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 Located at the confluence of Rock Creek and the Potomac River, the 'Harry T. Thompson Boat Center' was built on National Park Service-administered land adjacent to C&O Canal Mile Marker 0 at what was once the terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Originally named the 'National Capital Water Sports Center,' the boat house was dedicated on September 24, 1960. Brainchild of National Capital Parks Superintendent Harry T. Thompson, the boat house was built with funds allocated under a 10 year expansion and rebuilding project embarked on by the National Park Service known as 'Mission 66.' The facility was renamed on March 28, 1961 for its champion, who passed away five months after its dedication.
Thompson's was constructed to provide public access to Rock Creek Park (established 1890) and the Potomac River as well as the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The boat house provides an opportunity for residents and visitors to explore the many treasures that Washington, DC and the Potomac River have to offer through kayak, canoe and bicycle rentals. Visitors can now expect to see white tail deer feeding at water's edge on Theodore Roosevelt Island; Kestrals swooping down, grabbing fish in their talons and flying off to
feed; Bald Eagles soaring overhead; and possibly a fox wandering around the boat house.
Though the boat house saw a decline in use after the catastrophic flood of 1972, it grew in popularity through the last decades of the 20th century. From a humble beginning in a run-down industrial area on the Georgetown waterfront with one high school and one university crew team, and a few rental canoes, it now hosts the prestigious teams from Georgetown and George Washington Universities and 13 other scholastic teams from the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland; two rowing clubs; and several hundred private boat owners who store their vessels on-site. Thousands upon thousands of visitors from the local area, around the country, and across the world have experienced the wild side of Washington through their activities at Thompson's.
The staff and many of the rowers at the facility celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 'Harry T. Thompson Boat Center' on the 26th of September 2010, with a cake-cutting and grateful acknowledgement of the man who made it possible for this gem on the Potomac to be built.
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