Owners Offer to Donate White's Ferry to Montgomery County in Hopes of Restarting Operations

After years of legal disputes that have kept the ferry shut down, its owners think they may have finally found a solution. News4’s Leon Harris has more on the plan.

Over the past three years, the Kuhns have worked to develop a proposal to gain access to the ferry’s Virginia landing at Rockland Farm, but negotiations with the landowners never reached a deal.

By NBC Washington • Published April 17, 2024

There may be new hope for the future of White’s Ferry: its owners have offered to donate it to Montgomery County after unsuccessful attempts at restarting operations.

Chuck Kuhn, the founder and CEO of JK Land Holdings, and his family purchased the centuries-old ferry that ceased operation in December of 2020, when a Loudoun County judge ruled the ferry’s landing in Virginia is on private property.

Over the past three years, the Kuhns have worked to develop a proposal to gain access to the ferry’s Virginia landing at Rockland Farm, but negotiations with the landowners never reached a deal.

“The donation to Montgomery County would be contingent on Montgomery and Loudoun counties working together to find a solution to gain access to the Virginia shoreline and reopen the ferry in a timely manner,” a statement from JK Land Holdings reads in part. 

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said in his own statement that he was “pleased” by the announcement and “optimistic” about reopening the ferry. 

“Our goal was always to get the ferry reopened. This is not what we had originally envisioned, but we recognize the importance of White’s Ferry to our region. With this donation, we believe that Montgomery County will be able to work with Virginia to get the ferry moving again,” owner Chuck Kuhn said.