Ohio and Erie Canal

Ohio and Erie Canal Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark District
The Ohio and Erie canal in 1902
Location	Valley View, Ohio
Area	24.5 acres
Built	1825
Architect	Unknown
Architectural style	No Style Listed
NRHP reference No.	66000607
Added to NRHP	November 13, 1966

The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the early 1800s that connected the Ohio River at Portsmouth, Tuscarawas County and Lake Erie at Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The canal carried freight traffic from 1827 to 1861, and then freight traffic rapidly diminished due to the construction of railroads. From 1862 to 1913, the canal served as a water source to industries and towns. In 1913 the canal was abandoned after much of it was destroyed by a flood. Parts of the canal are today preserved, including the Ohio and Erie Canal Historic District, a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

History

After achieving Statehood in 1803, Ohio was a sparsely populated state of 50,000 persons, scattered and with no economical means of transportation of goods. With no access to markets, agriculture served only local needs and manufacturing was nearly non-existing

Agitation for a canal system (1787-1822)

As early as 1787, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had discussed the desirability of a canal linking Lake Erie to the Ohio River as part of a national system of canals. It wasn't until 1807 that Ohio's first Senator, Thomas Worthington offered a resolution in Congress asking Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin to report to the Senate. In 1810, DeWitt Clinton was appointed to head the Erie Canal Commission. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to get national aid for the construction of a canal connecting Lake Erie to the Hudson River, so he enlisted the aid of Ohio (and its congressional delegation). On January 15, 1812 the Ohio General Assembly passed a resolution indicating that the connection of the Great Lakes with the Hudson River was a project of "national concern". President Madison was against the proposal, however, and the War of 1812 ended all discussion.

On December 11, 1816, Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York sent a letter to the Ohio Legislature indicating his state's willingness to construct the Erie Canal without national help, and asking the State of Ohio to join in the endeavor. On January 9, 1817, the Ohio Legislature directed Ohio's Governor, the same Thomas Worthington, to negotiate a deal with Clinton. Due to the cost, however, the Ohio Legislature dallied, and nothing happened for the next 3 years. Finally, in January 1822, in a fit of progressivism, the Ohio Legislature passed acts to fund the canal system and the state's public education obligations.

Survey and Design (1822)

On January 31, 1822 the Ohio Legislature passed a resolution to employ an engineer and appoint commissioners to survey and design the canal system as soon as possible. A sum not to exceed $6000 was allocated for this purpose.

James Geddes, an engineer experienced from work on the New York canals, was employed. Since most of Ohio's population lived along a line from Cleveland to Cincinnati, it was necessary that these areas be served by the main trunk of the canal. Since canals must generally follow river valleys, it was difficult to design a suitable system. Specifically, the bridging of the Scioto and Miami river valleys required raising the canal to such an elevation that water from neither river could be used as a source. As a result, the canal was divided into two sections, the Ohio and Erie Canal from Cleveland to Portsmouth which crossed the Licking Divide and followed the Scioto River Valley, and the Miami and Erie Canal which connected Cincinnati to Dayton. In later years this second canal would be extended all the way to the Maumee River at Toledo.

Construction (1825-1832)

On February 4, 1825, the Ohio Legislature passed "An Act to provide for the Internal Improvement of the State of Ohio by Navigable Canals". The Canal Commission was authorized to borrow $400,000 in 1825, and not more than $600,000 per year thereafter. The notes issued were to be redeemable between 1850 and 1875.

On July 4, 1825, ground was broken on the canal at Licking Summit near Newark, Ohio.

The canals were specified to have a minimum width of 40 feet (12 m) at the top, 26 feet (8 m) at the bottom, and a depth of 4 feet (1.2 m) feet minimum. These limits were often exceeded, and indeed it was cheaper to do so in most cases. For example, it might be cheaper to build one embankment and then let the water fill all the way to the adjacent foothills, perhaps hundreds of feet away, rather than build two embankments. By damming the rivers, long stretches of slackwater could be created which, with the addition of towpaths, could serve as portions of the canal. Where it made economic sense to do so, such as lock widths or portions of the canal through narrow rock or across aqueducts, the minimum widths were adhered to.

Contracts were let for the following tasks:

• Grubbing and clearing
• Mucking and ditching
• Embankment and excavation
• Locks and culverts
• Puddling
• Protection

Initially, contractors in general proved to be inexperienced and unreliable. It was common for one job to receive 50 bids, many of them local to where the work was being performed. The chosen contractor, having underbid the contract, often would vanish in the night leaving his labor force unpaid and his contract unfulfilled. This problem was so bad that laborers refused to perform canal work for fear of not being paid. As the bidding process was improved, and more reliable contractors engaged, the situation improved.

Workers were initially paid $0.30 per day and offered a jigger of whiskey. As work progressed, and where labor was in shortage, workers could make as much as $15 per month. At that time, cash money was hard to come by in Ohio forcing much bartering. Working on the canal was appealing and attracted many farmers from their land.

On July 3, 1827 the first canal boat on the Ohio and Erie Canal left Akron, traveled through 41 locks and over 3 aqueducts along 37 miles (60 km) of canal, to arrive at Cleveland on July 4th. While the average speed of 3 mph (4.8 km/h) seems slow, canal boats could carry 10 tons of goods and were much more efficient than wagons over rutted trails.

Graph showing the annual expenditures and revenues accrued to the State of Ohio by the Ohio and Erie Canal from 1827 to 1903.

Over the next five years, more and more portions of the canal opened, with it finally being completed in 1832:

• 1828 opens from Akron to Massillon, Ohio. The canal is 65 miles (105 km) long.
• 1829 opens from Massillon to Dover, Ohio. The canal is 93 miles (150 km) long.
• 1830 opens from Dover to Newark, Ohio. The canal is 177 miles (285 km) long.
• 1831 opens from Newark to Chillicothe, Ohio. The canal is 258 miles (415 km) long.

In 1832, the Ohio and Erie Canal was completed. The entire canal system was 308 miles (496 km) long with 146 lift locks and a rise of 1,206 feet (368 m). In addition, there were five feeder canals that added 24.8 miles (39.9 km) and 6 additional locks to the system consisting of:

• Tuscarawas Feeder (3.2 miles)
• Walhonding Feeder (1.3 miles)
• Granville Feeder (6.1 miles)
• Muskinghum Side Cut (2.6 miles)
• Columbus Feeder (11.6 miles)

The canal's lock numbering system was oriented from the Lower Basin, near the southwest corner of the current Exchange and Main streets in Akron. North of the basin is Lock 1 North, and south of the basin is Lock 1 South. At this basin was the joining of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal.

Operation (1833 - 1913)

The Akron Beacon Journal front page on March 25, 1913; two days after the flood

The canals enjoyed a golden period of prosperity from the 1830s to the early 1860s, with a peak in revenue between 1852 and 1855. During the 1840s, Ohio was the third most prosperous state, owing much of that growth to the canal. Immediately following the Civil War, it became apparent that railroads would take the canal's business. From 1861 until 1879, after the canal had been badly flooded, Ohio leased its canals to private owners who earned revenue from dwindling boat operation and the sale of water to factories and towns. When the state took the canals back in 1879, it discovered that they had not been maintained, and that state lands surrounding the canals had been illegally sold to private owners. In many cases, canals were filled in for "health reasons", only to find a newly laid railroad track on their right of way. Much State land was given away for free to politically savvy private owners. Nevertheless, some revenue was accrued into the early twentieth century from the sale of water rights as well as recovery and sale of land surrounding the canals.

Abandonment

After the peak of the 1850's and a bottoming out of revenue due to the Civil War in the early 1860s the canals expenditures starting to outgrow its revenues due to rising maintenance costs. By 1911, most of the southern portion of the canal had been abandoned. On March 23, 1913, after a winter of record snowfall, storms dumped an abnormally heavy amount of rain on the state, causing extensive flooding. This caused the reservoirs to spill over into the canals, destroying aqueducts, washing out banks, and devastating most of the locks. In Akron, Lock 1 was dynamited to allow backed up floodwater to flow.

Notable persons associated with the Canal

• As a teenager in 1847, James Garfield worked as a helmsman, driving horses to pull barges along the canal. After repeatedly falling into the canal on the job, Garfield became ill, and decided to go to college instead.

The Canal today

Restored canal boat

The Ohio and Erie Canal Historic District, a 24.5 acre historic district including part of the canal, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It is a four mile section within the township of Valley View, Ohio that contains three locks, the Tinkers Creek Aqueduct and two structures.

A remaining watered section of the Ohio & Erie Canal is located in Summit County, Ohio. The Ohio & Erie Canal is maintained, to this day, as a water supply for local industries. After the flood, a few sections of the canal continued in use hauling cargo to local industries. Another watered section extends from the Station Road Bridge in Brecksville northwards into Valley View and Independence, all Cleveland suburbs.

The section of the Ohio & Erie Canal from the Brecksville Dam to Rockside Road in Cuyahoga County was transferred to the National Park Service in 1989 as part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreational Area (now known as the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

A lease on the canal lands from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the terminus of the canal has been executed with the Cleveland Metroparks. The Metroparks manage the adjacent real estate and the surrounding Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation.

The section of the Ohio & Erie Canal still owned and maintained by the Division of Water in southern Summit is referred to as the watered section. This section runs from the north end of Summit Lake south to Barberton, a distance of about 12 miles (19 km). Included in this section is the feeder canal from the Tuscarawas River and the hydraulics at the Portage Lakes.

The Ohio & Erie Canal is maintained from Akron by a staff of six Division of Water employees. Like its sister canal, the Ohio & Erie Canal carries a large amount of stormwater. The canals were not designed to accommodate this great influx of stormwater. Most of the siltation and erosion problems experienced today are the result of stormwater inappropriately piped into the canals over the years.

In late 1996, the canal from Zoar to Cleveland was designated a National Heritage Corridor. This designation was brought about through the efforts of many communities, civic organizations, businesses and individuals working in partnership. The Department is working with numerous local communities and organizations to assure the continued development of the Ohio & Erie Canal.

Aqueducts and Locks

Restored canal Twelve Mile Lock 38, Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Deep Lock 28 as it existed in 1985

Lock #	Coordinates	Elevation	Mile	Name	Type	Description
44 North	41°29′39.76″N 81°42′10.4″W	0 feet (0 m)	0	Cuyahoga River Sloop	Lock	Merwin Street between James street and West street, Cleveland, Cuyahoga
43 North		0 feet (0 m)			Lock	Sherwin Williams, James and West, Merrwin and Vineyard, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County
		0 feet (0 m)		Weigh	Lock	Seneca a.k.a. West 3rd. street
42 North		0 feet (0 m)	3		Lock	relocated to 42A, , Cuyahoga County
42A North		0 feet (0 m)	3	Weigh and Guard	Lock	near Grasselli chemical company, Dille street and Independence road
41 North	41°26′49.38″N 81°40′56.88″W	0 feet (0 m)	5	RathBuns	Lock	near Austin Powder Works, Harvard Road, near Jennings Road, , Cuyahoga County
40 North	41°25′8.82″N 81°38′38.58″W	0 feet (0 m)	8	Willow	Lock	off Canal Road, near I-77, Cuyahoga Heights, Cuyahoga County
	41°25′2.53″N 81°38′18.88″W	0 feet (0 m)		Mill Creek	Aqueduct	carries canal over Mill Creek (Cuyahoga River) off Canal Road, Cuyahoga Heights, Cuyahoga County
39 North	41°23′24.22″N 81°37′28.95″W	590 feet (180 m)	11		Lock	Independence, Cuyahoga County
38 North	41°22′20.78″N 81°36′46.23″W	600 feet (180 m)	12		Lock	Canal Visitor Center, Valley View, Cuyahoga County
	41°21′53″N 81°36′32″W	610 feet (190 m)		Tinkers Creek	Aqueduct	carries canal over Tinkers Creek (Cuyahoga River)
37 North	41°21′24.06″N 81°35′49.02″W	620 feet (190 m)	14		Lock	Alexander's Mill, , Cuyahoga
36 North	41°19′23.06″N 81°35′11.9″W	0 feet (0 m)	17	Pinery Dam and Feeder	Lock	, Summit
35 North	41°18′45.43″N 81°34′59.89″W	0 feet (0 m)	19	Kettlewell Whiskey	Lock
34 North	41°17′21.08″N 81°33′51.99″W	0 feet (0 m)	20	Red	Lock	Jaite in southwestern Northfield Township
33 North	41°16′33.52″N 81°33′38.14″W	0 feet (0 m)	20.5	Wallace	Lock	in Boston Township, Summit
32 North	41°15′56″N 81°33′31″W	659 feet (201 m)	21	Boston	Lock	Boston Township, Summit
31 North	41°15′5.93″N 81°32′45.36″W	670 feet (200 m)	22	Lonesome	Lock	was in Boston Township , Summit
30 North	41°14′44.04″N 81°33′14.87″W	680 feet (210 m)	23	Peninsula Feeder	Lock	Peninsula, Summit
29 North	41°14′33.54″N 81°33′1.29″W	690 feet (210 m)	23	Peninsula	Lock	Peninsula, Summit
	41°14′33.01″N 81°33′0.86″W	700 feet (210 m)		Peninsula	Aqueduct	carried canal over Cuyahoga River, Peninsula, Summit
28 North	41°13′57.38″N 81°33′6.77″W	700 feet (210 m)	25	Deep	Lock	at 17 feet (5.2 m) the deepest lock along the canal, Peninsula, Summit
27 North	41°12′16.25″N 81°34′15.43″W	710 feet (220 m)	27	Johnny Cake	Lock	, Summit
	41°12′7″N 81°34′21″W	718 feet (219 m)		Furnace Run	Aqueduct	carried canal over Furnace Run (Cuyahoga River), , Summit
26 North	41°11′7.74″N 81°34′52.05″W	718 feet (219 m)	28	Pancake	Lock	, Summit
25 North	41°10′32.27″N 81°34′46.82″W	0 feet (0 m)	28	Mudcatcher	Lock	, Summit
24 North	41°10′20.5″N 81°34′40.93″W	0 feet (0 m)	30	Niles	Lock	, Summit
23 North		0 feet (0 m)	32	Booth port	Lock	sewer pipe, Summit
22 North			32	Booth port	Lock	Merriman sewer pipe, Summit
21 North			33		Lock	sewer over-flow, Summit
20 North					Lock	train abutments, Summit
19 North				Black Dog Crossing	Lock	near Hickory and Memorial, Summit
18 North			35		Lock	, Summit
17 North			36		Lock	, Summit
16 North			36		Lock	, Summit
15 North			36	Akron Mustill Store	Lock	Akron, Summit
14 North			36		Lock	North Street, Akron, Summit
13 North			36		Lock	Akron, Summit
12 North			36		Lock	Akron, Summit
11 North			36		Lock	Akron, Summit
10 North			36		Lock	, Akron, Summit
9 North					Lock	north of Market street, Akron, Summit
8 North					Lock	tunnel, Akron, Summit
7 North			37		Lock	middle tunnel, Akron, Summit
6 North			37		Lock	tunnel below parking deck North of Mill street, Akron, Summit
5 North			37		Lock	tunnel, Akron, Summit
4 North			37		Lock	tunnel, Akron, Summit
3 North			37		Lock	South Main street, Akron, Summit
2 North			38		Lock	Water street, Akron, Summit
1 North			38		Lock	West Exchange street, Akron, Summit
0				Portage landing	Lock	Portage lakes, Manchester Road, Akron, Summit
1 South				Wolf creek	Lock	Snyder avenue, Barberton, Summit
				Wolf creek	Aqueduct	Snyder avenue, Barberton, Summit
2 South					Lock	Center Road, New Franklin, Summit
3 South					Lock	Center Road, New Franklin, Summit
4 South					Lock	Canal Fulton
5 South					Lock
5A South					Lock
					Lock
					Lock
31 South					Lock
32 South					Lock
33 South					Lock
North 20					Lock
North 19					Lock
North 18					Lock
					Lock
					Lock
North 1					Lock
North 0				Minthorn	Lock	Newark, Ohio
South 0				Pugh	Lock
South 1			195	King Watson	Lock	Canal Road
South 2			196	David Miller's White Mill	Lock	Baltimore, Ohio
South 3			197.4	Norris Mill	Lock	Baltimore, Ohio
South 4				Short Level	Lock	Baltimore, Ohio
South 5			198	Dry Dock	Lock	Baltimore, Ohio
South 6			198.3	Mulnix Mill	Lock	Baltimore, Ohio
South 7			198.8	Wells Mill	Lock	Basil, Ohio
South 8			200	Bibler	Lock	Basil, Ohio
South 9			208		Lock	Carroll, Ohio
South 10					Lock	Carroll, Ohio
South 11			206		Lock	Upper Lockville, Violet Township
South 12				Tennis/Tennat	Lock	Lockville
South 13				Rowe	Lock	Lockville
South 14				Smallwood	Lock
South 15				Fickle Mill Short Level	Lock	Lockville
South 16				Rover Short Level	Lock	Lockville
South 17				Swimmer's	Lock	Lockville
South 18				Creek	Lock	Lockvile
			208	Walnet Creek Guard	Lock
South 19			210	Chaney's Mill	Lock	Canal Winchester
South 20			210	Woolen	Lock	Gender Road, Canal Winchester
South 21					Lock	near Glenarda Farms, Groveport Road, Canal Winchester
				George's Culvert		Canal Winchester
South 22				Groveport	Lock
South 23			217		Lock	Canal Road, Lockbourne
South 24			217		Lock	Canal Road, Lockbourne
South 25			217		Lock	Canal Road, Lockbourne
South 26			217.5		Lock	Lockbourne
South 27			218		Lock	Canal Road, Lockbourne
South 28			218		Lock	under railroad track bed, Lockbourne
South 29					Lock
South 30					Lock	Lockmeadows Park, Lockbourne
				Columbus Feeder East Guard	Lock
				Columbus Feeder West Guard	Lock
South 31			226	Ashville Campbells Mill	Lock
South 32			237	Aqueduct	Lock	Scioto River, West of Circleville
			237	Circleville Feeder	Lock	Spunkytown
South 33			238		Lock	Wayne Township
South 34			238		Lock	Wayne Township
South 35					Lock	Chillicothe
South 36			256		Lock	Chillicothe
South 37			258		Lock	parking lot, Chillicothe
South 38				Fifth Street	Lock	Chillicothe
South 39			261	Upper Lunbeck	Lock
South 40			261	Lower Lunbeck	Lock	near Renick Lane 601, Scioto Township
South 41				Tomlinsons	Lock	3 Locks Road, South of Chillicothe
South 42				Tomlinsons	Lock
South 43				Tomlinsons	Lock
				Tomlinsons Dam and Feeder Guard	Lock
South 44				Waverly	Lock
South 45			280	U Pee Pee	Lock
South 46			280	L Pee Pee	Lock
South 47			291	Howards	Lock	near Robers 18 mi Lock Farm
South 48				Herod's	Lock
South 49				Rushs Brush Creek	Lock
South 50				Union Mills	Lock
South 51				Union Mills Moss	Lock	near Ohio State Route 239
South 52				Union Mills	Lock
South 53			305	Elbow	Lock
South 54					Lock	Portsmouth, Tuscarawas County
South 55			308		Lock	near Old River Road, Portsmouth/Alexandria, Tuscarawas County

Travels through Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark, Licking, Franklin, Fairfield, Pickaway, and Tuscarawas counties.

Connecting Canals

The Ohio and Erie Canal initially provided a connection between Akron and Lake Erie at Cleveland, then extending all the way to the Ohio River within a few years. Later, connecting canal systems were built connecting it with the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal and other parts of Ohio.

Coordinates	Name	Description
	Columbus Feeder
	Granville Feeder
	Muskinghum Side Cut
	Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal	Summit, Portage, Trumbull, Mahoning, Ohio; Lawrence, Beaver, Allegheny, Pennsylvania
	Tuscarawas Feeder
	Walhonding Feeder

Towpath Trail Landmarks

An all-purpose bicycle/pedestrian trail was constructed by Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Southern Cuyahoga County and Northern Summit County, Cleveland MetroParks in Northern Cuyahoga County, and Akron/Summit County MetroParks in Southern Summit County to roughly follow the original Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath route. (The Northernmost section in Cuyahoga County is still undergoing construction.) There are many connecting trails going to other points of interest throughout their park systems.

Please help by expanding this section with notable landmarks along the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

MilePost	Description
15	MilePost Marker
16	MilePost Marker
17	MilePost Marker
18	MilePost Marker
19	MilePost Marker
20	MilePost Marker
21	MilePost Marker
22	MilePost Marker
23	MilePost Marker
24	MilePost Marker
25	MilePost Marker
26	MilePost Marker
27	MilePost Marker
28	MilePost Marker
29	MilePost Marker
30	MilePost Marker

Images and media

• 
  Ohio and Erie Canal Visitors Center map
• 
  Deep Lock 28 as it existed in 1985
• 
  Graph showing the annual expenditures and revenues accrued to the State of Ohio by the Ohio and Erie Canal from 1827 to 1903.
• 
  The Akron Beacon Journal front page on March 25, 1913; two days after the flood
• 
  The Ohio and Erie canal in 1902
• 
  Restored canal Twelve Mile Lock 38, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• 
  Restored canal boat

See also

• List of canals in the United States
• Canal Fulton, Ohio
• Tinkers Creek Aqueduct

External links

• Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor
• Ohio and Erie Canal Map
• Ohio and Erie Canal Photo Essay
• Ohio and Erie Canal towpath trail
• Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary
• The Ohio & Erie Canal: Catalyst of Economic Development for Ohio, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
• The Ohio and Erie Canal in Cleveland
• An Inquisitive Visitor's Guide to the Ohio & Erie Canal and Towpath Trail
• "Water And Steel, Concrete And Earth", Erin O'Brien (writer), Cleveland Free Times, July 25, 2007
• Pictures around Waverly