On Friday the State of Maryland and Montgomery County offered $3 million to the current owner of White’s Ferry and the owner of the Virginia landing to resolve their differences and reopen the ferry.
Chuck and Stacey Kuhn, who own the ferry, and Rockland Farm’s Libby Devlin, who owns the land on the Virginia side of the river, have until July 2026 to come to an agreement to restart the service.
White’s Ferry has been shuttered since December 2020. It was the last ferry service offering carriage across the Potomac River. Before it closed approximately 600 to 800 cars rode on it daily. It was considered a vital transportation link between Maryland and Virginia.
According to a 2021 study by Montgomery and Loudoun counties, reopening the ferry service would have a more than $9 million annual impact on the two communities. Since the ferry closing, the Town of Poolesville has suffered an economic downturn.
The president of the Poolesville Town Commission, Jim Brown, stated, “Our local businesses depend on visitors, and our commercial zone has suffered a 20 percent decline in traffic since the ferry closing.”
So far, Devlin and Kuhn have not been able to agree on a satisfactory financial solution, despite years of negotiation and regional attempts to find a resolution.
In a letter sent to both parties on Friday, County Executive Marc Elrich wrote, “I am proposing a financial incentive for the two of you to work together to get the ferry running again as a final measure to initiate momentum.”
The public subsidy would come from several agencies. The State of Maryland and Montgomery County would both pay $1.5 million. Maryland State Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo was a key player in obtaining state funding.
Reinstating the ferry will be a complicated process. For more details, read the press release.
