White's Ferry owners increase offer to buy Virginia dock amid ongoing legal battle

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - The owners of White’s Ferry have increased their offer to buy the ferry’s landing site on the Virginia side, which is owned by Rockland Farms. 

Chuck and Stacy Kuhn, owners of JK Moving Services, bought the Ferry in February 2021. They offered to buy the docking site from Rockland Farms for $1.1 million in January but the Kuhns said the offer was turned down. 

The offer money included funds from White’s Ferry’s owners, both Montgomery and Loudoun Counties, and additional funds from Herb Brown, the original ferry owner. 

Libby Devilin, owner of Rockland Farm in Virginia, said her family won’t let the ferry land on their shoreline unless White’s Ferry in Maryland starts paying them a 50 cent per car fee. 

But ferry owner Chuck Kuhn told the council that would mean 60% of his profits. 

Now, the Kuhns have upped their offer to $1.25 million for the 1.4 acres of the landing site – a number they say is "well above the land value." 

But it's not clear if the increased offering will make a difference. Devlin told FOX 5 that they want a volume-based fee for the amount of traffic encroaching on the land.

Operating since 1786 – the ferry used to take hundreds of passengers across the Potomac River from Loudoun County to Montgomery County every day but it abruptly shut down after the legal battle over the land that it's docked on began. 

Back in December 2020, the disputes and lawsuits related to the ownership and access to the Virginia landing caused service to halt abruptly. A court ruled that the ferry trespassed on the private Virginia land when it expanded its landing. 

The end of service has impacted nearly 1,100 daily users, a spokesperson for the Kuhns said. The spokesperson added that the Kuhns are also pursuing alternative options to get the ferry back up and running, including: 

• Selling the ferry directly to Rockland Farms or to Montgomery County or the state of Maryland.
• Donating the ferry, the ferry business, and the Maryland landing to the county if Rockland Farm would donate the Virginia landing.

"It’s unclear whether Rockland Farm owners will accept the new offer, buy the ferry, or consider donating their land as the Kuhns have suggested. Or whether the local jurisdictions will purchase the ferry," a statement to FOX 5 read. "The Kuhns remain committed to getting the ferry open to the local community as quickly as possible and await an answer." 

Community members who have been urging politicians to find a solution and get both sides back to the negotiating table are also awaiting an answer. 

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'We really want the ferry open:' Hundreds protest over White's Ferry continued closure

White’s Ferry, which carries passengers and cars across the Potomac between Maryland and Virginia, has been shut down for two years now. On Thursday, locals gathered to send a message to politicians that it is hurting the community.

Last year, hundreds of Maryland residents banded together to send a message to Maryland politicians that the ferry is still essential. 

Residents of Poolesville, Maryland told FOX 5 that losing White's Ferry cut off a major transportation route into northern Virginia. 

Speakers reminded representatives from local, state, and federal government that life without the ferry is hurting local businesses, not to mention sometimes quadrupling commutes. 

Poolesville’s Chamber of Commerce President Tom Kettler estimates businesses are losing 20% of their revenue.