A possible future ferry does not replace published park, canal, or trail access rules along the C and O corridor, and those sites have their own hours and parking limits.

The announcement is a real ownership reset on the Maryland bank, not a ticketed sailing date for travelers. Keep current itineraries on bridges and published roads until both banks and a tested vessel are ready for public boarding.

For Poolesville businesses and Loudoun reverse-commuters, the political climate may improve because one side of the river is now a public owner with an explicit restart mandate. That still leaves a bilateral problem.

Travelers should separate confirmed fact from hope. Confirmed: Maryland land purchase price, donated vessel, two-month possession goal, and continued Virginia landing gap. Hope: a full passenger and vehicle service calendar.

Navigation apps may still show historic ferry segments in older map layers or user pins. Do not follow those pins for live car routing until official hours and landing status are published again.

If you manage group transport for weddings, school trips, or bike tours that once used the ferry, rewrite those plans around highway crossings now and only restore ferry legs after both counties confirm a service date.

Insurance, commercial vehicle limits, and pedestrian rules from the pre-2020 operation should not be assumed. A public operator can rewrite those terms when service returns.

Local tourism offices and lodging hosts should avoid marketing an open ferry in summer 2026 materials until both landings and a service date are confirmed in writing.