Washington Canal Lottery

[Tickets from the Washington
City Canal Lottery], 1798
Rare Book & Special
Collections Division (134.3a-g)

In December 1795, the Maryland legislature authorized landholder Notley Young and Daniel Carroll of Duddington, among others, to hold two annual lotteries to raise the $52,550 required to cut a canal through Washington, D.C. As seen in the sampling above, numerous tickets were issued but, for the most part, on credit. The legislature demanded an accounting of the proceeds from the lottery managers but were told no money had been made.