Friends of the Cacapon River
Cacapon means healing waters according to a Native American source. If you have ever walked along it's banks, waded out to fish it's cool waters, canoed across its reaches or watched eagles soar above the cliffs at Castle Rock, the ancient meaning of the word cacapon becomes a spiritual realty.
The Friends of the Cacapon River (FCR) is a non-profit award winning watershed organization made up of volunteers and benefactors working to preserve and protect the Cacapon River and it's watershed. In the late 1980's and early 1990's the river committee evolved slowly under different names, and in 1992 officially became a 501(c)3 organization, Friends of the Cacapon River. We are dedicated to preserve and protect the Cacapon River and it's watershed., especially the lower part of the river that runs through Hampshire and Morgan Counties to it's mouth at Great Cacapon where it enters the Potomac River on its way to the Chesapeake Bay.
You can help us maintain this site and complete other projects to help protect the river by joining our organization.Print out the membership form and mail it to us with a check for the dues and a contribution if you feel led. A link to the form is in the menu to the left. We are currently collecting addresses from homeowners in Hampshire County and will attempt a mailing in sections later.
Thanks for visiting!
Photos of the Cacapon River (taken by Don Robinson and others as noted)
Home Owner's Packet
Home Owner's Packet'
Please note: There is a valuable 'Home Owner's Packet' of information that has been sent to all landowners along the length of the Cacapon River in Morgan County. It contains sound environmental advice on what to do and what not to do with properties in the riparian boundary of the Cacapon and other rivers as well as issues concerning septic systems, flooding and others. It can be found on this site by clicking Home Owner Packet in the menu to the left. Our group could use your support and membership to keep our river clean and provide you with useful information such as this.
Ban Gas Fracking in Morgan County
Cacaphonics 2
From Ron Wilson, president: Many of you have attended my annual Cabin Party along the river over the past years. For last few years it has also become a fund raiser for FCR, this year raising almost $900 from contributions, raffle tickets sales for the annual kayak drawing, contributions for CDs, stuffed otters, etc. I would like to thank all of you who were there this year and made this possible and a special thanks to my son Nathan, who really can work the crowd for money between his music. I wrote an article for the Morgan Messenger about one of the bands that has been playing at the party or about 20 years and until recently has had no name. It appears in the September 14 issue in a edited, slightly shorter version. The original version follows:
Cacaphonics 2
Band Heard Only Once a Year Named After River
A band named after the Cacapon River has been playing at an annual cabin party along the river near Largent for more than 20 years. The unique thing about this band is that it plays only once a year. Ron Wilson started his cabin party in 1986 the year after he bought his rustic cabin on the banks of the river near Largent. His son, Nathan, brought his bands from the Washington area to play. In 1990 the band , Loose Change, started playing, consisting of Joe Chiocca, lead guitar; Eddie O’Brien, guitar; Tad Farrington, drums and Nathan Wilson, bass, and have played every year since. After a few years they stopped playing as Loose Change, all playing in other bands and off onto different careers. However, the group continued to play at Ron’s party each year. Until a few years ago, the band had no name. Ron, who is the President of the Friends of the Cacapon River (FCR), was looking at a very old map of the area and notice the river was spelled as “Cacaphoen.” While the band’s music is far from “ a harsh or discordant sound,” (cacophony - Webster), the similarity seemed to be a good match for a the band name, hence, “The Cacaphonics.”
Wishes for the Cacapon River:
May your waters run clear,
your sick fish lose their sores,
your male basses lose their eggs,
your banks hold their ground.
your eagles soar, your kingfishers swoop,
your frogs croak, your turtles thump,
your beavers gnaw and your otters slide.
And may the Friends of the Cacapon River go on forever!
Cheers from Barbara Tufty
The River has many names...
Barbara Tufty
As the early white hunters began creeping through our woodlands, and explorers began mapping our river, they began calling it by many names they heard from the Native Americans of the area.The settlers began writing the names down, spelling them phonetically as they sounded.
Here are a few of the early names:
Cackapehon (River)
Ca’capon
Ca’pon
Cacaca’pon (like a rooster!)
Then the spelling became more standard
Cap Cappen Creek
Cape Capon River
Great Cacapon River
Now we pronounce it:
Caca’pon River