Thank you for posting your stories here on my blog. I'm certain we will all enjoy reading each others adventures along the canal.
Jeff Maximovich
The Johnny Apple Seed of the Ohio & Erie Canal
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The Johnny Apple Seed of the Ohio & Erie Canal
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2,142 comments:
1 – 200 of 2142 Newer› Newest»15-In response to entry 13. the four locks on the Licking Summit. The Ohio & Erie Canal started on the Licking Summit in the Village of Heath, later the site of lock one. July 4, 1825 commemorated the start of the Ohio & Erie Canal. The first section to be completed was from Akron to Cleveland but at the same time, work started in the area that we know now as the Buckeye Lake region. A reservoir was needed to keep the Licking Summit full to operate the canals. The Granville Feeder was being planned as a water supply but would not have been enough for the canal’s needs. For the reservoir, the marsh lands on the summit were used; they were five miles long and a half of a mile wide. To make this project happen, an earth dike was put in place on the northern end of the proposed reservoir and another to the west. The natural surrounding hills made up the other embankments. The water supply was natural. In my opinion, I would say the water supply was the south fork of the Licking River which is listed as the main reservoir feeder. With the completion of the new reservoir, ironically, within only a few years it would be called the old reservoir. A few years later, getting into the mid 1830s, news of another canal system would meet the Ohio & Erie in the town of Carroll of Fairfield County. In the center of Carroll was to be a basin in which both canal systems connected. This canal system would be named the Lancaster Lateral system, also going by the name the Hocking Valley Canal that spanned from Carroll to Athens. Along the route of the new canal, towns, villages and settlements also wanted in on all the wealth and commerce brought by a canal. On the Licking Summit, the scare of a water shortage became known because of the new proposed canal and a decision was made that the reservoir would have to grow in size to accommodate the new up and coming canal. Just like its neighboring summit to the north called the Portage Summit, it also had to expand its water supply with the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal making its way into Akron. To expand the Licking Reservoir would solve a few other problems, one of which was the water depth through the deep cut just south of Millersport which was never deep enough, plagued with mud slides holding up traffic on the canal in the wet season. Service on the canal was disrupted especially during drought. A higher water level would alleviate this problem. The decision was made to add on an additional reservoir. The existing reservoir then became the "old reservoir". This addition brought on an unseen problem after its completion. The Canal Commission wanting to save money. In doing so, the contractors didn't remove the trees completely in the new reservoir, leaving unseen stumps which sunk boats. These stumps necessitated the dredging of a waterway or a channel to clear all the stumps away below the water. With the "new reservoir" completed, the water level was several feet higher than the Ohio & Erie Canal. At each end of the towpath which divided the two bodies of water, was an opening which kept both reservoirs the same depth. Both reservoirs sat higher than the canal. A lift lock was added to the north end of the towpath on the A. Minthorn property to lift the canal boats up to the new level or down to the canal. A few miles to the south, another lock was added on the Byron Pugh property to do the same - both built around 1839, give or take. With the new elevation of the Old and New Reservoirs, technically a new and higher summit was added to the Licking Summit. The new summit made the Licking Summit miles shorter. The south fork of the Licking River entered the New Reservoir on the southwest end and exited where it still does today. Going south from Newark, the first lock on the original Licking Summit was the Upper Taylor Lock 1. The second lock would be the Minthorn Lock, the start of the new summit. The next lock, being the third, the Pugh Lock was the end of the new summit. The fourth lock on its original summit was called King Watson, lock 1. From there, the canal ascended to the Ohio River, 112 miles away passing through 54 or 55 more locks, depending on the year.
--Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
16-This was intended for Canalwayman. Perhaps he's at a loss for words and I'm anxious to reply. Only “1” Lock 16 ever existed on the Licking Staircase, until the State of Ohio came along and made the other. The Division of Natural Resources plastered a name to the lock west of Toboso Rd. Not only were they using bad information in doing so, this is the only lock within a 308 mile stretch to have its number spelled out.--Ohio Canalways Historian.
17-in regards to 16. Canalwayman you must be sleeping. Anyone would even you- would have caught the obvious mistake in the caption above. The Lock 16 in Black Hand Gorge was not the only lock to be spelled out. Lock Seventeen in Tuscarawas was also spelled out, and next to the road is a sign to prove this! --Canal enthusiast
18-neither am I at a loss for words or sleeping! Entry (16) is correct, although leaves an open gap to wonder, just what is the lock in Toboso. I strongly believe the lock in Toboso is a guard lock and an opening to the Licking River so the boats could pass through the gorge. Jeff Maximovich
19-Response to (16): You've got it wrong, the only lock spelled out and where sign is placed incorrectly would be, the Toboso Guard lock, the one in question wrongly called "LOCK SIXTEEN". The Ohio Division of Natural Resources is well aware by now. You can bet they'll never change the information to say Guard Lock. To the caption above about "LOCK SEVENTEEN" which was the name of a small village, ironically the sign was placed directly next to where Lock 17 once sat. The area acquired its name from the lock. The locks name was never intended to be spelled out. UNKNOWN
20-My curiosity is up. Why would a guard lock be in that area of the Black Hand Gorge anyhow? I've been down there to Lock Sixteen, and that is "no" Guard Lock--Coshocton Historian
21-Does anyone know the names of some of the last known canal boats, were any of them stranded? This would make a great school project. Many of us within the school systems are very impressed with the educational impact this site is developing. The school children today have absolutely no idea about the Ohio and Erie Canal. --Teacher Stark
22- With the sun bright and directly overhead, I took advantage of it and headed down to the site of Aetna Mills near locks 11 & 12 in Akron. Aetna Mills burned to the ground during its long stay along the canal. The power supply back in the old days came from the Cascade Mill Race that Dr. E. Crosby developed in his mind and then brought his ideas to life. Dr. Crosby’s idea was the beginning of Akron’s industrial age. Near lock 11, still sits the remains of a concrete spillway and water wheel support which housed twin water wheels. Many times when I’m visiting this area, I walk back and forth trying to make sense of it all. Confused by it all one day, I walked away to explore somewhere else. I've been through this area many times and on each visit, there is always something that I've overlooked. On the eastern side of the canal near the concrete train bridge next to lock 13, everyone is probably familiar with the old iron gate that blocks a tunnel which goes below ground. This gate was put there to keep people out, but back in the old days it was the waste weir for the Schumacher Basin. Twenty yards east of the canal still sits a mill race tunnel that exits to the north below the brown building sitting on the northwest corner of North Street & Howard spilling its water back into the Little Cuyahoga River. To see this, park your car at the building at the corner of Cuyahoga St. and Howard St. and walk a short distance southwest at a 45 degree angle. You'll know when you’ re there - an opening will appear. If you’re planning on going inside, wear deep boots and be advised, many raccoons make this their home. This was the end and terminus of the Crosby Mill Race which borrowed the water from the Little Cuyahoga River, only to return the water back into the Little Cuyahoga at that point. This water once came from the Little Cuyahoga two miles to the east. At Market and Case Ave, a dam still sits on the Little Cuyahoga that supplied the water that once powered every business along the east side of the canal, called the Eliakim Crosby Millrace. The mouth of the race began below the train bridge which parallels Case Ave. today. From there, a channel was hand-dug heading towards downtown Akron running above the Little Cuyahoga River Valley, high above North St. This waterway made its way into downtown Akron and just about 50 yards shy of Mill St. turned southwest rushing down a chute, picking up momentum to turn water wheels. As I explored, I made the determination the existing rubber shop at Lock 12 was once the foundation of the old Aetna Mills. Looking around, I found a way of getting below ground. Because of the danger factor, I moved on. A big problem with these hidden out-of-the-way places, the homeless live there. They make these areas their homes. These situations have brought on confrontation in the past. Inside this area were a lot of food wrappers, bottles and blankets. This gives a strong indication some one stays there. I did photograph some of the entrance from the outside. All night, I thought about the concrete spillway near lock 11 and managed to come up with an explanation for it. Two channels of the millrace entered the concrete structure, both coming down from the south or above. Aetna Mills once sat north of lock 10, and to the east of the Cascade Mill Race using its water for power. Aetna Mills expanded their operations to the west side of the millrace also- then two locations were there. The old mill was positioned between the mill race and the canal which made an easier access for loading. A branch of water was taken to its east side water wheel at the concrete structure that remains today to power the new factory, but it became apparent the water didn't have enough momentum. To remedy this problem, an additional water source was needed. To the south between lock 7 and 8, up the staircase between both City Mills, and Stone Arch Mills, a split was tapped in the existing race. Its purpose was to make two waterways which developed more force that could accommodate and run both facilities below at the Aetna locations. One of the waterways would have no obstructions to slow the water. The reconnection point of the water back into a single mill race was at the concrete structure still visible near lock 11. From there, the water went further north, passing Aetna Mills. Today within the parking lot of the existing rubber shop next to lock 12, sits a deep pit just east of the canal filled with water. This pit once had a connection to the mill race and its water ran a turbine about 20 feet below which powered one of the facilities at the location. The turbine gear head has been removed. This millrace also passed below ground and its opening led directly into the Schumacher basin. The exiting point has been closed by a land slide, but a trickle of water still spills out high above the ground on a hillside. This is a very dangerous area to investigate. If for some reason the land slide would give away and you were standing there, you wouldn’t stand a chance. The mill race tunnel is being held back by mud, and it’s full of water which is backed up to the pit on top in the parking area of the Munson Rubber Company.
23- In the latter days of the canal systems, no one, or state agency was keeping good records of canal-related business. From about the 1880s, it wasn't an uncommon sight seeing another abandoned canal boat just left to rot along the canal. Think about it this, by the year 1913, most canal boats sank to the bottom or were used for there lumber and many burned. By then, they would have been 80 years old. Most canal boats had a short life span. The boats usually would begin to rot away from the inside out. Back then, there was no quality water sealer, the glue was bad and there wasn't anything to compare to a galvanized nail. In Stark County, Asha Cutler otherwise known as by her nickname- "Steamboat Annie", lived out the remainder of her life in a stranded canal boat permanently mud larked, rotting away in Massillon. At the bottom of the Traphagen hill at the canal sat another. Capt. Pearl Nye's boat met its final resting place near Coshocton. Pearl Nye, recovered any useful lumber from his boat which was his only home for his entire life, to then sadly float his boat out and sink it in the basin near Roscoe Village. It was an honorable finish and burial. In Chillicothe, the canal boat "The Duck", sat dead smack in the middle of town since the water level dropped permanently sometime after 1880. In Akron, many famous and well known canal boats, some of which made history sat in a canal boat grave yard downtown Akron, at lock 3. They all mysteriously caught fire and burned.
Here’s an interesting article. Daily Times, 8/22/1912. "The Last Canal Boat Being Torn Down". The "Fairfield". Newcomerstown last canal boat owned by a Newcomerstown man, Frank Lyons, is being torn down for what usable lumber that can be gotten out of it. Mr. Lyons had plied on the Ohio canal with the Fairfield, but two years ago when the canal became impractical for travel, and it has lain here near the west canal bridge for the past six years, steadily rotting down. Decay has so far progressed that the boat was far past being again serviceable. My Lyons has another boat at Canal Dover that has been operating some this summer, mostly in the moving of wheat. - Newcomerstown Index
Another article - July 31, 1946. "Thirty Years Ago". A high wind accompanied by showers brought relief to Tuscarawas County residents last evening from the longest and most severe heat wave experienced here in the pasty forty years, and which caused extensive damage to crops. What is believed to be an indication that the Ohio Canal will no longer be used in this county came today when county commissioners were ordered to remove the canal bridges in Port Washington and Newcomerstown and to fill in the channel on a level with the streets.
Daily Times, Oct 14, 1912. "Reopen Traffic on Ohio Canal North of Dover". The Ohio Canal was used Saturday for flour transportation for the first time in six years, when the canal boat "The Storm" carried a cargo of 1,000 sacks of flour from Canal Dover to Navarre. The towpath had not been used for so long that the horses waded knee-deep through grass that had grown up. A packet freight line is to be established by "The Storm" between Canal Dover and Navarre, a distance of 20 miles, and the master of the boat will also carry passengers if they care to ride. These are original news articles.
--Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
24-, Jeff the Canalwayman. I read about your excursion yesterday 10-7-06. Jeff, we've met before and everyone knows you take chances. You’re a big guy and that probably pulls you through. With the leaves on the ground you wouldn't even know if you were walking on rotted lumber covering underground opening. That area of old Akron holds many threats; one of them is a “time bomb". Barely feet to the north of Munson Rubber, sits a creek down below in a gully, its eastern bank is made of loose chunks of rubber and loose fill. An underground race is filling with water and building up constant pressure and is only being held back by a mere mud slide and fill. On the south side of the building sits a very deep open pit lined with old blocks filled with water. That pit once connected to the mill race and the water fell into a turbine race which exits north of the building at the mud slide. If the dirt would give away, the water would come out with so much force it would clear a path washing away anything in its way, be careful. I was researching back in that area early this year, and ran into an ugly situation with a man living back in there and he wasn't alone. Most people who live away from society are either hiding from the law, or have serious social disorders. This next phrase goes out to anyone thinking about doing exploration around this area, “Stay on the new towpath”. --A fellow Canal Historian
25-That’s a pretty good description of how the waterways rejoined between locks 10 & 11. Was there some thing else at that site also. --A fellow Canal Historian
26-Over the course of many years this particular area and many others along Akron's Staircase demanded many changes as technology progressed. Out with the old, and in with the new. Each decade brought on many changes. If one was to leave for a couple of years then return they would had hardly recognize his surroundings. As the years progressed into the 1860s, coal found its way into the same factories that once depended on the water wheel for their power. Burning coal for steam power was new technology and from then boilers replaced the water wheel. The water power age in Akron was relatively short lived. Many of the industries along with the mill races never made it into the next century. More than likely the water wheels near lock 11 turned the gearing for Aetna Mills and all the others up and down the millrace to be replaced by technological advancements. -Jeffrey M Maximovich
27--Canalwayman, you know I've gone over your explanation of the Buckeye Reservoir and it’s good, my opinion may differ some. After a good thorough reading about the Licking Summit in one publication and then picking up another, it’s easy to see where every author has his own outlook. No one seems to have gone where you have; you have a greater depth for detail. My debate is as follows; the original level on the Licking Summit passed the Old Reservoir and stayed the same level from lock 1, at Heath ending at King Watson lock 1, to the south. The new reservoir was added on and the water level gained more altitude between both locks without numbers strangely named lock zero. Several miles of the towpath were changed to about 8 to 10 feet higher than its original level. Your opinion leans towards the water summit of the Licking Summit to have been shortened with a newer and higher level. But in all actuality, what’s changed? The distance from Heath to King Watson was the same either way. I’m sort of savvy about the canal system and my concern would be; why the Portage Lakes with their multiple levels on the Portage Summit weren’t considered as higher summit elevations, as you insist the Licking Summit has changed too…. David
28-David, concerning both summits of the Ohio & Erie Canal. The water summit of the Licking summit was elevated when the new Reservoir was added on. The distance from Heath as you indicated remained exactly the same across to King Watson. But the summit was considerably shortened between the Minthorn and the Pugh locks, which were the entrances and exits to the New Reservoir. Everything changed on the Licking summit even the feeder systems. The Granville feeder after the New Reservoir came only serviced the canal level up to the New Reservoir and down the Licking Staircase to the north. Before the New Reservoir the Granville feeder assisted in maintaining the entire summits level The New Reservoir mainly supplied its water to the south. The Portage Summit remained the same all the way across from its lock 1, downtown Akron, to its opposing lock 1, in Barberton. The Portage Summit is still the only and original stretch intact on either summit, still functioning as it did from day one. For manufacturing purposes an additional lock was added in near the Diamond Match facility much later on, sitting immediately at the end of Akron’s upper basin. In the Portage Lakes another lock was added in at Portage Landings to gain access to Long Lake for the purpose of shipping coal from its mines. Long Lake had only one way in or out. There’s were the difference lies between the elevation of the Licking summit and its newer level and the Portage Lakes and its upper levels. Nearly of the different lakes within the Portage Lakes chain were water reservoirs for the canal, inaccessible to canal boats. On the Licking Summit, the boats had to pass through the upper level between the Minthorn and Pugh lock’s to continue down the canal. That meant the upper level was a passage of the Ohio & Erie Canal. On the Portage Summit the boats never passed through Long Lake crossing the summit out of necessity as the boats had to do so on the Licking Summit. Jeff Maximovich
29-The following is debatable. Explain how there can be "six" locks on the Portage Summit? --long timer
30-There are only two known locks in the Akron area on the Portage Summit.--Historian
31--responding to-29, Being that I'm fairly knowledgeable on the canal and its history, I feel the challenge above is frivolous. Every one involved in the History of the Ohio and Erie Canal, knows of the three locks only. On the Portage Summit there were both lock (1) s, another lock was dead in the center of the summit level at Young’s in the Portage Lakes. --Canal driven
32--My knowledge is lacking about the canal, and any good information is always welcome. My goal is to learn the correct information on any subject. Canalwayman, my interest has sparked about the Crosby Mill Race. Long ago, I read that the mill race dropped 100 feet to gain momentum near lock 5. You claim the water dropped only 50 feet, that’s quite a difference. --Canal lover
33- I've also read the water dropped 100 feet to gain momentum entering the lower race. That would be incorrect. I'll explain why. Lock 5 sat about 50 or so feet below the summit at lock 1. If the water fell as much as 100 feet, the race would start at the level of lock 10 further below. The millrace according to early Akron maps was over a couple of hundred feet in length running down hill. The spillway which led into the race started in the Mill St. area, then angled southwest around to the northwest then dropped steeply before it turned north and powered the industry on the eastern side of the canal. An earlier map shows the Crosby Race running where Main St. is now in downtown Akron. This map shows the race at a more of a southwest angle, then turning sharply to the north. A later map shows the race leaving the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal formerly the Crosby Millrace. The route seems to have changed on the millrace when the Crosby Millrace was converted over to the P & O Canal.
34- Most people would think only two locks exist on the Portage Summit. They would be the locks on the north and south end of the summit. Let's count the locks. The north end of the Portage Summit would be the first. The southern end of the Portage Summit in Barberton makes two. Portage Landing at Long Lake is the third. The P & O Canal lock at the connection to the Ohio & Erie Canal, that’s four. And the guard lock at Diamond Match at the southern end of the Upper Basin makes five locks on the summit level. An interesting situation exist which is. Parallel to lock 5 on the staircase, barely north of the edge of the Portage Summit, another lock was at Mill Street, on the Main Street level. This lock sat further above the Ohio & Erie Canal on the P & O Canal system which may or may not count in the numbering of locks on the summit. If that lock is considered to be on the summit, then 6 locks are present on the Portage Summit.
--Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
35-Mr. Johnny AppleSeed, tell us where Camp Charming was and who was the captain living there? We met in Roscoe Village, and again at Spring Hill. Shelly needs a little help, we have many books about the canal, and probably enough to go on. Shelly and I would love to hear your version of Camp Charming.
--Shelly-History 5th grade
36-Good mornings Canal Historian. I can't wait to hear your version of Camp Charming. You've made many friends along the old route of the Ohio and Erie. There isn't a canal related place or business, who doesn't already have your maps. Every one I know speaks highly of you. Canalwayman it's obvious in canal realm you press on no matter what, and what stands out about you more than any others, you do your own research, and remain a free spirit. I was born and raised in Dresden, do you know that we don't hardly keep any historical facts about our locks to speak of. Please, would you post some interesting history about them?--Miller
37-Steam boat Annie Laurie was the name of a river boat that traveled the Ohio River. Where does Asha Cutler come from? --Concerned
38-Her name was Asha Cutter. There is a true story of a woman, a hermit that lived out her life in an old rotted canal boat, near Walnut Street within the Massillon limits. She was nick named, "Steam Boat Annie" --Canal historian
39--Greetings: Let’s talk about ethics. Back in the early days of our state and the canal, many unmentionable dealings went on secretly, all of which were in direct correlation involving the canals, the state and crooked land dealings. People were thrown off their land, Indians thrown onto reservations. Doesn't anyone ever wonder why they went? The vultures just like Alfred Kelley would buy the land, then selling it back to the state, making a huge profit. Alfred Kelley, the beloved "God" and Father of the canal, was no more than a common land swindler. He was probably the biggest bureaucracy criminal of all times here in Ohio. He and many others should have been jailed for monopolizing so many land deals. They were put under review, and when stopped being unable to pull it off any more, resigned from the Ohio and Erie Canal. Fortunes again were waiting to be made. Kelley quickly established himself within the ranks of the railroads only to restart his unscrupulous deals all over again. In the end, Alfred Kelley was a millionaire. While Kelley was in charge of the railroads, nearly 80 railroads were chartered within Ohio. From that number, only a fourth ever evolved into anything. Because of Kelley and his financial wizardry, he showed others how to rob Ohio blind. The Board of Public Works and the Canal Commission along with the railroad, were put under severe pressure to change their ways of practice, with some even charged with embezzlement in the 1850s by an appointed oversight board. Alfred Kelley was detrimental in bringing in the plunder act. If any business could provide two-thirds of the loan to start a business, the state would provide the rest, the final third. On paper, it always appeared as if the borrowers were eligible, providing their two-thirds of the loan. The Plunder Act was reformed and then revoked, not before nearly toppling Ohio’s financial stability, costing Ohio millions in lost revenue. ---- Knowledgeable
40-Responding to 39- I read about the Plunder Act and it's no secret Akron’s founder Simon Perkins, and Alfred Kelley had close ties. I can’t respond whether Alfred Kelley was responsible for any part of the Plunder Act. I read once where Alfred Kelley left his practice to oversee the operations of the Ohio and Erie Canal for a measly $3.00 a day. That sort of actions makes one think why our politicians pay millions out of their own pockets to be elected. But in all reality this mans been dead now nearly 150 years. One of the things that’s obvious about Alfred Kelley, he did jump ship, to get onboard the railroad…. Jeff Maximovich
41-To Shelly, a fifth grader. In the year 1872, Pearl R. Nye was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, the fifteenth of eighteen children. He would go on to be one of the last survivors of the true canawler. Nye was born with a steering till bar in his hand. 1872 was also the year the north end of the Ohio and Erie Canal closed at lock 42 near Cleveland. He came along late in the canal era, but his whole life, his ears were open and he listened to all the old timers with their canal stories. Pearl Nye was probably the last link between the old days of the canal and a more modern day here in Ohio. He was the last emissary of canal folklore. By the time he turned ten years old, the southern end of the Ohio and Erie closed. The canal was shrinking every day. The canal era was drawing towards its conclusion and only a small section was left operational. By the time he turned twenty, it was getting close to the new century. A few years later came news of the proposed canal renovation to the north which probably gave new hope the canal would make a come-back. With all of the work completed on the canal system, it had no effect boosting ether freight or travel - the canal was washed up. The days of the beast-drawn boats were at an end. Pearl Nye whose future was uncertain, settled in Roscoe Village. I have been told right after the new renovations, the aqueduct at Evans Creek collapsed and its lumber was collected for other uses. Captain Nye by name only, was never actually recognized or documented as a Captain here in Ohio although he was a boat master. Born on the canal boat "REFORM", the canal way of life is all he ever knew. At age thirty just past the turn of the new century, it seems as though the canal only had inches left to operate on. Everything he knew and remembered was disappearing. At forty, he'd already salvaged what was left of his home - a canal boat, only to put the lumber to use again. Pearl Nye built a small shack on the west end of lock (27) and that became his home. Near Easter 1913, Captain Nye watched in disbelief as the raging waters of the Tuscarawas, the Muskingum and the Walhonding rivers finally put the already wounded Ohio and Erie Canal to rest. Captain Nye’s home was only a few feet from the Walhonding River. He watched and saw the destroyer of what he loved so much, wash away the canal and any hopes of its restoration. The Canal era was 88 years old, spanning from 1825 to 1913. For several more years, he lived perched high above the lock until he passed. Camp Charming was the name of his home. How did his home end up with such a name? This is what I heard, and it makes logical sense. One day, Captain Nye asked a visitor what they thought of his home, and they replied “ it's CHARMING”. He liked that description. From then on, it was called Camp Charming. In later life, Captain Pearl R. Nye was recognized for all of his great contributions. One was his musical talent and folklore. He was known to be charismatic and his workings were recognized in the Halls of Congress. Pearl Nye was invited to the nation's capitol and asked to share and sing his folklore music. Captain Pearl Nye also stayed close to his mother and had an unusually large family. Jeff Maximovich
42-Was the Munroe Basin man made? If so for what?
43-In response to Dresden and the vital part the Munroe Basin played to the Ohio & Erie Canal. Dresden is located southwest of Coshocton, halfway between Lake Erie and the Ohio River by way of the Ohio & Erie Canal. The Munroe Basin sits a few miles to the northeast. The area of Dresden goes far back into the 1700s. It was situated near the Indian village of the Wakatomika tribe. Up and down the interior rivers of our nation long ago, many trading posts where established near the Indian nations. The Indian Village of the Mingo and Shawnee sat at Wakatomika Creek and the confluence of the Muskingum River. The entire Indian village was massacred to make room for the white settlers in 1774. This massacre was part of Lord Dunmore’s war. Dunmore was the British Royal Governor of Virginia. Dresden was known as French and Indian trading post before it acquired its name. Ohio was expanding. Many eastern companies were buying up land in the Ohio territories hoping to start towns, drawing in settlers and new business, thus generating a huge profit. These land buyers would usually target established trading posts and fertile lands along river trading routes and lakes - anything that looked promising. Up until 1816, Dresden was considered a post town. In 1817, the land plot was laid out for potential homes and businesses. The founders were a Philadelphia land management company and the company's owner came from Dresden, East Germany. Dresden was listed in the 1816 Ohio Gazetter as a trading post. Dresden was not incorporated until the arrival of the Ohio and Erie Canal around 1833. With the word of the canal passing through town on to the Muskingum, a new sister town was to rise up called Dresden Junction. The land management companies were given privileged information and bought up the land around Dresden Junction, only to resell it to the people. The side cut and the properties to the river were sold with good intentions that the canal would meet the new water transportation route, the Muskingum Improvement that was foreseen as a connection to the Gulf of Mexico, via the Ohio River and the Mississippi River. This new town would be Dresden Junction. To the northeast, the canal was widened. This would be called the Munroe Basin. This was done in preparation for the side cut into Dresden and the water supply for the three locks that led onto the Muskingum River. Jeff Maximovich
The Muskingum Improvement was heavily under construction and the state was pushing the contractors to come in on time. Many waited impatiently for the river to open. Many anxious entrepreneurs were anticipating building industry in the new proposed town at the Canals connection at the Muskingum. The day finally came in 1841 when the Muskingum Improvement was finished, all the way from Coshocton to Marietta. Finally, the investors could see themselves actually able to show a profit, but the thoughts of grandeur were fleeing for the new water way was plagued with structure failure. No sooner had it opened, it closed for repairs. Some industries that planned on moving in went elsewhere. Only a few mills opened in the Dresden area. If everything would have worked, Dresden may have been one of Ohio's industrial leaders positioned well along the Muskingum River. The three locks in Dresden didn't get much use. A bridge was constructed in Dresden spanning the river. In doing so, this sealed the fate of any larger river boats making their way into Dresden and further up river to Coshocton. Part 2 below
As the years went on, the Muskingum Improvement got a reputation for being so unreliable. Few and fewer river boats made their way to Dresden Junction along the river. With the new span across the river built in 1853, the newly designed river boats could not pass below it in high water conditions. They were nearly 40 feet wide and 175 feet long. That posed a problem but the smoke stacks were four stories above the water line, and there was no money to reconstruct a newer and higher span. The span was washed away during the flood of 1913 which ended the canal era. Dresden was now desperate because heavy river traffic never became a reality and the canal boats very seldom made their way down the side cut to Dresden. Dresden sent out a call for help. It's been years, and many investors fortunes were lost, but a spark of hope arrived with technology, but it came much too late. Twenty years makes quite a difference and that's how long the people waited for a good, reliable transportation route so they could recover their lost fortunes. By then, the townspeople were awakened from the dream that Dresden Junction would ever materialize. Again, hope. Two different railways were competing to lay the tracks into Dresden. The first there would win the contract. The connection at Dresden Junction never really happened and Dresden would never recover from its loss. Another huge waste of money - the triple locks were rebuilt between 1904 and 1908. The two lower locks were replaced with concrete but I was told the doors were never put back on. The Canal Commission got the crazy idea to complete its original plans at the Muskingum – the plans now 70 years old, and was finally considering putting them into action with a completion date for the summer of 1912. With the completion, the canal boats could moor next to the river ships. It never happened. Only a spillway to the Muskingum and a small basin ever made it below the triple locks. This story was generated from hearsay, speculations, conversations and facts, but the real fact - 1912 came and went without a river connection at Dresden Junction, but 1913 will go down in history as the end of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Munroe Basin was a significant water supply on the lowest level on the southern end of the Portage Summit. Munroe Basin and Adams Mill’s lock 30 shared the same level all passing beyond the Dresden Side Cut and to the eastern side of Webbsports lock 19, the bottom of the north end of the Licking Summit. Munroe basin was also a halfway point between Dresden and Conesville and was used for mooring boats and many a canal boat stayed over there for the evening. Loading and unloading canal boats were common place at Munroe Basin where from there, crops and goods from the area made there way up and down the canal. Munroe Basin was named after and cut through the Munroe Farm. Several basins were on the stretch from Coshocton to Dresden. Most were between Adams Mills and the Side Cut. These basins backed up enough water to assure no shortages at the triple locks of Dresden. --Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
44-Hello Johnny Appleseed. About Dresden, I'm a resident of Dresden and very actively involved in local history, its folklore and the Ohio and Erie Canal. You presented the life and times of Pearl Nye well. You practically hit it on the nail about the life and times of Dresden. The way you portrayed this town from its beginnings is as close to accurate as anyone has ever gotten. Dresden was cheated twice, the first time when the canal passed by. That cost the people dearly. Some of the burden fell on the local people and business to connect Dresden with the Ohio and Erie Canal. They got cheated again when the Muskingum Improvement fell through. Many lived their whole life in anticipation of the connection of the canal at the Muskingum.
45-In section 42, it has the entry Alfred Kelley was the father of the canals. “Not correct”. Ethan Allen Brown, the Governor of Ohio was given that title. The writer also makes many unproven facts against Alfred Kelly; I'm not insinuating this person’s totally wrong. Many people back in the early stages of the canal era plundered our state. The know-how was brought over from experience gathered in the New York state canal system. The tree was ripe and the apples were there for the picking. From all the research I've done, Alfred Kelley never opened another law practice but did leave the Ohio Canal Commission in a hurry, only to cripple the Ohio and Erie Canal with his influence. Alfred Kelley held more offices in several railways at the same time than anyone to date. In 1840, the Plunder Act was repealed; the railroads were siphoning all of the states money. Alfred Kelley was at the wheel of many of them but was never charged. Dresden Junction. Your scenario is not too bad... In 1851, the railroad made its way into Dresden, not Dresden Junction. The railroad brought with it something else, the telegraph. When the railway arrived, the canal boats were labeled useless. In 1860, a disastrous flood hit Ohio and caused severe damage to the canal system. This was an excuse the state needed to abandon the system. A few legislators talked the Canal Commission into leasing the canal. After 1860, not a single canal boat passed through the triple locks at Dresden Junction. Within a few years, there was only a handful that made use of what was left of the canals. All around Ohio Historian!
46- Would you please give a good explanation of the Upper and Lower basins on the Portage Summit level? ----- Unknown
47-Responding to 46. The upper basin was there first, the lower basin only a small pool, then widened and lengthened with the coming of the P & O Canal. The lower basin sat 8-10 feet below Lock 1 which was the upper basin level. If you were going north on the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, you would have exited the connection at the lock 2 level at the lower basin from the Ohio and Erie Canal. To go south on the Ohio & Erie Canal, the boat would have to ascend lock 1 the north end of the Portage Summit. To head towards Pennsylvania using the P & O system after leaving the Ohio & Erie system, you would soon pass another lock. Downtown Akron’s Main Street believe it or not was once the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal. Mill Street & Main, then called Ash Street, was the area of this lock. This lock dropped the P & O about another 6-8 feet. The P &O arrived in Akron in 1840. With it was the end of the Crosby mill race which spanned from Middlebury into downtown Akron. The P & O Canal used and widened the existing Crosby mill race beginning near Arlington Street and widened it near the connection point of the P & O, then on into Akron. The mill race from Middlebury was then a feeder assisting the P & O Canal, and contributed for some time. Its water still flowed into downtown Akron. The P &O Canal dangerously ran along the upper southern edge of the Little Cuyahoga ridge. The water direction in the mill race along Main Street now flowed south. The upper and lower basins were also where scores of canal boats moored. With so much confusion at the Akron locks, the boats waited their turn to enter or exit either canal or to use the locks heading north. The P &O was short-lived in Akron. By 1900, the streets in Akron where the P & O was were covered up and the new transportation was the electric trolley cars in town. The upper basin had a guard lock where it met the canal next to Diamond Match Co. The whole area where the B.F. Goodrich sat was the upper and lower basin. Jeff Maximovich
48-This site is very educational my children love it. Please give details about Zoar, and its people who made lives there. How far away from SR .212 are the ruins of the Bolivar Aqueduct? Is the passage safe for children? --The Bradshaw’s
49- Did you know that Zoar has biblical connections; and the area through the Zoar Valley is an intricate maze of total confusion? My total response will be posted within a few days. I need the time to formulate a good and accurate answer. The distance from the bridge on state route 212 to the ruins of the Tuscarawas Aqueduct is about 100 yards. Contrary to some beliefs, the Bolivar Aqueduct was in Bolivar. Taking children back in there would be safe, although the weeds are five feet high. I advise keeping them close. Enter on the eastern side of the SR.212 bridge, you can park your car there it was once a canoe livery. --Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
50-You know, someone really needs to explain the mechanics of the Zoar dry docks. It's also hard to distinguish where the actual canal went after leaving lock 10. Your book is great!!!!! Canal Enthusiast
51-You know living in America makes me feel so safe, we have Batman, Superman, and now Canalwayman, and we are invincible. I think you lost your mind, so now the Ohio and Erie Canal is tied to the Bible as posted in caption 49; we’re really blessed to have you!! Praise the Lord. --Totally amazed by your wit!!
52-I'm glad my presents make you feel safe. But you have a very nice way of showing such gratitude!! I just read you’re posting #51 may-be because it's late and I'm tired, can't seem to find the area about the Bible and the Canal. Although now awakened! I have some time to respond, as follows. On or about 1816 Joseph Baumeler led a group of people out of Wurttemberg Germany who along with himself were fleeing for their lives because of religious persecution. In Genesis 19:24 and 2nd Peter 2:6, was his inspiration and hope he needed to take a band of people to a safe place away from sin and danger, mimicking the actions in the Bible. Those two sections of the Bible tells the story of Lot, who God told to leave Sodom and not to look back or you would be turned into a pillar of salt and both of the cities Sodom, and Gomorrah, were destroyed by the hand of God. Their destination was Zoar. Revealed to Lot, Zoar was a safe haven, but far away at the southwestern edge of the Dead Sea in Jordan to escape religious persecution. Joseph Baumeler, a strong believer in the Bible equaled his flight to Lots, and told his followers when they arrive in their new home; it will be named "Zoar" --Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
53-Canalwayman I'll give it to you straight, that is a pretty good explanation about Zoar. I was told your very arrogant, and feel only your explanations count. I apologize and it does seem as if you care. You’re O.K.
54- Were the children born and raised on the canal, ever school educated?
--Teacher
55-Some of the children of the canals unfortunately were illiterate and so were their parents. This was just a sad part of canal life. The canal boats crew was its family, all of which were a vital part to the business of running a boat up and down the state. If at all possible some parents on their own learned to read, write and count then passing it down to their younger ones. Of the three just mentioned, counting was the more important of them all. A canal boat was never at any one place long enough to have their children educated, so I’ve been told. Some crews took advantage of the winter months to put their young ones into school while the canal system was frozen over. Those were the lucky ones. Many boat Captains never had an education and got by. Stemming from that never felt the need to school their off spring. ----Jeff Maximovich
56-Johnny Apple seed-I study Ohio history, and Zoar seems real fascinating. How was it that the early settlers to the area were able to construct the dam in the swift current of the Tuscarawas River to contend with? What can you add about the guard lock in the Zoar Valley? TCHS
57-recently I came across another’s work who claims your location of lock 20 is inaccurate, but he did mention a few canal stones that may have mark the area. Please elaborate. --Mildly involved
58-Responding to posting 57-I completely stand behind my location of lock 20, although I did read the other claim to dispute my work. The only correct thing about the others claim would be this; there was a railroad spur there for sure. The scattered block stones don’t account for anything. The locks through this region of the canal were all rebuilt using concrete and this particular lock was finished in August of 1906, the contractor who done the work was the McGarry & McGowan Company. The railroad spur passed only feet north of the lock, it led to Akron’s original sewer plant facility on the eastern side of the Cuyahoga River. The proof to any of this lies in the Akron Public Library’s downtown branch on the 3rd floor where the old maps are available. The information can be found in the 1874 map and land plots, tract 4. Lock 20 sits directly below 152 Canyon Trails Drive, the exact place I claimed. Out of nearly 160 of Lock locations, only "one" of mine is questionable, and that’s lock 21! Today, one third of the locks are gone, lost forever, some don't even have a grain left to prove their location. Jeff Maximovich
59-I've done so much work in the woods around Zoar, I was ready to just move down there. My first investigation in the Zoar Valley left me in total confusion but with a lot of leg work and research, I can say that I finally drew a conclusion about the area of the people who were called the Society of Separatists. Go to blog posting - 52 to learn of them. For those who aren't familiar with who the Society of the Separatists are, they were a group of people of German descent who came over from Europe escaping religious persecution, traveling the new land in hopes of finding an ideal location with adequate water enough to power sawmills. With a strong and powerful river, a forest had to accompany the water supply. The leader of the band found what he’d been searching for and settled in on the eastern bank of the Tuscarawas River above the rapids in the Zoar Valley which they named. I've looked over the dam in question a hundred times throughout the years. At first, I often wondered how they worked on the dam with the unpredictable Tuscarawas River at hand and even somehow managed to pour concrete. Now that I know, the answer is really quite simple. On the western side of the river and a 1/4 mile north of the dam, a new river was dug called a diversionary river. This is common practice during construction. The Tuscarawas River was blocked, then diverting the water down the newly dug channel. From the rivers blockade south, its bottom was exposed then dried. This made their work easier. The foundation of the dam was built on heavy timbers which were laid down resembling railroad ties, then staked to the river bottom to keep it from sliding away. Forms were constructed, then filled with concrete. The whole time during the dam’s construction, the river still flowed to the west, reentering below the dam. The Separatists had their own formula for concrete and kept it their secret. Their foundations still stand today, over 185 years later as a monument to their ingenuity. On a sunny day, the heavy timbers are visible below the dam in the water. These timbers are very visible on the low side of the dam only. About the guard lock on the eastern side where the Separatists ran their operations -I'm not certain that's the appropriate name, calling that a guard lock. The evidence points in another direction. I would be more comfortable listing it as a lift lock and for the obvious reasons as follows. When I research, my goal is to uncover things that may have been overlooked. That lock is 100 feet long, and within inches measures out at 15 feet wide and the chamber will easily accommodate the standard canal boat. Another interesting fact - the chamber had a dam, on its northern end, a high side, just like the average lift lock as we know. I know this because I climbed in that muck and poked around, hitting solid bottom on the northern end. Back up the river to the north and across the Tuscarawas from the diversion river was another canal. This canal opposite the diversionary river was the entrance to the eastern side so that canal boats could enter the mills of the Separatist. This area later on was listed as the slack water crossing. On the western side during the canal construction on the Ohio & Erie to save work, the Canal Commission approved the use of the existing unused diversionary channel that was previously dug. This channel was put out of service by the Separatists when the dam opened for use. The river water then flowed over the dam and through mill races of the Society of the Separatists. The diversionary river opening was incorporated again this time as the feeder mouth for the Ohio & Erie Canal. The diversionary river flowed parallel to the Tuscarawas River and for the biggest part was useless for the feeder. A feeder canal separated away from the diversionary channel to meet the Ohio & Erie Canal, wide enough and deep enough which would accommodate canal boats. This canal and feeder connected it up to the main canal after passing through a guard lock south of lock 10 and west of the river in the Zoar Valley. It was called the Zoar feeder. To gain access to the Separatist side of the river from the Ohio & Erie Canal, the feeder was the passage to the Tuscarawas River. After a canal boat exited the feeder, it was pulled across the river in the stillness of a slack water crossing. The boat then entered the mouth of the upper basin which was one of two basins on the Separatist side of the river. The upper basin was north of the dam, the lower basin was south of it. I made a real interesting observation. The lock on the eastern side of the river is situated parallel to the dam. If you were to draw a line from the dam to the lock, it would meet the lock near the middle. The high end of the lock would have been the upper river depth and the lower end was the depth of the lower basin. The lower basin also has a canal leading out to the southeast, and what may have been another lock sits at its very end, at the least a spillway. Surprisingly, there is a canal back in those woods which is still filled southwest of the dam angling away from the river. This canal once led back to the Tuscarawas further down river from the lower basin and some of the proof is still back in there. Deep in the woods, towers a rather huge block structure with the name G.Graig with the year 1898 engraved on its face. It was probably an abutment. Its eerie look would remind anyone of a gigantic grave marker. I'll soon be posting a description of the boat yards of Zoar as requested. --Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
60--Did you do any research about the drive mechanism at the separatist sawmill. Why can't I find that lock listed anywhere? --Document Hunters
61-you won’t find that lock listed either, they built that structure themselves. There was an upper and lower section where the boats could be loaded. Years ago before things changed too much, I can still remember another canal leading back into the river. I'm much older than you, there's not a whole lot left working well but I still have my memory. Many years back I took some interest in the area looking for artifacts. Your description of the Separatist is accurate. My friend will soon have his son type a sentence or two about the way the mill operated. He's gathering things together now. This canal section of yours will give the younger generation a chance to get acquainted with their past. --Over 90
62-Were there any dams near Barberton on the Tuscarawas River?--I find all of this so educational
63-How many dams were in Tuscarawas County during the old canal days? --Tuscarawas student
64--Hello Canalwayman. I teach American History. The impact of the Ohio and Erie Canal over the last couple of years has picked up so much momentum in our classrooms. Explain what a boat yard is comprised of and the same for a dry dock. And thank you for the maps! --Teacher Ross, County.
65-You’re probably aware that the Circleville Aqueduct at lock 32 was also a covered bridge. The maps you pass out portray it as being uncovered. Explain! --Just curious
66- Replying to 65. I am very much aware that Aqueduct lock 32 was covered but purposely did not draw the sides or the roof so as to be able to depict the canal boat crossing the span. Some of the gigantic beams that once made up the aqueduct still lie on the ground where they fell on the eastern bank - charcoaled from the act of arson which was deliberately lit in 1915, ending the usefulness this wonderful structure. After the canal had closed the aqueduct was still in use, traveled daily by anyone going in or out of Circleville by wagon or on foot. --Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
67--Replying to 63. DAMS IN TUSCARAWAS COUNTY. Near Bolivar, was the Bolivar Dam on the Sandy Beaver, constructed of concrete. Down the Tuscarawas River to the south was the Zoar Dam & Feeder, concrete. The dam and guard lock at Sugar Creek near its connection to the Tuscarawas River just beyond Dover, concrete. The Hilton Dam still sits southeast of New Philadelphia around the rivers big bend, just below Mill St.behind the electric company. Its purpose was to back the water up for New Philadelphia’s Lateral canal, concrete. A few miles further down river sat the State Dam, wooden, which backed up the river for the Trenton feeder assisting the Ohio & Erie Canal. The Trenton Feeder was close to the town of Tuscarawas. Back up river in Dover next to the sewage plant, sits a dam. This dam was built around 1943-45 and was built for utility purposes. Point of interest: The huge water control dam north of Dover was built in 1937. It was constructed directly over the Ohio & Erie Canal backing up the Tuscarawas in emergencies if needed. The Ohio & Erie Canal once sat on the north side of the river under the dam. The entire region east of Bolivar and Zoar has drastically changed with gigantic levees and water control projects which are present now. The complete landscape has been altered, some of which covered up the western end of the Sandy and Beaver Canal system. Jeff Maximovich
68-As far as I know, Barberton had no dams on the Tuscarawas River or the Ohio & Erie Canal as it passed through New Portage, that we now know as Barberton; only the built-in dam within its only lock on the south end of the Portage Summit. Wolf Creek had a diversion dam built when it was diverted further south which joined the canal and flowed below and past the Barberton Aqueduct. The flood of 1913 reopened the original passage of Wolf Creek to the Tuscarawas as it remains today. To the northeast was Coventry which was the area of the water supply on the Portage Summit, the Portage Lakes. Plenty of dams were positioned in that region. An interesting point - Barberton and Coventry, Akron included, were in Portage County until Summit County was created in the 1850s. --Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
69-In regards to the mill that operated at lock 47 in Pike county namely Howard’s Mill. I realize the mill was disassembled then was moved into Ross County before the end of the canal era. When the mill was up and operational again in its new home in Chillicothe; the power source you mentioned in your book may be questionable. It's always been my belief the mill got its power from the canal. Then a mill race led into the Scioto near Yoctangee Park. Resident -Chillicothe.
70--All of my life since the time I was a boy, my dad took all of us hunting starting at a young age. By now I would consider myself a qualified woodsman. This site leans towards educational values, so here's a lesson. This goes out to the fellow up north who has done a fair amount of walking without encounters. For anyone to insinuate it’s safe to wonder out into the woods and without worry about your surrounding’s, read the newspapers and wake up. The danger multiplies the further south as you get closer to West Virginia. Many strange and backwards folk still make their homes and feel safe in the back woods of southern Ohio. They would rather shoot intruders than deal with them, and they can tell a mile away if you’re one of them or not. Never! Go in an unknown area without a big gun, and most of all never go alone. The tune of the dueling banjos on your home page should be a strong reminder of what could happen. I read about your encounter with the "pot" farmer, that’s everywhere down here, most folks with any common since stay clear of them. If he'd been with others, instead of alone your chances of getting out would have been slim. –WOODSMAN
71- I believe the water wheel along the Zoar dam was an over shot system. That would be the most powerful way to run a mill. Unknown
72 -I am going to debate entry number 71- but we should educate the readers on the four different types of horizontal water wheels before an opinion is given. The overshot water wheel had an extending flume which reached out over the axle above the wheel. This type of water wheel is used in a situation of a mountain stream or when the water is much higher than the mill. By moving the flume to the opposite side of the axle, the water wheel can reverse directions, and the flume’s positioning determined the torque factor an as well as the amount of water allowed through the feed gate. The next is called the undershot. Its method of operation - the blades of the water wheel fit snuggly within a channel and run close to the bottom as the rushing water passes through rotating the wheel. The undershot just mentioned is used basically in shallower water conditions, for instance a mill race. In an undershot system, the water enters through an opening near the wheels bottom. Another type of water wheel is called the breastshot. This operates on the same principle as a revolving door but horizontal with an overhead water supply which would more than likely be a steep spillway or tumble. This type is generally a bit wider. In a breastshot type, a concrete form is made in which two-thirds of the gravity side of the water wheel runs within a cylinder. This form allows a positive seal, and not only are the buckets filled, but the area between the buckets as well, adding more weight. More weight - more power. Finally, the back shot which is exactly like the undershot, except it also has an overhead water supply which increases the torque factor. It could only turn in one direction. It's possible the water wheel in Zoar was the undershot style or the backshot. Either way, one or the other would have been more than adequate for their power demands. The only water wheel out of them I just mentioned which could change direction would be the overshot. Gearing within the millhouse had the capabilities to change the rotation of its axle and its gearing to meet power demands.
73- Hello Jeff Maximovich. I am very curious. I have heard a tale of two young boys who died in a lock somewhere in Canal Dover. Can you extrapolate on this? What was the lock number and how did they die? --Charles - Butler, PA
74-The cement protrusions along the canal near the Carnegie, section heading into Barberton were constructed to block the canal. Another blockade sits in Barberton to the south of the State St, overpass. Rather then draining the whole canal while working on it, the engineers could blockade it.
75-I live in Piketon, and I'm not quite certain about the location of the Jasper Guard lock. Did it cross over near No Name Creek? I found the blocks at lock 45. --Happy Book Buyer
76-A boat yard would be where the boats are built and in some circumstances could be used as a dry dock. A boat yard is also an area where several boats moor side by side. Akron had a boat yard that in time became a grave yard. Within it were many of the boats which made their way up and down the Ohio & Erie Canal. Many of them were the big names in their time on the canal. The boat yard was set ablaze and the boats all burned. Many were half sunk on their sides. Most boat yards eventually put in a dry dock. It was much easier to float the boats out after completion and then slide them into the canal using ramps or sleighs. Dry docks were generally used for repairing and were along the lines of a service station. In a dry dock and building facility, the keel was laid first and then the construction was completed on a dry surface, usually a wooden deck. When a boat was completed or repairs were made, the water was let in, flooding the dock. As the water filled the dock, the boat lifted off its supports. Once afloat, the hull was inspected for leakage and if it was water tight, the boat was floated out into the canal, ready for service. A dry dock was similar to a boat yard except the area needed to be flooded first in order to bring the boat in for repair. Generally, a boat never reentered a boat yard for repairs unless a dry dock was present. If not, once completed, anything from then on was sent to a dry dock. Once in the dock, the doors sealed out the canal and the water was drained and slowly, the boat settled on stanchions. When the repairs were complete, the water refilled the dry dock and the boat the proceeded into the canal. Here below is the list of the known boat yards and dry docks, not to say there weren't more. The Cleveland area had three near lock 43. Peninsula had a boat yard near lock 30. Heading into Akron near the top of the staircase was a boat yard at lock 3, and just above it, was the dry dock at lock 2. Over the summit going south brings us to Canal Fulton which had the McLaughlin dry dock which by the way, is still there, the only one that’s left today. The next dry dock was in Massillon called Frey’s. It was south of Cherry St. Heading down the southern slope, takes us into Zoar. Zoar held a large dry dock with several berths. In the Newark area, several boat yards lined the shores of the Old and New Reservoirs on the Licking Summit. Baltimore had a dry dock at lock 5. The next dry dock was within 10 miles near Groveport at mile 213, situated below the lock 22. In every situation, the canal was the water supply to fill the dry dock. The dry dock sat higher than a river or a stream which was nearby so the chamber could drain into it using a small race if needed. To the teacher in Ross County, I hope this explanation helps. Jeff Maximovich.
77-Hello canalwayman. My father is an old timer; he scribbled this down and asked me to forward it to your letter section. He feels as if he has something to share and he would be the oldest real link between Zoar and this site. In Zoar at the dam, the power source was on the lower side of the water wheels. In the 1920s, water was still flowing to where the wheels were, rushing from below the dam and not over top. There were twin wheels at the mill. The column in the lower section of the foundation not only held up the upper floor, it was the center support for both wheels. I have never seen them in use of course - I'm not old enough even at 95. I was born and raised in Tuscarawas County near Zoar and can think back when I was a boy playing near the mill. Some of the old mechanism and gearing were still lying around. Since then, I can’t tell you where the discarded gearing ended up. I figure what wasn't scavenged for historical value was either scrapped or left to rot. After the big flood came through, the water wheels rested half submerged on the banks of the river. I can remember some names and dates on the block stones at the dam. Look for the upside down stone with the name and inscription - I believe it is 1898. I believe that many years ago when the saw mill was converted over to a power plant, they still used the old water wheels but tried to speed them up using a different method, causing failure. The bearings burned up and the large water wheels shook the place apart. The old wooden and lead bearings worked better than the newer stuff. Those wheels were never intended to go real fast or to power generators for the electric use at the turn of the century. The water wheels were torn out and discarded into the river. I don't know for certain if the old mill ever got up and going when the Quakers pulled out, some say it was going and some say it was left alone. Everything in the area was destroyed in Easter of 1913. The flood wiped out the area and only left foundations. During the flood, my dad, then a young man, sat on the bridge until the water touched his feet and in hours, the bridge was consumed. He climbed higher and then watched from a hillside. When the water went down, all that was left was the dam and the foundations built by the Quakers. Around 1900, that group broke up and went out into the world. I haven't been down there since 1969 but I can visualize it again. God bless you son for devoting your life to such a good cause. Oh, I almost forgot - an old canal boat laid rotting on the Quaker side of the river. I believe its name was “Quaker Mills”. Forever, Bill.
PS My father is very excited about this website. Every day, I go to check on him getting him on line. He would like to see some pictures of the Zoar Valley.
--Old Coot & Son
78-Lock 47, Howard’s Mill, and Flowers Mill, were one in the same. The mill sat dormant for nearly 30 years next to Ganderhook Creek. On the sections of the Ohio & Erie Canal below the Circleville State Dam, all mills were doomed after the 1880s for further operations if they depended on using canal water to power their mills. After that date, the water wasn’t dependable; electricity wasn’t available. The mills closed. The state unofficially closed the lower end at Circleville in the early 1880s. This decision was brought on by dam failures on one of the two state dams in the area and constant repairs at the feeder at Lockbourne and the slack water crossing at lock 18 in Lockville. Around 1880, the state dam at the Circleville Feeder gave way, collapsing. With the water supply gone, the next feeder was a good 20 miles south of Circleville, 3 miles south of Chillicothe at the Tomlinson dam and feeder. The entire canal went dry for more than 20 miles. These breaks eventually ended the canal era from Chillicothe and further down the canal to the Ohio River and north to Circleville. The only southern section of the canal left open for the time-being was the Tomlinson Dam south of Chillicothe at mile 264 to the Ohio River, a little over 40 miles. Within that section sat lock 47. Business was barely hanging on but it was still operational when they had water. Before long, the other state dam, its water supply which came down from Chillicothe, met its fate. This was the most southern feeder on the canal. Its water entered at Tomlinson’s Mills from the Scioto. This wooden dam which spanned the Scioto River finally deteriorated from age and rot, but held nearly 50 years. The mighty Scioto River broke through. With the canal’s most southern state dam destroyed, it ended the canal era on the southern end which included the huge operation at the Union and Moss Mills and their distilleries at locks 50, 51 and 52 near West Portsmouth. The northern end suffered with similar problems also and labored, keeping it going about thirty more years. The northern end held a glimmer of hope. A plan was put into operation in 1912 to make a new southern terminus at Dresden Junction, about half the distance to Portsmouth. The southern end was completely discarded by the end of the first decade of the 20th century.
In the early 1900s, 1908 to be exact, Chillicothe didn't have a successful flour mill operation. The mill at lock 47 was so well-built and worked so well during its time, its reputation was well-known even years after it closed. Chillicothe wanted Pike County’s mill at lock 47 brought north. Chillicothe with its expansion and railroads, needed a reliable flour mill and qualified millers to accompany and operate it. A decision was made to disassemble the mill at lock 47 down in Pike County and bring it into Ross County along with its people. The mill arrived in pieces and the gearing was reassembled in the old Union Shoe building. Water power in the region has been gone for years with the canal. With some adaptation and changing, a steam engine ran the operations until it was possible to switch over to electric power. While in operation in Chillicothe, their main product was "Miss Ohio Flour". This famous flour was in every woman's kitchen throughout America. This mill never used water power or a water wheel during its stay in Chillicothe except for steam use running its operation. The old mill on Water St. stayed running into the 1970s.--Jeffrey Mark Maximovich
79--I love this site. My wife and I just completed the car trip using your book for reference and directions. We both found the porthole into the past very rewarding. All of the routes in your book were correct. We never had to stumble for directions. Well Pleased.—Jim & Lenore
80- There were probably more dry docks than we know of. I live in Tuscarawas County near the Stark Co. line and have done a fair amount of research about the canal. I've never heard mention of any dry dock in Massillon. I’m not suggesting there wasn't, but could you be a little more explicit? --Dan, explorer, hiker
81-Someone long ago asked me about a small town just to the southwest of Navarre called Moravian town. Does anyone wish to reply? Unknown
82-Hello author. The Ohio and Erie Canal and its history fascinate me. I'm at an impasse; your information seems to vary from another publication that covers the areas between the Licking Reservoir and Lockbourne. Here's the indifference, you claim at Creek lock 18 near Lockville there was a slackwater crossing. The other book has a picture of the Aqueduct at Little Walnut Creek. Which do I believe? Could the picture be wrong? Your book is a true adventure, that’s for sure. --S.Marshall.Southern, Ohio
83- Your explanation of Chillicothe and the flour mill was really good. I've done my work up and down the canal; I enjoy keeping my own records. My question is this. Did lock 38, namely the 5th St. lock in Chillicothe, have an adjoining waterfall and tumble? If so, where were they situated? Was water power put to use here anywhere in town for industry? --inquisitive
84-Quaker Mills. I'll soon be posting pictures of the canal locks & the area around the Zoar Dam. This posting is dedicated to "Bill, alias Old Coot”. Your son jokingly calls you the "Old Coot”, so I figure it won’t get me in too much trouble. You and your son must have a comfortable relationship. I would imagine that “Bill” the father, has a good nickname for his son. To the readers, Bill is in his mid 90s, he gave a canal boat load of information concerning Zoar. Bill’s information filled in a few gaps. From memory, Bill gave us a wonderful detailed description of Zoar and his experiences along the Tuscarawas River as a boy.--Jeff Maximovich
85-I'll be more explicit concerning the dry dock in Massillon. There was a dry dock in Massillon and it was located on a street called Dock Way St. This street ran perpendicular between both End Way and Key Way Streets. This dry dock was located on the property of William Frey. The water filled the docks on the canal side and emptied into the Tuscarawas River. Those streets I just listed are no longer in existence. This information was the courtesy of the Canal Fulton Library from an 1875 map. --Jeff Maximovich
86-This entry concerns Chillicothe and the Fourth and Fifth St. locks 37-38. I'm not certain if a tumble was at either lock or if any industry was at those locations, but there was a hydraulic race that went from the high side of lock 37 bypassing lock 38, ending up in the basin below 38. This is more than speculation. Some industry operated along Water St. with the tail races going back to the river. A hydraulic side cut ran out of the Fifth St. Basin.
--Ross County Historian
87-The Ohio and Erie Canal crosses over and through Walnut Creek 3 times in 27 miles. The picture in another’s publication is correct and so am I. At the bottom of the Lockville Staircase is lock 18, and there once was a dam and a slackwater crossing. It was also a feeder. The picture you mentioned was another area near Bibler lock 8. The first area where the canal passed over Walnut Creek was south of the Leonard’s Bridge and south of Bibler Lock. A stone culvert was part of the original construction over Walnut Creek. Through time, rising and rushing water washed out its foundations causing failure and disruption on the canal. A wooden framed aqueduct replaced the fallen stone structure and it lasted until the canal’s duration. The aqueduct still has some remains at mile 201 at Walnut Creek. Jeff Maximovich
88- Moravian Settlements. Southeast of Navarre years ago, was a small band of Moravians who temporarily settled in the area of Navarre. Escaping religious persecution in Europe, they crossed the ocean hoping to find a home in a new and promising land. The Moravians had different beliefs and were outcast in Europe enforced by Rome. By leaving the European Continent, they wanted to be far enough away from the branding and persecution, hopefully leaving it behind them. As follows, a bit of history which details some of the plight they went through and the reasons they searched out a new home. “When John Hus of Bohemia became a Roman Catholic priest in the year 1400, the times were tinder-dry. Not only was it the time of the Great Schism; but Rome had added corruption to the list of crimes which the people of Moravia and Bohemia already abhorred”. In the early 1500s, this group landed on the shores of North Carolina as we know it. They migrated north and established themselves among the Indian tribes along the Muskingum River for two centuries bringing Christianity. On their way to Pennsylvania following the Muskingum, they ran into an unseasonable winter storm in pre-Ohio land and were unexpectedly held up for the winter. Some stayed when the weather finally broke, naming an area Moravian Town. Further research put the settlement near Riverlands Rd. and SR212. Moravian Town is listed as the first white settlement in the pre-Ohio territory and in 1761, it was recorded, the first birth of a white child. A mission was set up less than an hour’s walk from Navarre going along the river. The missionary was known as Emanuel Post. By the late 1700s, they had established themselves here for better than 200 years and not a trace of them was left southeast of Navarre by the early 19th century. The Moravians moved further south down the Muskingum River and settled in between Schoenbrunn and Gnadenhutten and the areas along the river. The entire area south of New Philadelphia on SR.416 and routes 250 and SR.36 is rich with Moravian history. Back then, the Tuscarawas River was called Muskingum. Jeff Maximovich
89-I'm from Navarre. Did the lock have a spillway that could power a water wheel? What industries settled in, near or around the lock in the canal era? --Tyler
90-Jeff. I've read an old letter about one's travels down the Ohio and Erie dated 1870s. They left Cleveland heading up the Akron staircase, then on to Zoar on the canal boat freighter the Massillon Mills. The letter read "we just loaded up at Peck's and will soon ascend Deep Lock". Obviously this place is in northern Ohio. Have you ever heard of Peck's? --Janet G.
91-Just out of curiosity - how were the canal boats loaded at Deep Lock Quarry? We live south of Pittsburgh and are planning a spring rendezvous on the towpaths of the Ohio & Erie Canal. We just completed visiting the towns and cities along New York State’s canal systems. We understand that Ohio's systems are in the process of completion. My wife and I found your book informative, exciting and we recommend it.--Tom and Shelley
92- Would someone explain the tunnel next to lock 2 in Akron? What was its purpose? Was it considered normal for the water to spill through the lock doors near the top, like at lock 2? --R Benson. Akron
93-Would it be possible to lay out the canal words and terminology so we can understand what a phrase or single word is in relation to? M Smith
94- I have a dilemma. I have an 1854 map of Akron. This map contains the locks of 18 through 29. Explain this. The distance between lock 20 and lock 21 reads at six chains. Another document of another area claims these dimensions to be one chain and two rods long, one and a half rods to the outside width, three fathoms deep.--Toby Hudson Ohio 11th grade
95-A Chain-is a measurement of 66 feet, or 4 rods.
A Rod-is a measurement of 16.5 feet or 5.5 yards.
A Fathom-is the length of a grown man’s arms opened finger tip to finger tip, or about 6 feet.
Lock 21 would be 400 feet north of lock 20. 6 chains are 396 feet.
The answer to the other question - one chain, two rods is 99 feet.
1.5 rods which is the width to the outside is 24 & 3/4 feet. These are obviously the outer measurements of a canal lift lock. 3 fathoms deep would be 18 feet deep. This could be the lift lock 28, Deep Lock Quarry. -Jeff Maximovich
96- The tunnel next to Lock 2 Park was previously a millrace that extended down from the lower basin at the low end of lock 1. Canal lover & Enthusiast
97-Canalwayman. Just for the record, what river passed below the aqueduct between the middle and lower basin at Roscoe Village? Unknown
98- Lock 3 was the location of the W.J. Payne's boat yard in Akron. In their time, they built 53 boats including the "State of Ohio". Peninsula also built boats in their yard. No one knows for sure how many.
Unknown
99- Canalwayman, that was good research done on the Massillon dry dock. I really didn't have its exact location until now. Nice work! Unknown
Navarre had a tumble and a millrace operating at the same time. Even after the lock was torn out for repairs in the early 20th century, the tumble was reconstructed back in its original location at the northeast end of the lock. The millrace branched off towards the river and reentered the canal below the eastern end of the lock into a small basin. This mill race was over 100 yards long. This mill race powered all the mills at lock 6. After the reconstruction of this lock, the tumble had an extra feature which wasn’t part of the original construction. That was, the tumble was actually more a spillway than a tumble. The newly designed lock had within it, a spillway with the ability to adjust how much water goes through it by the use of a slide gate. Near the mouth of the mill race was the Old Brewery. Further’s Flour mill operated about half way down on the bend. At the lower end between the flour mill and the canal basin along the banks of the Tuscarawas River sat a slaughter house. Jeff Maximovich
100- The river which flowed between the middle and lower basins of Roscoe village was the Walhonding River, a Tuscarawas and Muskingum tributary. The Walhonding originally went by a different name which follows.
“White Woman’s River, one of the main branches of the Muskingum River or Tuscarawas. It is formed by the confluence of Mohican and Owl Creeks, in the western part of Coshocton County, runs east by south 16 miles, receiving in its progress Killbuck Creek from the north, and forms with the confluence of the Tuscarawas River, opposite the town of Coshocton”.
During the devastating flood of 1913 that ended the Ohio & Erie Canal, the Walhonding rose better than 25 feet upward washing out the Aqueduct which spanned between the two basins. Locks 26 & 27 are still in the area today.
THE ABOVE POSTINGS FINALIZE THE FIRST CHAPTER OF 100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. ALL CHAPTERS WILL CONTAIN 100 ENTRIES. THE ENTRIES WILL BE IN AN ARRANGEMENT FROM-A TO-Z. SOME QUESTIONS MAY HAVE THEIR ANSWERS WITHIN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS. ANY POSTINGS ON THIS SECTION OF THE WWW.JOHNNYAPPLESEEDOFTHEOHIOERIECANAL.COM © IS PROTECTED AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED PUBLICATION.
Akron 22, 24, 26, 92
Athens 15
Aetna Mills 22, 26
Asha Cutter 38
Alfred Kelley 39, 40, 45
Adams Mills 43
Aqueduct 82
Buckeye Lake 15, 27
Blackhand Gorge 17, 20
Bolivar Aqueduct 48
Bible 52
Barberton 62, 68, 74
Boat yard 64, 76
Book 79
Bibler Lock 87
Canal Children 54, 55
Canal boats 2, 10, 21, 23
Canal system 4, 5, 7, 9
Carroll Basin 15
Circleville 78
Cascade mill race 22
Chillicothe 69, 78, 83, 86
City Mills 22
Canal boat grave yard 23
Canal Dover 23, 73
Coal 26
Circleville Aqueduct 65, 66
Crosby Mill Race 22, 32, 33, 46
Camp Charming 35
Conesville 43
D.O.N.R. 16
Duck-canal boat 23
Daily Times 23
Dover 23
Diamond Match Co 28, 34, 40
Dresden 35, 42, 44
Diversion river 59
Dams 63, 67, 68
Dry dock 64, 76, 80, 85
Drowned (2 boys) 73
Deep Lock Quarry 91, 95
Erie Canal 12
Evans Creek Aqueduct 41
Ethan Allen Brown 45
Education of children 54, 55
Fairfield – canal boat 23
Flood 41, 77, 100
Flower’s Mill 78
Granville Feeder 15, 28
Guard locks 20, 56
Gomorrah 52
G. Craig 59
Heath 15, 27
Heat wave 23
Homeless people 24
Howard’s Mill 69, 78
Indian Massacre 43
Joseph Baumeler 52
Jasper Guard Lock 75
King Watson lock 15, 27
Lancaster Lateral Canal 15
Licking Summit 13, 14, 15, 27, 28
Licking Staircase 16
Licking Reservoir 82
Licking River 18
Lock 13 22
Lock 6 99
Lock 16 17, 19
Lock 17 19
Lock 20&21 58, 95
Lord Dunmore 43
Lower Basin 47
Lock 47 69
Leonard’s Bridge 87
Lockbourne 82
Lockville 82, 87
Little Walnut Creek 82
Lock Fifth St., Chillicothe 83
Minthorn Lock 15, 28
Munson Rubber Company 22
Monopolizing 39
Monroe Basin 42
Mingo Indians 43
Muskingum Improvement 43, 44
Marietta 43
Mill St. 47
Middlebury 47
McGarry & 58
Massillon 80, 85, 99
Massillon Mills 90
Moravian Town 81, 88
Measurements 94, 95
New Reservoir 15
Newcomerstown 23
No Name Creek 75
Navarre 89, 99
Old Reservoir 15, 19
Ohio River 15
Ohio & Erie Canal 23, 39, 41, 87
Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal 15, 33, 34, 40
Portage Summit 15, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34
Portage Lakes 27, 68
Portage Landing 34
Pearl Nye, Captain 23, 41
Port Washington 23
Plunder Act 39, 40, 45
Peck’s Grocery 90
Quakers 77
Quaker Mills canal boat 84
Railroad 39, 40, 45
Roscoe Village 41, 97, 100
Reform canal boat 41
River boats 43
Sixteen (lock) 14, 16, 17, 19, 20
South Fork Feeder 15
Staircase 26
Stone Arch 22
Schumacher Basin 22
Steamboat Annie 23, 37
Storm canal boat 23
Shawnee Indians 43
Sodom 52
Society of the Separatists 59, 60, 61
Summit County 68
Toboso 16, 18, 19
Tunnel 23, 92, 96
Tomlinson Dam 78
Tuscarawas Aqueduct 49
Tuscarawas River 56, 84
Upper Taylor lock 15
Underground tunnel 22, 24
Upper Basin 34, 46, 47
V
Walhonding River 41
Wakatomika Creek 43
Woodsman 70
Water wheels 72, 17
Walnut Creek 87
W. J. Payne boatyard 98
White Woman’s River 100
X
Young’s Landing & Restaurant 31
Yoctangee Park 69
Zero (locks in Licking Summit) 27, 84
Zoar 48, 49, 50, 52, 56, 59, 61, 71, 77
Zoar Dam & Feeder & Slackwater Crossing 59
101- Responding to 92.The water would spill through the spillway ports which were located in the upper part of the massive doors. These ports were waste weirs. In some circumstances such as a high water situation, the ports maintained the correct level within the lock chamber allowing the excess water to freely pass through. Without the spillway ports, the chamber would continue to fill and could possibly run over the top loosening the ground around the lock and further more washing out the towpath and causing a number of problems. In a case where a tumble or a spillway wasn’t present at a lock; the water passed through the spillway ports within the doors to assure the water continues to flow in the canal.--Jeff Maximovich
102- Responding to 90. Peck’s was the name of a grocery store and mercantile market that was near lock 29 in Peninsula and near the Big Cuyahoga River. Peck’s operated in the second part of the 19th century along the Ohio & Erie Canal. This market serviced the surrounding area and the canal alike. Any market situated along the canal was favored among the canal boat crews and passengers alike to disembark and browse .
103-Hi Canalwayman. I am with the API (Akron Paranormal Investigators) and I have a few questions for you today. 1) Can anyone enter the tunnels under Akron? 2) Is it true they are haunted? 3) Would you be willing to lead my team and myself through them? R W
104-I know the whereabouts of a few tunnels below Akron. I would be willing to lead a team only through the safe ones. Many of my underground experiences have had close encounters and there is a serious risk factor involved. I was told some of the tunnels are as much as 500 degrees. I’ll stay clear of them. These are steam tunnels which heat Akron. Nowadays, the steam comes from the newer steam plant next to the canal south of Exchange St. The pipes have been cooled off for years now that led away from the original steam plant that sat near Beech St. and Canal St. Access tunnels are all over the place to make repairs to the maze and miles of steam pipes below Akron. I spent a lot of time investigating and know enough by now where and where not to go - at least I thought so. If you’re planning on going below, you must not be afraid of the dark. Sometimes there may be dangerous people below. These tunnels can be home for animals and unhappy raccoons. That was just a warning. I was foolish enough a few times and went in alone. It’s very dangerous. For instance, my fiancée Laura slipped once exploring with me and ended up in the hospital. Many things can happen. Two years ago, I entered a tunnel and ran into three homeless. This immediately made me think of a movie I saw long ago called CHUDS which means cannibalistic human underground dwellers, which set my mind in motion. I was deep within a tunnel and saw a glow ahead. As I approached, I got the whiff of smoke exiting through an upper sewer. I knew this could be trouble - instinct told me. All around were piles of broken wine bottles and the smell of urine and booze. All my senses went on alert. Just as I was turning around to leave the tunnel, out of the glow, appeared two raggedy men. Little did I know, one man was already positioned behind me. I wasn't able to make out their faces. The glow was from a barbecue they had lit to stay warm or cook with. It was so much warmer in the tunnel than the cold winter day outside, but still cold. As I shined the flashlight on them, instincts took over. I turned around and a third person got the drop on me from behind, who was all ready to swing a pipe and was in a position to do so. I jumped back and shoved my back into the wall and bared my weapon and made it known I had a weapon. Immediately, we had strong words. They seemed to be drunk. In their drunken state, I could hardly understand any of them. The tunnel made it nearly impossible to understand anything. Their loud screaming was echoing back and forth throughout the tunnels. These men would have really caused me harm, I'd be certain of that. If I wasn't armed, the outcome would have turned out differently. To sum it all up, things turned out well, luckily for me. Those three unwillingly walked out ahead of me. Once outside, I began to move on but one of them got real brave and using very bad language goaded me to go ahead and shoot. He came right up in my face with that awful whiskey breath and even pushed me. I shoved him to the ground and gave a fair warning to all three. The bottom line here is - I invaded their home. Whether it is a tunnel or a cardboard box; it was their home. Since then, I learned to stay clear of their dwellings, or if I need to go, take a dog along which would be the first line of defense.
As far as those tunnels being haunted, the canal tunnel behind the Civic Theatre in downtown Akron which goes below ground is listed as being haunted. Its accessibility is extremely dangerous. I won’t be responsible for taking anyone through there. Jeff Maximovich
105-- Below is the canal terminology so many have requested.
AFT: The rear of the boat or very back. The area of the rudder.
ABUTMENT: The strength and the supporting structures of bridges.
AQUEDUCT: A water-carrying bridge designed to cross over streams, rivers or roads connecting the canal.
BALANCE BEAM: The long timbers that are used to push open the lock gates or doors.
BASIN: A large water pool or lake along the canal. Some are at the locks used as gathering places for the boats to wait for a reason or another.
BERM: A river, canal or road bank.
BOAT YARD: A place that builds new boats.
BOWMAN: Usually the first to jump off, tie and secure the boat.
BRIDGE PLANK: A piece of wood to walk off or onto the boat.
CABIN: The most forward room on the boat.
CANAL BOAT: Built without engines, sails or paddles, only to be towed.
CAPTAIN: The one in charge and who makes decisions.
CAT WALK: The area above the cabins to cross from one end of the boat to the other.
CHANGE BRIDGE: Used to connect the towpaths and can swing out of the way.
COOK: Designated crew member usually a wife.
CREW: Can be a single individual or everyone combined to keep the boat operational.
CROSSOVER BRIDGE: A bridge that crossed from one side to another; or crossed a lift lock or the canal.
CUDDY: A small sleeping room.
CULVERT: Single arch design. A river, stream or road can pass under.
DAM (LOCK DAM): The high end of a lock chamber.
DAM (STATE DAM): Timbers driven into a major river to raise the level to be used for feeders, slackwater crossings or navigational channels.
DAY BOATS: Freighters only with no sleeping quarters.
DEAD EYE: Large iron eyelet to attach a rope for towing or securing.
DEEP CUT: The hardest area of construction along the Ohio & Erie Canal. The towpath is 26' above the canal -this area is south of Millersport.
DRESSED STONES: The smooth side of a stone.
DRY DOCK: An area where the boats went to be repaired by letting the water out, resting then on pylons.
DRAFT: The amount of boat that is below the water line.
FEEDER: A stream that assists in keeping the canal level full.
FLOATING TOWPATH: Wooden planks connected close enough and are buoyant enough to hold the team of mules along with the hoagie without sinking.
FLUME: A wooden channel constructed to carry water.
FOAMER: Big keg of overflowing beer.
FOG GANG: A specified group whose job was to keep the canal clear of debris.
FOO FOO: Chinese immigrant worker. The name originated in California.
FREIGHTER: Carries freight only. Built much heavier than a packet boat. Not intended to carry passengers.
FULL FREIGHTINGS: A common term used as a greeting between boat captains insinuating they're doing well.
GUARD LOCK: To protect the canal from spilling into a river or stream, this ensures the canal stays full. These are usually at slackwater crossings.
HELMSMAN: Whoever is steering the boat at the time.
HOGGIE: A crew member who walks the towpaths prompting the beast to keep on pulling.
HOODLEDASHER: A type of device to connect one boat to another as a link to be pulled by a single team.
JIGGER BOSS: The one in charge of the whiskey dispersion after a hard day's work digging the canal.
LAY TO: Bring the boat to a stop.
LEVEL: The long area between the locks.
LINE BOAT: Usually more of an open boat. Not intended for passengers. Designed to haul freight. Usually working a designated route.
LOCK: The structure designed to raise or lower boats. Several designs. Winged locks, rounded locks, square locks, locks with water ports, locks with dams, locks without dams, concrete locks, locks made from block stone, breast locks and guard locks.
LOCK GATES: Large wooden doors which close in together not quite at 90 degrees, opening inward. While closed, the heavy weight of the water seals them tightly together and along the miter seal at the bottom.
LOCKING THROUGH: The three-step process of getting through a lock. First step, entering the lock. Second step, either being raised or being lowered inside the chamber. Third step, leaving the chamber at another level.
LOCKING UP: The necessary movement for raising the canal boat up to the next level.
LOCKING DOWN: The necessary movement for lower the boat to the next level.
LOCK WRENCH: A long straight iron rod with a square tapered hole to ensure it does not slip off the wicket bar.
MILL RACE: A hydraulic water channel dug usually to operate a mill. Don't let the word hydraulic confuse you, it means the force of the water.
MILL CHASE: The water that has been used to operate a mill. It travels through this channel back into the canal or river.
MONTEZUMA'S NECKLACE: A device consisting of a bucket filled with creosote and wood and smoldering charcoals making smoke to ward off mosquitoes. These hung from the neck and the men usually got deathly sick and sometimes asphyxiated.
MULES: Slang - long ears, hamburger. Offspring of a donkey and a horse. The preferred power source to pull a canal boat.
NINA: A negative term meaning "NO IRISH NEED APPLY."
OHIO & ERIE CANAL: The connecting waterway from Cleveland to Portsmouth known as the "Big Ditch".
PACKET BOAT: Generally carries passengers and is horse drawn, making it faster.
PIKE: A pole used for navigational purposes and pushing.
PRITTIES: Unskinned boiled potatoes.
PROG: Slang word for food.
RAT GUARD: A round, flat device like a large saucer used on the mooring lines that kept the rats from climbing on board.
RESERVOIR: A backed up water supply for many uses.
RIGHT OF WAY: Ascending boats had the right of way.
ROD: A measure of length, 16 1/2 feet or 5 1/2 yards. Chain: A measurement of 66 feet or 4 rods. Fathom: Roughly 6 feet.
RUDDER: Mechanical device at the rear of the boat to steer.
SETTLER'S LANDING: An area at lock 44 in Cleveland where people disembarked off of lake ships to travel the Ohio & Erie Canal. This area was the end of the line for some and was a new beginning for others.
SHOW BOAT: A packet boat usually dressed up to transport dignitaries.
SIDE CUT: A canal dug off of the main channel going towards a designated place.
SIDEWINDER: A type of rattle snake or an unscrupulous, untrusting character.
SCALAWAG: A rascal.
SKIMAGIG: Disgusting buttermilk.
SLACKWATER CROSSING: The slow area behind a man-made dam which permits the boats to cross the canal or get from guard lock to guard lock.
SLUICE: An unregulated water escape route.
SLUICE GATE: A regulated water escape route.
SMITHY: One who works with metal, horseshoes and a fabricator? Called a blacksmith.
SNUBBERS: Mooring chalks at the locks to stabilize the boats during locking operations.
SOCIETY OF THE SEPARATIST: A group of people who escaped Europe and religious persecution who settled along the rapids of the Tuscarawas River naming the area Zoar.
SPILL THE NOSEBAG: Talking behind someone’s back or gossiping.
SPILLWAY: An area preset to regulate the depth of the canal or can be regulated through a slide gate.
STAIRCASE: One lock stacked on top of the other.
STATE BOAT: Owned by the state, traveled the canal making repairs.
STEER MAN: The one who is in control of the tiller bar.
SUMMIT: The high point. Two summits are on the Ohio & Erie Canal - the Portage Summit and the Licking Summit.
TANDEM: Teams of mules or horses side by side but not in a series.
TILLER: The long wooden steering rod connected to the rudder.
TOLL KEEPER: Some areas on the canal system that collected the tolls for the state. Here are a few locations: Cleveland, Akron, Massillon, Canal Dover, Roscoe, Newark, Circleville, Chillicothe, and Waverly & Portsmouth.
TOW LINE: The tow rope that connects the boat to the mules.
TOW PATH: Ten foot sections on either side of the canal banks for pulling the canal boats by mules.
TRIPPER: One who uses a long pole to push off on, navigating tight areas.
TUMBLE: Small waterfall next to a lock designed to keep the current flowing and the canal full.
TUMBLE GATE: A horizontal gate which began replacing the standard lock gates in the later days of the canal era. The boats floated over the gate which submerged in the water. The Cleveland weigh lock was fitted with a tumble gate.
WEIR: Concrete or wooden structure or small bridge that goes over spillways and races. This keeps the animals and driver out of the water.
WALKOVER BRIDGE: On a lock chamber a crossover bridge sat on the low side of the lock enabling the lock tender to cross.
WATER MAN: Periodically inspects all canal boats to make sure they are sea worthy and won't sink, clogging the canal.
WATER WHEEL: A large wheel with built-in buckets. The weight of the water pushes and propels the wheel to run a gear house.
WHALEN DOORS: The massive doors on both ends of the lock.
WICKET: Two foot square door unhinged that is centrally mounted on the wicket bar which closes to fill the chamber and opens to empty the chamber, located at the bottom of the huge wooden doors.
WIDE WATER: An area of the canal that exceeds the width of 40 feet.
WATER LINE: A line that marks the level of water posted on a boat or a shore.
WICKET BAR: A long bar extending more than 10 feet from the wicket door to the top of the door. It is used in conjunction with the wicket wrench.
WEIGH LOCK: This was used to weight the canal boats so the captains and the mills used how much was being hauled. Jeff Maximovich
January 15, 2008 3:24 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
106-In our school years, we learned about the war of 1812 which turned the tides of war between the United States and England. For a big part, this war was carried out on the Great Lakes. Towards the war’s end, many great naval engagements took place off the shores of Lake Erie. These battles were just as grueling as the open sea battles between ships on open waters portrayed on the pirate movies. Through the years, the American naval forces picked up enough strength to ward off our enemy. We were finally becoming a dominate force to deal with on the Great Lakes. Many battles led up to decisive battles of 1812 which sent the British Navy back to England.
In the year 1811, during a Battle of Lake Erie, an inferior number of ships, some were seized vessels now sailed under their new flag of the United States, were able to defeat the superior naval force of the powerful British Navy. The vast British Navy placed blockades up and down the eastern sea board of the United States and inland as well. The British were just as determined to stop all commercial traffic on the Great Lakes as our major seaports.
With the element of surprise, Commodore Perry one early evening, engaged in battle with his American Navy, fooling the British, having them believe the approaching ships were their own. When they got within canon range, the Americans blasted away at the British fleet all through the night and into the next morning. This naval pounding went on for several days and the end result - the powerful English Navy was sent to the bottom of Lake Erie. The remaining English sailors who were cast adrift, were pulled from the lake, now prisoners of the United States. These men over land, were marched over 300 miles to their new home in Chillicothe. Camp Bull is where they lived out the war, under confinement .
January 15, 2008 4:03 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
107-As requested a 1840s naval time line and others, which are random.
July 21, 1841-Riots break out over wages in Portsmouth near the Ohio and Erie Canal on the Ohio River.
June 16th, 1841-The ship "William Brown" Sinks after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic. The nearly frozen survivors were picked up by the "U.S.Cresent".
June 2nd, 1841-The ship "Minstrel” bound for Ireland struck a reef, 142 of the original 150 died.
August 25, 1841-The steam boat "Lake Erie" burns and sinks in Lake Erie miles off Cleveland. 29 of the 200 on board survived. The ship had no life boats, the captain T.J.Titus went down with his ship.
August, 25 1842-Huron Ohio, The steamboat "Vermillion" burns and sinks at the pier.
Summer 1842-Schooner "The Emily” slams into the schooner "Acorn" on Lake Erie during a thick fog, loss of life, and 1.
July, 1842-Steamship "Edna" had a violent boiler explosion. 63 men were burned badly and were taken to St. Louis Missouri to recover.
June 1st, 1842-Steam boat "Douglas" 26 men died during a boiler explosion, 15 was never found.
1842- Mutiny aboard the "U.S. Creole" by southern slaves who only wanted freedom. This happened off the coast of England in British waters. The Queen of England set all the slaves free.
July, 27th 1842-The first canal boat to pass through the locks from the Miami and Erie Canal onto Lake Erie was the Western Trader.
Aril 20th, 1842-The Ohio Canal near Cincinnati became operational.
June 1843-For the first time canal boats will be able to run the full length of the Wabash and Erie Canal.
June, 1843-1000 Irishmen were hired to widen the locks on the Welland Canal
1843 Spring-On the Ohio and Erie Canal the boat captains went on strike. If higher rates were not met, the boats will stay moored. After the coal began to run low within the mills, the rates were met and travel and freight resumed.
1843 summer-Wealthy New Yorker conquers the mules, by building the first steam powered canal boat "The New Yorker".
1843 Philadelphia court rule, all canal boats are exempt from navigational laws in the United States.
1843 October-The United States passes an ordinance to stop importing alcohol from abroad. The distilleries along the Ohio and Erie Canal along with others were able enough to fill the supply needs.
1843-Sarah P Mathers, from Brooklyn New York, Invents the telescope.
1843 The year the telegraph was invented. The first line ran between Baltimore and Washington D.C.with success.
August 9th,1843 A sad day-The Wyandot the last known tribe of Indians in Ohio, depart on foot to a reservation which will be their new home, miles west of the Mississippi. --Jeff Maximovich
January 15, 2008 4:11 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
108- What was the duration of the Revolutionary War? How many war encampments were here in Ohio? United States declared independence from England, July 4th 1776; how long did it take until we had actually free of them? --L. E. Shelter
109-Did the Buckeye Trail follow the Ohio & Erie Canal or visa versa? Who was there first?
--C. Pembroke
110-I heard that there was a canal boat named "Fried Chicken". Can this be true?
--From Millersport
111-The battle that was the deciding factor of who from then on controlled the Great Lakes was fought on September the 10th 1813. Historian
112- On the 10th of September 1813 was the decisive inland water battle determining from then on who had control of the water ways and lakes within the United States. England was faced with defeat; they had to come to grips and acknowledge they lost control of the Great Lakes along with the other lakes and inland rivers. From then on, all of our water ways and lakes and sea ports would no longer be under any English influence. Commodore Perry resiliently engaged with the English Navy on many occasions before the final lake battle of 1813. Years earlier in another battle several English ships were sent to the bottom of Lake Erie. The prisoners were pulled from the lake then marched to Camp Bull which was situated on Paint Creek in Ross County Ohio 300 miles to the south. Go back to posting 118 in reference to the above. Jeff Maximovich
January 15, 2008 6:57 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
113-The Ohio and Erie Canal ran parallel with the Buckeye trail for quite a ways. This started around canal lock 39 at canal mile 11 just south of Cleveland. For 75 miles, the two were often within a stone’s throw of one another passing through Akron and Barberton and it hugged the rivers the same as the Ohio & Erie Canal. They separated below Zoar. The Buckeye trail took a new course at SR.800. The Buckeye Trail was established before the canal systems. These trails crisscrossed Ohio going in many different directions. Previously, the trails were Indian trails which were used for centuries before we came along. The white explorers and settlers followed these trails. The same went for the military. Both the English and Continental armies and others followed these trails during war campaigns throughout Ohio. There are also other trails here in Ohio that resembles the Buckeye Trail. Another is the Tuscarawas Trail which followed the Big Sandy & Beaver through Ohio ending up at the confluence of the Sandy & Beaver River at the Tuscarawas River at Fort Laurens. Jeff Maximovich
January 15, 2008 2:44 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
114-The Revolutionary War raged on for many years beyond the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Boston Tea Party. The war stemmed from the actions the English Parliament took towards the colonies. England applied hardships on all the colonial people. In 1766, the English Crown imposed the Townsend Act which was a tax to penalize the Colonies. This newly imposed act taxed everything essential to the colonists and was the reasoning behind the Boston Tea Party. Because of the countless acts of cruelty and hardships put on the colonists, a militia was being formed. England was sending thousands of troops into the Colonies to suppress the people. English warships lined the east coast. A war was brewing. Then came the Boston Massacre where the townspeople pelted the English soldiers with snowballs, only to be gunned down - men, women and children. Because the English soldiers received no reprimand of any kind for these killings, uprisings began. Through the years, the militia gained power and strength and tactics and they eventually held back a more organized English Army which proved to be too much, often because of their numbers. The militia learned and applied gorilla warfare strategies that the English’s highly regimented and organized army was ill-prepared for. The Continental Army was forming, and its numbers were staggering. The Continental Army was as well fitted for battle and matched the British troops in numbers, man for man, before long. The ratio of troops wasn’t lop-sided anymore, favoring the British. This long war went on for better than 40 years before the English were finally defeated and sent home. An interesting point: A few well-known names from the Summit County area were General Simon Perkins and General Nathaniel Bettes who both served in the Continental Army. Because of their distinguished service, they like many others, were given tracts of land in the Western Reserve. After England was beaten on land, they were just as badly beaten on the high seas and all of the inland harbors and rivers. During the English occupation of the colonies, many English soldiers were captured. Rather than facing execution, many swore an allegiance to the militia and fought in the Continental Army. Jeff Maximovich
January 15, 2008 3:44 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
115-I gave an honest research looking for a canal boat named “Fried Chicken”. My search wasn’t just here in the United States, but abroad also. Sorry, there is no canal boat by that name. As silly as it sounded, I just couldn’t disregard this inquiry as a hoax. There may have been a canal boat by that name or something similar. Barberton, Ohio is known for being the capital of the Diamond and Blue Tip Match industry and its fried chicken. Jeff Maximovich
116- Just exactly how long is the Ohio and Erie Canal? I was just told yesterday the canal was over 330 miles long. This information was given by a southern Ohio Canal enthusiast. I figured since you drafted those maps, you might have the best answer.
--Curious in Newark
117-The canal locks in Akron now seem to be made of concrete, but I have old pictures of some of them and they were block construction. When and why were they changed? --Rudy. R
118-Why did the state of Ohio rebuild the complete lock system and refurbish the Ohio & Erie Canal at the turn of 20th century? Were there even any canal boats left? Which of Ohio's canals stayed operational the longest? Unknown
119-Which of the two summits are the longest on the Ohio & Erie Canal? Clarify this. Did the southern end close first? If so, then why? --Tony K., Pickerington
120-DID THE CANAL BOATS HAVE BRAKES? COULD THEY STOP QUICKLY? --B. Childers
121-The Ohio and Erie Canal is pretty close to being accurate as far as distance goes. Where the additional 21 miles comes from I don't know. If all of the side cuts and connecting canals were to be included, the number would be much higher than 330 miles in length. This isn't the first time this has been brought up. Many people I’ve spoken with over the years believed the canal was longer. The overall length is set between 308 & 309 miles before 1872. After 1872, 3 miles of the canal was filled in near Cleveland for the railroad, now shortened to just over 305 miles. A few years later, lock 54 Red Bridge, was removed on the Scioto River in Portsmouth as the southern terminus. The canal was extended another mile to lock 55. Lock 55 was the newer terminus on the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal previously exited at the Scioto River terminus in West Portsmouth, Ohio. With the new terminus, it then exited on the Ohio River. For a short time, both locks 54 and 55 operated simultaneously and both were accessible from River Road. Then lock 54 was removed because of the river wash from the Ohio River at the confluence. This wash constantly grounded river boats and canal boats alike. Lock 55 was the new and only terminus. Within a few short years, the southern end of the Ohio and Erie closed around 1880 at Circleville, thus shortening the canal again. As the years moved towards the 20th century, the canal was getting shorter. After leaving the 19th and in the early 20th century, the plans were to at least keep the canal operational, making Dresden Junction the southern terminus. Lock 42 was going to remain the northern terminus near Cleveland at the weigh lock. The total length would then be 150 miles long.
Jeff Maximovich
January 16, 2008 9:13 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
122-The longer of the two canal summits was the Licking Summit at nearly 14 miles long. The Portage Summit was slightly shorter, just over 10 miles long. The southern end of the canal was the first to close, and did so in 1880 but officially closed before 1910. Chillicothe began filling in the canal a year earlier. In 1861, the Ohio and Erie Canal was leased away to 6 entrepreneurs who were known as the group of six. For several years, this group operated the canal, only doing light repairs on the system. The Ohio and Erie Canal was in desperate need of an overhaul, which the lessees had no intentions of doing. The lessees, never really held up their end of the bargain. The state reacquired the canal in the late 1870s, and basically just let it succumb to age and deterioration. Soon, the towpaths were overgrown and roots were popping out between the block stones which make up the locks. The canal lock chambers were toppling inward and their doors ceased to operate. The wooden state dams were falling apart and they were constantly being bandaged. At Circleville, the feeder dam washed through for its last time. The state closed the entire system on the southern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal below Circleville. The funds dried up for anymore on-going repairs. The northern end of the canal system slumbered along another 33 years. In the early years of the 20th century, several northern locks were rebuilt. Some hoped the canal would make a come back. The work was completed within 4 years and many canal locks and structures were completely refurbished using concrete, discarding the block stone. The boat yards went out of business years before and the dry docks were few and far between. By the time the construction was finished, only a handful of canal boats were still afloat. Jeff Maximovich
January 16, 2008 3:24 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
123-THE VITAL STATISTICS OF THE OHIO & ERIE CANAL
Ohio & Erie Canal construction dates were from 1825-1834. Its length was 309 miles long with 150 locks and was in use until 1913. It was Ohio's longest canal and had a proposed estimated cost of $4,695,000.
PENNSYLVANIA & OHIO CANAL
Construction dates were from 1835-1841. The cost was $1,300,000. Its length was 86 miles long and had within 57 locks. This canal spanned from New Castle, Pennsylvania crossing Ohio connecting up at the upper lock 2 level in Akron to the Ohio and Erie Canal. This system was abandoned in 1877.
SANDY & BEAVER CANAL
Construction dates were from 1834-1848. The cost was estimated at $1,850,000. The canal flowed 73 miles with 90 locks spanning from Bolivar, Ohio into Beaver, Pennsylvania. This system closed after the collapse of the Bolivar aqueduct in 1884. This system was plagued with problems from its conception. The Sandy and Beaver Canal had 2 under ground tunnels in Columbiana County near Dungannon.
MUSKINGUM IMPROVEMENT
The construction dates were from 1836-1841. The cost was $1,600,000. The length was 91 miles long with 12 locks. Its northern point was Dresden Junction at a proposed connection to the Ohio and Erie Canal. Its passage was to connect Marietta at the Ohio River. The connection was never made at Dresden Junction. The proposed date was in 1912. The number of locks may have changed throughout the years.
WALHONDING CANAL
Construction dates were from 1836-1841 at the cost of $650,000. The length was 25 miles long with 11 locks. It went from Brinkhaven to the lower basin at Roscoe Village after passing the triple locks. This canal closed in 1913 with the Ohio & Erie Canal brought on by the flood. One of its locks sat on an island surrounded by a river.
HOCKING VALLEY CANAL
The construction dates were from 1826-1843. The cost was $1,000,000. The length was 56 miles long and contained 26 locks. This system connected with the Ohio & Erie Canal at the Carroll Basin, in the town of Carroll. Built by the Lancaster Lateral Company, it went from Carroll to Athens, and closed in 1894.
WARREN COUNTY CANAL
Construction dates were from 1834-1840 costing $228,000. It was 20 miles long having 6 locks. It went from Middletown to Lebanon, closing in the 1880s.
CINCINNATI & WHITEWATER CANAL
Construction dates were from 1839-1843, costing $800,000. This short canal was 25 miles long and went from Whitewater to Harrison, closing in 1963 during the Civil War.
COLUMBUS FEEDER
Construction dates were from 1829-1832.flowing south for 11 miles having 4 locks. This waterway was a navigational feeder that connected Lockbourne on the Ohio & Erie Canal to Columbus the state capital of Ohio.
MILAN CANAL
Construction dates were from 1833-1839. The cost was $23,400. The Milan Canal was considered as the other choice to link up Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The idea was put rest on account of the rough terrain and water considerations. The canal closed in 1865 near the end of the Civil War. It went from Huron to Milan.
MIAMI & ERIE CANAL
Construction date were from 1825-1845. This system went nearly 15 years beyond its estimated date of completion. Costing Ohioans $6,800,000. The length was 266 miles long having within it 105 locks. This system never caught on as intended and was a huge financial loss. This canal was put out of service in 1909. It went from Toledo to Cincinnati.
THE NEW PHILADEPHIA LATERAL CANAL
Construction dates were from 1832-1835. The states shortest canal, 3 miles long. This canal was cut through the southwest corner of New Philadelphia and then headed southeast. Its water supply was the Tuscarawas River. A side cut was provided from the Ohio and Erie Canal. Only yards beyond the sugar Creek Dam a canal was cut going east which led to the western side of the Tuscarawas River. A slackwater crossing was at the River. New Philadelphia connected themselves to the canal system at their own out of the pocket expense. This town was situated in a position where the Ohio and Erie Canal was force to by-pass it, the original surveyors and planners couldn’t find a water supply on the Lockport side of the Tuscarawas River that could support the lifting or lowering the boats. The lower half of New Philadelphia known as Bluebell Island was about 15 feet lower than the Ohio and Erie Canal. Jeff Maximovich
January 17, 2008 12:36 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
124-Did the canal boats have brakes? No they didn't. These boats moved along slowly and as soon as the mules quit pulling the boat come to a rest. The standard canal boat wasn’t equipped with an anchor either. The crew used poles if necessary to assist in stopping the boat. There was a slight current in the canal as it descended down the summits. The current wasn’t significant enough to push the boats along. Jeff Maximovich
January 17, 2008 3:49 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
125-Flies and mosquitoes were a big problem and brought on sickness and death. Many things were tried to keep the bugs away. One of them was a smoldering bucket attached to the worker to ward off insects. That didn't work well as the men fell sick from the smoke. This device was nick- named Montezuma’s necklace. How it was named, I haven't a clue. Fires were set all around the work site with leaves and greenery put on top to smolder which brought on an unforeseen problem which worsened the sickness. As the trees and shrubbery was being cleared, it was common procedure to burn them, thus causing the entire work area to be filled with smoke. The men’s eyes were burning and it was a very unhealthy environment to work in. The foliage was separated and was smoldered to ward off insects. Much of it was poison ivy. It then became airborne infecting the skin and lungs alike. Jeff Maximovich
126-I am the same guy who went below Keller Office Equipment and a few other places in Massillon in search of the canal. Massillon has a lot to offer when it comes to canal history. Lawrence Machine which sits a block south of Lincoln Way on 1st S.W. and Charles St., still has the archways in the basement the canal boats passed through. The upper part of the arches is visible from the outside on the southwest corner of the building. Also in the basement, years ago someone scratched a message into wet concrete that said “My name is Joe Louis and some day I'll be the world champion boxer.” It's worth another look.--Jeff Maximovich
January 18, 2008 3:48 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
127-Responding to the question, where did the technology come from that would be responsible for designing, digging and building Ohio's canal system? The answer is the same people who laid out the state of New York's Erie Canal system. James Geddes and his assistant Issac Jerome, plotted the terrain and rivers throughout Ohio to determine the course of the canal. New York’s Governor Dewitt Clinton sold Ohio the idea to mimic a similar system. Both the Ohio and Erie Canal, and New York's Erie Canal were under construction at the same time. New York’s canal was finishing up when Ohio’s canals began.
The canal and lock technology originated in Europe. The aqueducts were fashioned after the Romans but ours obviously were not as well-built. Many Roman structures still stand. For the biggest part, most of the aqueducts eventually fell on the Ohio and Erie Canal system. Most of the locks also started to crumble and cave in after 25 years. The lumber rotted, and the canal banks washed out. But considering what we had to work with during that era, everything held up well. Ohio is subject to extreme weather changes that can shorten the life span of any structure. When water gets between cracks and lumber and freezes, it spreads them open through expansion and that alone weakens the integrity of the structure. The original ideas of lock and canal designs were brought over from Holland and England. Jeff Maximovich
January 18, 2008 2:23 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
128-In 1760, George Washington while off the shore of Lake Erie made this statement, "A great town will rise up at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River”. His prediction was correct. Less than 40 years later, Moses Cleaveland, a land entrepreneur, established a town at the Cuyahoga River at Lake Erie that was named in his honor. A local newspaper dropped the letter “a” from the name of Cleaveland to fit its name on the heading, as crazy as it sounds. The Cuyahoga River was home to a ship building industry where many of the battleships were built that fought the English Navy. The Cuyahoga River offered protection from a lake assault from the British and the ship yards were out of gun range from the lake. Jeff Maximovich
129-How would you view the relationship between the canal boat crews and the train engineers? Did they work hand in hand?--Class Project
-130 Canalwayman, this site is good. Can you possibly post the names of every canal boat? To date nobody has ever taken the initiative to educate the people of the state of Ohio about the Ohio and Erie Canal. What makes this site so good is that anyone can jump in at any time to suggest indifferences or disagreements. As it stands, your information is obviously good only because no one debates it.--Student, Akron U.
131-During construction of the canal, were snake bites a serious threat to the canal diggers. Mitchell
132-Sickness and disease ran rampant throughout the duration of the canal construction. Quinine wasn't around in those days to fight off malaria. Penicillin wasn't around either to fight off cholera, dysentery, typhus and the most feared of them all - black tongue fever. The worst known infectious outbreak of disease and plague came with the draining of Summit Lake near Akron. Summit Lake was as much as 8-10 feet higher than the canal and had to be drained down to the level of the canal for a northern and southern connection. The Summit Lake route was the chosen path into Akron. As the lake level slowly fell, it exposed the underwater vegetation and marine life which built up for thousands of years. Now exposed, it started to rot in the open air along the newly formed shoreline. This would end up being an unpredicted catastrophe. As the plants and fish rotted and decayed, the people noticed an awful smell and a fog began to develop over the lake. The hot sweltering days welcomed a cool evening breeze. Little did anyone know that this soft wind would carry a killer fog northeasterly into Akron. Sickness began almost immediately as the townspeople began to fall ill. Then the fog settled in the low-lying areas during the night. Those unfortunate to live in this area, fell dead first, and then everyone down wind followed suit. With the stench and fog, came death. At first, no one could pin down what was killing so many. It became apparent that not many were dying or were even sick to the west of Summit Lake, so everyone downwind cleared the area. By then, a cholera epidemic set in and took lives, sometimes as fast as a day after contracting the infection. When the canal diggers began dropping dead, one after another, they knew for certain the sickness was coming in off the lake. The townspeople of Akron, who weren't infected and were able, fled the area. Akron became a ghost town for a while. The causes of death brought on by Summit Lake were malaria, typhus, cholera, dysentery and black tongue fever. Even during all of this chaos and death, the canal was still scheduled to be finished regardless, but the work came to an abrupt stop. Everyone was fleeing for their lives. The canal diggers who stayed behind while the others fled, were not permitted to leave and were stopped and quarantined to the area at gun point. They eventually died from the dreaded diseases. This work stoppage worried a few prominent Akron officials who had huge financial dealings in the canal along with the Canal Commission who together lobbied the state for action. They begged Governor Jeremiah Morrow for help. A decision was forged to use the inmates of Ohio’s prisons. A condition made to the prisoners was - if you live we’ll set you free, knowing well the men stood little chance of survival. Without any consideration for their lives, they opened the prison doors and led the inmates to dig and finish the area around Summit Lake. The short burst of freedom felt great but soon turned ugly as they began to die. Most of them suffered terribly with no help in sight. Nearly all of these men succumbed to the epidemic. As time went on, the plague eventually disappeared and the townspeople slowly and cautiously returned home. The original canal diggers, what was left of them, returned demanding more pay and their demand was met. In Akron, mostly everyone has forgotten this story and for some, they weren’t even aware of the tragic events of years ago surrounding Summit Lake. Stemming from that disaster, the value of real estate rose west of Summit Lake, upwind. Years later as Akron became a huge rubber industry capital, the more prominent neighborhoods were upwind of the billowing smoke stacks of Akron’s industry, as a reminder of the past. Jeff Maximovich
January 19, 2008 7:00 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
133- Snake bite was a serious threat during canal construction. Ohio and Indiana had it much worse than our neighboring states to the east. The water moccasin is a very venomous pit viper that’s just as deadly as the copperhead and rattlesnakes roaming Ohio. Usually those bitten died a painful death. These snakes were a nuisance and weren’t discriminating and often they took young life as the children played around the cabins. Pigs and hogs were a defense against them, they would kill and eat the snakes. The early settler kept many dogs nearby as a first line of defense and warning. The early pioneer’s wives were so afraid of the snakes they wouldn’t even come out of their cabins. This threat became so bad the people formed a roundup hoping to kill the menace. In doing this, all the townspeople closed in a large circle as wide as five miles, forcing the snakes towards the middle, killing them with clubs. The same event played out in Hinckley, Ohio and the event was called the great roundup. The people closed a circle, killing snakes and wolves and coyotes and any animal which was caught up in the middle. The killing field ended up in a rather large field in Hinckley where they were clubbed and shot. Left to lay, the animals began to rot away. That brought the buzzards in large numbers who feasted for weeks. Stemming from the roundup, and every year since then, the buzzards return. I ran into a couple of poisonous snakes on my adventures across the state. I heard the deathly warning of a rattler a time or two and cleared the area. During my adventures across Ohio, I was never without thick boots as high as my knees. Only one of the venomous snakes will at least give you a fair warning, and that’s the rattler. Water moccasins will attack in groups; no one could survive such an attack. There was a time or two, I felt a hard blow below the knees, and saw a snake slithering away. Once, I had to pull the snake’s head and fangs from my boot. He then coiled around my arms as I tried to release him. I was left without any choice except to eliminate this threat. There are areas along the old towpath that haven’t been crossed since the canal closed. These areas have reverted back to the way they were before the canal was cut through the state. The wild life returns with the absence of man. --Jeff Maximovich
134-I received a letter sent in November 2004, in response to the article that I placed looking for letters or any information which may be canal related. The letter is in poor condition and hard to decipher. The letter is not word for word, but I’ll express the feelings of the sender. This letter described the transition period as the trains were making their way into Ohio, pushing the canal boats aside. This letter is dated in the 1860s and is a good description of the problems that may have arose between both the train engineers and their crews and the captains and crews of a few canal boats. The letter tells how the train crews mocked and laughed at the slow-moving canal boats. The mules would be frightened of the mighty engines and loud whistle and in some cases the mules would lay down in fear or run wildly and out of control. As the train tracks were progressing, the railroads needed supplies and on many occasions, the Railroad Commission tried to work along with the canal boat captains to move lumber as a peace gesture. The letter also goes on to say certain areas of track mysteriously ran into problems, perhaps sabotage. There was always a good fight in the taverns between the railway workers and the seasoned canal veterans. The canal traffic was beginning die off and many canawlers went to the railways looking for employment to support their families. Some boat captains and crews would do anything to hinder progress on the railroad. A few years later, many boat docks were either closed or were closing. The loading docks, booms and riggings that reached out into the canal to load the boats, sat dormant. On the canal side of some of the manufacturing facilities, the docks were no longer in use. At the railroad's expense, they laid in railroad spurs up to the same companies that once depended on the canal to transport their goods. Sadly to say, the canal era was coming to an end along the Ohio & Erie Canal. Economically, for businesses along the canal, it wasn’t feasible to ship by water anymore. Boat captains out of survival needs, reduced and reduced their shipping rates, self-inflicting poverty onto themselves. Going into the 1870s, many abandoned canal boats just sat around rotting, empty, once a home and family enterprise to many. Reality finally set in as many of the true canawlers who had to face the truth, realized the canal could no longer be a source of revenue enough to sustain life. For many of them, they pulled their boats to the side, got off and never looked back. Jeff Maximovich
January 20, 2008 9:58 AM
R.Wells said...
135-Robert Wells said...
I wish to add these passages as true events logged in Ohio’s history. Jeff Maximovich’s book made reference to rattlesnakes in his adventures along the Ohio & Erie Canal. Many believe rattlesnakes do not exist in the state of Ohio. Read the accounts below for proof that they certainly do!
Rattlesnakes were very numerous, and a great pest to the first settlers of Stow township. The “Gulf” at Stow’s Corners was filled with these reptiles, and it was many years before they were killed off. So numerous were they and so dangerous, that the settlers took turns in watching the rocks to kill all that came forth. This was done on sunny days in early spring, when the snakes first came from their holes to bask in the sun.
Watching for Snakes.—It fell upon Mr. BAKER to watch the gulf one Sunday, when Deacon BUTLER was holding a class-meeting in a log-cabin close by. While looking down into the gulf, Mr. BAKER saw a large number of rattlesnakes crawl from a crevice in the rocks and coil themselves in the sun. When it seemed that all had come forth, Mr. BAKER dropped his coat near the crevice, and with a long pole prepared for the purpose, pushed the garment into the opening. He then descended to the rock, and killed sixty-five of the venomous reptiles.
Dad’s Achievement.—The first intimation that the worshippers had of what had taken place was made known by a son of Mr. BAKER, who ran to the log meeting-house at the top of his speed, crying out with a loud voice: “Oh, dad’s killed a pile of snakes! dad’s killed a pile of snakes!” This adjourned the meeting, and the members repaired to the gulf, to continue their thanks for the victory over the ancient enemy of mankind.
A Mother’s Terror.—One day, when John CAMPBELL was away from home, his wife placed her little child on the floor, with a cup of milk and a spoon, and closing the door went a short distance to one of the neighbors’ on an errand. She soon returned and, stepping up to the little window, looked in to see what her baby was doing. There sat the child upon the floor, while close at its side was coiled up a large yellow, repulsive rattlesnake. It had crawled up through the crack of the floor, and, when first seen by Mrs. CAMPBELL, was lapping or drinking the milk, which had been spilled by the child. Just as the mother was taking her first lightning survey of the fearful sight the child reached out its spoon, either to give the reptile some milk or to touch its shining body with the spoon. The mother gave a piercing scream, and the snake slid down a crack and disappeared. Mr. CAMPBELL came in soon afterward, and raising a plank of the floor, killed the snake.
March 2, 2007 5:24 PM
January 20, 2008 10:13 AM
Jeff Maximovich said...
136-This story is submitted courtesy of Sherri Brake-Recco (www.HauntedHistory.net).
THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK HAND GORGE
Many legends have been left by the Native American Indians. One of the most beautiful is Ahyoma, the daugher of Chief Pawcongah and the "Black Hand".
The Indians needed something sharp on the tips of their arrows to kill their prey and flint was chosen for this purpose. A ridge between Zanesville and Newark abounded with this natural resource. Indian tribes from all over the area now known as Ohio, would come to this spot known as Flint Ridge. Many fights between the tribes took place at this special area.
The legends say that the "Great Father" called the tribes together on a council rock not far from Flint Ridge. The chiefs all sat in a big circle and the "Great Father" told them when they were in the pits, no more blood could be shed. This area known as Flint Ridge, would be sacred ground.
Many moons passed and the tribes heeded this warning. They shared this valuable resource.....known as flint, and no blood was shed.
The great chief Pawcongah, had a beautiful daughter named Ahyoma. Many braves wanted her hand in marriage. Her father said that the one that shall bring forth the greatest amount of scalps, would be given his daughter's hand in marriage.
Many braves went into battle, but only two returned to claim the young girl's hand for his bride.
The first Waconsta, who took from his belt his trophies and laid them one at a time at the feet of the chief.
Then came the second brave Lahkopis who was very dear to the heart of Ahyoma. Waconsta, had the most scalps though, and would be the one to marry the chief's daughter the very next day. Later that night, the daughter decided to leave with the other brave Lahkopis, her true love. They decided that if they could reach the sacred ground at Flint Ridge, that they would be safe. No blood was permitted to be shed at that spot.
Waconsta pursued them, forgetting the curse that would be upon any Indian who killed another on the sacred ground. As the two lovers stood on the high ridge, Waconsta raised his tomahawk to strike. Lahkopis, the true love of the girl, raised his hand in defense with his own tomahawk and cut off the hand of his attacker with one swoop.
The Indian maiden and her lover fell into the raging Licking River during their struggle. The hand of Waconsta, fell with them and clung to the side of the cliff. The hand turned black and grew in size. It remained as a warning to all tribes. Never again would blood be spilled at the arrow pits of Flint Ridge.
The canal came through this area in 1828 and the part of the rock that contained the remains of the hand, was blasted away to make room for the towpath.
The region is now known as the "Black Hand Gorge".
January 20, 2008 10:16 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
137-Tyler said...
Gnadenhutten Massacre
Related Entries
Delaware Indians »
Gnadenhutten »
Heckewelder, John G. »
Moravian Church »
Williamson, David »
Zeisberger, David »
On March 8 and 9, 1782, a group of Pennsylvania militiamen under the command of Captain David Williamson attacked the Moravian Church mission founded by David Zeisberger at Gnadenhutten. The Americans struck the natives in retaliation for the deaths and kidnappings of several white Pennsylvanians. Although the militiamen attacked the Christian Indians, these natives were not involved in the previous incident. The Christian Delawares had abandoned Gnadenhutten the year before, but some of them had returned to harvest crops that were still in the fields.
On March 8, the militiamen arrived at Gnadenhutten. Accusing the natives of the attack on the Pennsylvania settlements, the soldiers rounded them up and placed the men and women in separate buildings in the abandoned village overnight. The militiamen then voted to execute their captives the following morning. Informed of their impending deaths, the Christian Delawares spent the night praying and singing hymns. The next morning the soldiers took the natives in pairs to a cabin, forced the natives to kneel, and proceeded to crush their skulls with a heavy mallet. In all, Williamson's men murdered twenty-eight men, twenty-nine women, and thirty-nine children. There were only two survivors, who alerted the Moravian missionaries and other Christian Indians of what had occurred.
March 6, 2007 2:58 PM
138- William said...
Loramie's Store
In 1769, Pierre Loramie came to the Ohio Country. Formally a citizen of France who lived in Canada, Loramie became an English citizen with the Treaty of Paris (1763). The English defeated the French in the French and Indian War. As a result, France relinquished all of its lands in North America to the English. Its citizens now became English. His exact reasons for coming to the Ohio Country are unclear. He may have been a Jesuit missionary seeking converts among the natives, a merchant seeking his fortunes from the fur trade, or a revolutionary dedicated to returning the Ohio Country to France.
Upon arriving in the Ohio Country, Loramie constructed a trading post on the portage between St. Mary's River and modern-day Loramie's Creek. Native Americans commonly traveled this route as they traveled south along the Great Miami River into southern Ohio and Kentucky. The Shawnee Indians especially frequented the outpost. During the American Revolution, natives loyal to the British used Loramie's Store as a staging ground for attacks against the Americans. In 1782, George Rogers Clark, during a raid against the Shawnees, dispatched Benjamin Logan to destroy the trading post. Logan succeeded easily in his mission. The site remained abandoned until 1795, when Anthony Wayne ordered that the American military construct a blockhouse and a few additional buildings for storage. He named the site Fort Loramie. Eventually, Fort Loramie evolved into a community as settlers moved in to take advantage of the fertile land available for farming.
January 20, 2008 10:20 AM
Jeff Maximovich said...
139-Jeff Maximovich said...
This story falls under ALL RIGHTS RESERVED and is the sole property of the JEFF MAXIMOVICH COLLECTION.
SETH & RACHAEL
This is a love story which unfolds between a wealthy and spoiled young girl who’s had everything. She meets and falls in love with a hard-working, strong-willed man. Her love for him became so powerful, she was willing to give up everything.
Rachael was born in 1845 in England to a wealthy family and lived a tailor-made life with servants at her beck and call. To say she was spoiled, would be talking nice about her. As she was turning into a young lady, she had her pick of the boys. As Rachael was getting older, she had so many suitors to choose from and took none of them seriously, eventually settling on a man named Carlton. Carlton was one of her father’s young, eager minds who shot up quickly within her father’s investment firm. Her father passed his abilities onto him and approved of him wanting her hand. Carlton was convenient to her – a beau when needed and a servant at times, and she treated him very poorly. Rachael demanded and got respect from all men and boys alike. God gave her the gift of extreme beauty, a face like an angel and a great figure to go with it. Usually, the men would just stop and stare and she loved it, and always flaunted herself. Carlton would get annoyed by this and also by her spoiled fits and tantrums. He would never push it into a disagreement or argument and found it easier just to let her have her way. This was once of the reasons she had no respect for him – he would never stand up to her like a man. Her father was an investment opportunist who put a lot of money into promising endeavors, one of them being the great Ohio & Erie Canal. He got smart and sold his stock just in time to reinvest it in the up and coming railroad.
Back in England, Carlton received word from Rachael’s father to come and head up his new firm in Boston, Massachusetts. He came and settled in the Boston area, leaving Rachael in England. About a year later, Rachael came over. She met up with Carlton and was anxious to go to Ohio and see her father. Both Carlton and Rachael decided to go together and meet with him. He was in the Massillon area and during his stay, built a new home. Rachael heard so much about the canal from her father’s writings, she wanted to take passage on it. They both took a lake clipper ship to the opening of the canal at the Cuyahoga River. They boarded and chartered a canal boat to Massillon. She complained the whole time. The voyage was slow and up and down. She was unhappy about the conditions and could not wait for the long, weary trip to end. Upon arriving, her father was waiting for her and they embraced. Her father was a major stockholder now in the railroad. After settling in, the next day, her father asked if she would like to go out with him and look over the progress of the railroad. Carlton stayed behind. She declined at first but then agreed, only because she wanted to spend time alone with her father. She had no interest in his work, only his money. They both went down to the railroad to watch the track come in. She was under her umbrella, sitting in his new polished carriage. Looking around, she couldn’t help but to take notice of one man. He was driving spikes and the sweat was running off him. This man stood out among every man there and there were many. As he stood up, he was obviously very tall, about 6’4” and his body was carved like stone and very well-featured. His hair and beard were long and he looked rough and dirty. Rachael tried to resist but her eyes kept coming back to him – she couldn’t keep herself from staring at him. They moved up the line and she turned around to look at him again and her father said to her after catching her looking back again, “Does something interest you back there?” “Yes, that one man. I’ve never seen such a powerful-looking man, that’s all.” Her father said, “His name is Seth and he is one of my best.” Rachael asked, “Is he married?” “You can just get that out of your head. He could never give you your needs, but if it’s a man you want, he is a strong candidate for that.” She said, “I can see that.”
Rachael and Carlton’s stay was extended. They were to have left weeks ago. She wanted to stay on longer and it was because of her interest in Seth. On many occasions, she made a point to go down near him and she got so frustrated at the fact that he never took notice of her – he just kept on driving spikes and pulling timber. Carlton said, “Oh, she’s done this before. It’s just a fantasy. Watch, it will soon pass.” Little did he know, she was totally consumed by Seth. As she went about clearly in Seth’s vision, he kept working and never looked up. She kept an eye out for that. She got so dressed up one day and really displayed her plumes. At no time, did Seth ever pay her any attention! This would generally have resulted in a temper tantrum, but this time, she held back, not wanting to display her spoiled side. She was intent on impressing this man. She wondered, what’s wrong with him? She needed to tell someone or she was going to explode. Rachael was going to put a letter in the post and send it back to England to her best friend. Carlton saw the letter, and being snoopy, opened it and read it and was shocked. It read, “I’ve seen this man. His name is Seth and he is so beautiful and his body is cut like a stone sculpture. Carlton’s body is smooth like mine. Carlton takes a bath in rose water – Seth takes a bath in sweat. I feel that I might be falling for one of my father’s laborers. I have never seen anyone like him. I’m going to tell Carlton to leave without me and hopefully, he’ll eventually get the idea that it’s over.” After reading this, he stomped into her room and confronted her. After a few words, their relationship was through. Rachael was happy it was over. How could she love one man and be with another? She left that letter in the open for one purpose and one purpose only, for Carlton to find it and read it. It was easier doing that.
She let her father know of her interest in Seth. He said, “You know, it will never work. You are an educated and cultured woman, used to only the finest things and Seth is just a normal, hard-working man. But if you insist on this, I will arrange an introduction in my office and let you give the interview for a new foreman’s position. Then, at that time, learn what you need to know.” Her father set it up. Seth walked in. He was cleaned up and shaved and her eyes just stared at him. Her father instructed Seth to have a seat and went on to say, “This is Rachael. She would like to ask some questions about your job here, you future and your family life. So, go ahead Rachael” he said. This was out of the ordinary for her and wasn’t like her at all. She had never been short for anything to say, but today, she couldn’t seem to utter a single word! Her father conducted the interview. They found out he had a small, 10 acre farm close by and his wife had recently departed from an illness. Seth also had two children, a boy and a girl, and his mother came to help raise them. Because of Rachael’s interest in Seth, her father gave him a nice promotion. She figured at least now, that would open the doors and they could start talking. He just grabbed onto the new job and poured himself into it. Once again, he was not giving her the attention she was starving for, causing her insides to boil and become furious. No man had ever done that to her. She was bent on getting his attention and started dating a young man from the area just to see if Seth would get jealous, but it didn’t take her long to figure out, it just wasn’t working – one would have to be interested first to become jealous. Again, she was totally consumed on how to get him to notice her. She wanted him so bad and even more because she couldn’t have him. Rachael borrowed one of her father’s wagons and made her way to his home one day, hiding along a grove of trees. Two children ran through the fields to meet him. His arms were spread wide open and as they entered, he rolled them together. They brought him dinner. Even after a long, hard day’s work at the railroad, Rachael was surprised that he started to plow and this went on until dark. Rachael fell asleep in the wagon. The next thing she heard was, “Rachael, what are you doing here?” It was Seth. “I’ve been watching you” she said. “Why?” “The first time I laid eyes on you, I was taken over. But Seth, do you even know that I’m around?” He replied, “Yes, I do. You don’t know this because you don’t have eyes in the back of your head.” “Seth, do you think I’m beautiful?” “Yes. I have never seen beauty such as yours. I once had a beautiful wife. She’s gone to the Lord and this small farm and those two children are my life. If someone wants in, they have to know that I will strive to raise them.” “Seth, I don’t know your life, I have been blessed and it’s always been easy, but you’re in my heart and I don’t even know you except to say that you are an honest, hard-working man and I’ll bet you could use a woman and a companion.” “Yes, I could. I miss that so much and I miss my wife every day. Do you think Rachael, you can fill up my emptiness?” Seth asked. “I’ll try if you let me” she said. “I’m not asking you to give up anything Rachael. What do you know about being a mother?” “Seth, I don’t know anything about being a mother but I’ll try.” Seth asked her to return the next day. As she turned to go, he grabbed her, spun her around, and they kissed tenderly and short. She stepped back to leave but he pulled her close to him and this kiss lingered. She came back the next day and every day thereafter. She and the children grew close together and they liked her a lot. His mother said, “I like her too. She’s just a little flashy but I do feel good about her.” Rachael came around for a year and then they were married. She was so much in love. She had to fight to get her man and that bonded her to Seth. She never complained about anything and brought new life and so much happiness to a broken home. Seth always was taken in by her beauty and would just stare at her, almost as if he was in disbelief that she was his wife. They started having more children. Including his two, Seth gave Rachael seven children. She was a good, loving and caring mother. Seth had written, “My mother passed on but not to say that she and Rachael didn’t disagree here and there. I had to remind my mother that Rachael was my wife and no matter what, I stood behind her. Sometimes my mother felt like she was on the second shelf, but she wasn’t. I couldn’t have done it without her.” Seth and Rachael always stood behind each other’s decisions and they lived out a full and wonderful life and it was full of love. Both Rachael and Seth have been gone a century but their love lingers on with this story. This story may or may not be actual events that unfolded in the lives of the two individuals just portrayed. It may be fictional.
January 20, 2008 10:26 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
Jeff Maximovich said...
140-Part one- Darlene. Thank you for watching my site. The history of Mary Campbell is well-known. All someone needs to do is just access the internet and it is right in front of you. I live in the area of Mary Campbell’s cave. My discoveries may be similar but I dove into further research, identifying areas which are unmentioned. I’m not going to labor it down with many names, dates and times. The important facts will be touched upon up until the time she was released.
Mary Campbell was born in 1747 in Penn’s Creek, Pennsylvania in Cumberland County. Mary at age 10, was stolen from her home and taken across the Ohio River by her captors, the Delaware Indians. She was taken to the cliffs along the Cuyahoga River in the now, what is known as the Cuyahoga Falls area. As tradition goes, the spoils of war are taken and placed at the feet of the tribal leaders – this being Chief Netawatwess of the Turtle Clan of the Delaware Indians whose tribal village was along the Cuyahoga River. When young Mary Campbell was presented to the chief, the chief immediately claimed her and adopted Mary as his daughter. This was done also to diffuse the rivalry and competition for her between his young braves and warriors. Mary Campbell was never taken as a wife by any Indian and stayed within close proximity of the chief’s household and family.
In the years prior, many battles raged between many of the Indian nations and the superior British army. As the British swept across New York and Pennsylvania and into northern Ohio, the Indians now fearing the British were coming, to save their lives, sent word to have a pow wow with the British. This meeting took place at Fort Pitt which was located at the three rivers area, that we know of now as Pittsburgh. Representing the English was British Colonel Henry Bouquet. Representing the Indians were the tribal leaders of the Shawnee and the Delaware. The Indian chiefs tried pointing out to the British officer, that at any time, they could overpower and kill all of them. They stressed that the Indian forces were so much greater in number than his British army, that they could never survive an onslaught by the Indian warriors. The Indian chiefs told the British Colonel they would give them save passage out of the territory with no consequences if they promised never to return.
Part two- The Indian chiefs were trying to bluff, hoping the British would buy this story, but Henry Bouquet knew better, only because his scouts told a story conflicting to the Indians’ claim. The scouts instead told a different account - that the Shawnee and the Delaware were a beaten force, few in number. The Colonel made it clear he did not believe them and laid out his intentions in which he would destroy the Indian nations if conditions were not met. One of these conditions was to release all the white captives. The Indian chiefs now knowing these conditions, were to meet again at a place called Tuscarawas in early October, 1764, only days later. Tuscarawas was an area known to Ohio near Coshocton. It was the area of the White Woman and the Tuscarawas River joined – the home of Chief White Eyes (Koquechagachton) a neutral Delaware Indian tribe with Christian influence under the direction of Moravian missionary David Zeisberger. This “pow wow” meeting went on for nearly three weeks. When the British forces finally got fed up with the nonsense and constant bartering by the Indians, Colonel Henry Bouquet stood up and gave them their final ultimatum – to either follow the conditions of the British rule and immediately give up your white captives as a start, or we will slaughter the Indian nation. Both the Delaware and the Shawnee chiefs agreed to comply. In early November, many white captives were handed over – mostly female. Mary Campbell was then 16 years old when she was released from the Delaware, as history goes. Although the British thought all of the white captives changed hands, history proves they weren’t. The Indian tribes held many who were released later on as “bargaining chips” in the Treaty of Fort McIntosh and the Greenville Treaty of 1795. Many captives were hesitant to leave their Indian families and after released, turned around and rejoined the Indians. An interesting point: Other stories claim Mary Campbell’s identify was given away when many captive white girls stood in a line-up as their names were being called out. When the name Mary Campbell was called, a native Indian woman covered her mouth to keep her from answering which drew attention. This is my take on the Mary Campbell story.
January 20, 2008 10:29 AM
cANALWAYMAN@YAHOO.COM said...
141- Jeff Maximovich said...
The greater number of Ohio’s 88 counties were created and named in the three decades between 1810 and 1840, when they were carved one by one, from the original few political divisions of the state. The names were bestowed almost arbitrarily by the various legislatures.
Washington, was the first county, was named while the first President was still alive. Wayne, the second, was named for the Revolutionary War General who fought Indians and British in Ohio campaigns. The names of Adams, Franklin, Henry, Hancock, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Monroe and Carroll counties explain themselves.
Fayette is for the Marquis de Lafayette, and Greene, Marion, Putnam, Stark, Butler, Clark, Warren, Clinton, Darke, Knox, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan and Shelby are for other commanders of the Revolutionary War.
Crawford County was named for Colonel William Crawford, who was burned at the stake by the Indians in Ohio in 1782. Logan is for another Indian fighter, General Benjamin Logan. Hardin is for Colonel John Hardin of Morgan’s Rifles. Captain Edward Preble, naval hero, gave his name to an Ohio County, and Paulding, Van Wert and Williams were named for the three men who captioned Major Andre.
(Trumbull County), in the Connecticut Western Reserve, was named for the governor of Connecticut; and Meigs, Lucas and Morrow were name for Ohio governors. Harrison was named for the hero of Tippecanoe.
Lawrence and Perry, naval heroes of 1812, and Allen, Wood, Brown and Holmes, soldiers of the war, have counties named for them as well as Jackson, another, who became President. Fulton is for the inventor of the steamboat. Pike is for the soldier and explorer who discovered Pike’s Peak . Ross was named for a Pennsylvania politician of the late 18th century, and Noble for an early settler. Vinton is for a popular Ohio congressman of the 1840s.
Indian tribes which once inhabited the state, are represented in the names of Delaware, Huron, Ottawa, Pickaway, Seneca and Wyandot. Coshocton is for an Indian village. Rivers and other geographical features named Ashtabula, Auglaize, Belmont, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Highland, Hocking, Lake, Licking, Mahoning, Miami, Muskingum, Portage, Sandusky, Scioto, Summit and Tuscarawas Counties.
Athens County took its name from the town, and the town from the fact that it was the first site of the first university in the state of Ohio. Defiance is named for the frontier fort Defiance. Columbiana and Union are simply patriotic names. Gallia was originally settled by people from France, Clermont, Guernsey, Lorain and Medina were named apparently without particular reason, for foreign places. Fairfield, Champaign and Richland are poetically descriptive names.
January 20, 2008 10:34 AM
Jeff Maximovich said...
142-historian said...
"BY THE NECK UNTIL DEAD"
I.
"To the Sheriff of Cuyahoga County. Whereas at a term of the Court of Common Pleas, begun and held at Cleveland . . . "
White Men's Justice:
The Burlesque Demise of John Omic (1812)
The early settlement and growth of Cleveland was a fitful business at best. Native-American claims to the West Side (what became Brooklyn Township and, eventually, Ohio City) were not extinguished until almost a decade after Moses Cleaveland's 1796 survey, and Clevelanders lived through the early years of the new century in nervous proximity to Native Americans still living amongst them. Possession of the Great Lakes region was still fiercely contested with the British, and incidents of conflict and even murder often punctuated relations between white settlers and Native Americans. And, apparently, one of the Indians who made Clevelanders most nervous was John Omic.
Variously called Omic, O'Mic, O'Mick, Omeek, Devil Poc-con, Pochokow, Po-Kee-Kaw, Po-Ke-Kaw and Poccon, Omic probably acquired the name John to distinguish him from his father, an elderly man known simply as Omic. Omic the elder had belonged to the Massasauga band of Chippewa living near Pymatuning Creek in what became Jefferson County, but by the early 1800's was living with John on the west bank of the Cuyahoga in the area that later became the "Angle," Cleveland's most notorious Irish slum. Omic was well-regarded by area whites but John, born about 1790, seems to have from youth acquired a reputation as a boy of "evil disposition and reckless temper." So Crisfield Johnson, Cuyahoga County's first serious historian, would have us believe, who also alludes to further but unspecified crimes committed by the "hardy and athletic" Indian youth. But Mrs. David Long, the wife of Cleveland's first physician, offers a different view of the young John in her memoir written years after his hanging. She knew both John and his father and had played with John during her childhood in the Painesville area near the Grand River. Whatever other whites said about John, she recalled that he "was not a bad Indian towards the whites."
That was not the view of Major Lorenzo Carter, Cleveland's leading citizen, whose home stood northwest of what is now the intersection of Superior Ave. and West 9th St. One day in 1805 John walked uninvited into Carter's vegetable garden there and began harvesting its produce for himself. Soon surprised by the outraged Mrs. Carter, the fifteen-year-old John drew his knife and chased her three times around her house until the arrival of another white made him flee for his West Side home.
The redoubtable Major Carter did not suffer such slights without retaliation. Securing a suitable length of rope, he soon paid a visit to the residence of Omic the elder across the crooked Cuyahoga. Informing the aged parent of his son's delinquency, Carter drew the rope out of his pocket and told Omic he was going to hunt his son down and hang him from the first available tree. Eventually, however, Omic dissuaded Carter from his terrible purpose, promising that John would never again cross the Cuyahoga to show his face on the East Side. We are indebted to the credulous Crisfield Johnson for the parting dialogue that allegedly ensued on that memorable day in 1805:
Carter: Now remember, if I ever catch him on that side again, I'll hang him up to the first tree in five minutes.
Omic: He no come, he no come.
Seven years went by. On April 3, 1812, the bones of two white fur trappers named Buel and Gibbs were found in the ashes of their burnt cabin near Sandusky. The hue and cry for their killers, who had stolen their furs and burnt the cabin down around them, soon ran a party of three Indians to earth in the Maumee swamp area. (There is an alternative story that Omic was captured near Tinker's Creek in Bedford--but that seems highly unlikely.) One was released because of his youth (who repaid such mercy by killing two more white men four years later) and the second, named Semo, effectively obstructed justice by pulling the trigger of a convenient gun with his toe and blowing his head off. Which left the third captive to the tender mercies of frontier justice, our old friend John Omic. As Huron County then remained part of Cuyahoga County's judicial realm, Omic was removed to a Major Clarke's Cleveland dwelling, where he was confined in an upper ballroom by means of hefty leg-irons attached to a nearby joist. Unless, of course, one prefers an alternative version in which Omic was thus confined in an upper room of Major Carter's on Spring Street.
However justice may have been denied, it was never much delayed in pioneer Cleveland. Held under a large oak tree in a lot at Superior and Water Sts., Omic's trial transpired less than a month later on April 29 and appears to have been a brief formality. Defended by Peter Hitchcock, Omic was prosecuted by Alfred Kelley (the only actual lawyer in Cuyahoga County) with William W. Irvin and Ethan Allen Brown acting as judges. Having been caught red-handed with the stolen furs in his possession and, perhaps, having no co-defendants left upon which to turn states' evidence, Omic was quickly found guilty of Buel's murder ("with a certain tomahawk made of iron and steel") and sentenced to hang on June 26, 1812.
There was much apprehension in Cleveland as the day for Omic's execution loomed.
Rumors of violent Indian plots to rescue him were rife throughout the Western Reserve and white fears climaxed one afternoon, shortly before the execution, when John Omic's father walked into the house of Dr. David Long on Water St. The only persons there were Mrs. Long and her infant daughter, and Mrs. Long feared the worse when the elder Omic picked up a gun standing in the room. Grabbing her baby, Mrs. Long fled in terror up Water St., screaming that she was about to be butchered by Indians. Close at her heels came old Omic, vainly trying to explain in imperfect English that he had only been trying to demonstrate how Semo, his son's unfortunate confederate, had met his death. Eventually the matter was threshed out by the inevitable Major Carter, who spoke Indian languages fluently, and even Mrs. Long herself recalled that they "all had a hearty laugh" over her misapprehension.
The great day came at last. Commencing with a religious ceremony held by the Rev. Darrow of Trumbull County in front of Major Carter's house, the proper business of the day commenced with the arrival of Omic at the gallows erected by Deputy Sheriff Levi Johnson (who conveniently doubled as Cuyahoga County Coroner) on the northwest quadrant of Public Square. Suitably attended by an officious Major Samuel Jones and his battalion of militia, Omic was brought there in a black-painted wagon. It is said that Omic occupied his time by beating upon the side of his coffin the measure of the tunes played that forenoon by the militia band. If so, he must have enjoyed a lengthy musicale, as Major Clarke's inability to give coherent or correct orders to his troops much delayed the progress of the day's dreadful protocol. In any case, by the time the critical moment came a large crowd, gathered from all over the Reserve, was assembled to see the taking off of Omic, who had bragged frequently during his incarceration that he would "show the pale faces how an Indian could die" by cheerfully hurling himself to eternity at the proper time.
Alas, Omic's stoic intentions proved inadequate at the dramatic moment. Escorted to the gallows by Major Carter and Sheriff Samuel S. Baldwin, Omic submitted passively up until the moment the traditional black cap was placed over his head. Now, overcome by panic, Omic, whose hands were quite loosely tied, lunged for one of the uprights of the square gallows. He was, as Elisha Whittlesey, an eyewitness, later recalled, the most frightened man "rational or irrational" that Whittlesey ever saw. Clinging desperately to his gallows post, he refused to relinquish its security until Major Carter spoke to him of his promised bravado and agreed to furnish him with a half pint of whiskey. That beverage was duly proffered and consumed, Omic stood still once more as the black cap was again drawn over his head. Just before the signal to open the drop came, however, he again lunged for the safety of the uprights and clung to them with all his strength, meanwhile bellowing threats in broken English that he would return in two days and take terrible vengeance on his white tormentors. Another tense colloquy with Major Carter followed, another half pint of Old Monongahela was sent up and again Omic quaffed the soothing fluid and repeated his erstwhile vows to die like a man. This time, however, Carter was taking no chances, and while Sheriff Baldwin bound his arms tightly the second glass was held to the terrified Indian's lips. But Omic wasn't about to give up yet. Even as the drop opened beneath him, he somehow managed to get his right hand free and slip it between the rope and his neck. Not that it did him much service -- he dutifully dropped the length of the rope, swung back and forth several times and was still forever. It is possible he died happy: in his account of Omic's hanging, Cleveland historian George Condon quotes a Cleveland pioneer's wistful description of Old Monongahela as being so good that "an old settler would almost be willing to be hung, if he could now obtain the like." Then again, maybe not: those who later examined the corpse determined that Omic's neck had not been broken, which implies that his demise came by the more prolonged and painful method of slow strangulation. One spectator who failed to witness the final act of Omic's life was the tender-hearted Mrs. David Long, who decided at the last minute that she had no "wish to see my old play-fellow die" and fled the grisly doings at Public Square.
The farcical tone of the hanging persisted through its aftermath. With a severe thunderstorm brewing up, it was decided to rush Omic's burial. But as the hangman's rope was drawn up, it parted, and Omic's lifeless body thudded to the ground. Even as the first drops of rain started falling, it was hastily interred in a shallow grave as the sated crowd fled the damp scene. But that wasn't quite the end of it. Virtually every physician in the Western Reserve was present that day in the Square, and every single one of them, it is said, lusted after the body of Omic for dissection purposes. So, while Sheriff Baldwin obligingly turned a blind eye, Omic's body was disinterred by an interested party of physicians. Dr. Peter Allen of Trumbull County generously volunteered to carry the corpse of the corpulent Omic but proved unequal to his ghastly burden when he fell down in the middle of the street with the dead Indian on top of him. It is said much smothered laughter ensued but the body was eventually spirited away and its flesh permitted to rot off in a temporary grave near Spring St. There it lay for a year until Dr. Long came for it and it is said that he employed it for some years as a handy instructional aid in the education of Western Reserve physicians. Some time later, it made its way to a Dr. Israel Town's office in Hudson and thence to Pittsburgh, where it disappeared forever. But not before further disquieting one more frightened white man. There is a story that a certain Captain Sholes was put to bed with the ague while stopping one evening at Dr. Long's house. Awakening in the middle of the night, he looked over the side of his bed to find himself staring at the gruesome remains of the late John O'Mic, which had just fallen out of a cupboard on to the floor. It is said that Mrs. Long apologized fervently to her affrighted guest. An even more disgraceful tale affirms that Major Carter, fearing a rumored rescue attempt by John's father and a band of Indians based in Willoughby, led a party of whites who kidnapped the old man, got him soused on Old Monongahela, weighted him with irons and secretly drowned him at night in the Cuyahoga River.
And so concluded Cuyahoga County's first experiment in capital punishment. It is believed that Omic's execution did much to prejudice Indians towards the British side in the War of 1812, news of its outbreak reaching Cleveland only two days after John Omic's death. And it may well have been Omic's grotesque denouement that the Ohio General Assembly had in mind when in 1885 it mandated that executions be private "on account of the real or supposed damaging effects of such punishment in proportion to the number of spectators."
January 20, 2008 10:39 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
143- Clarice Lanning said...
ON THE BACKS OF THE IRISHMEN
Very interesting site! For months now, my family has enjoyed this questions and answers section and every day, someone in our household clicks onto it. We are 100% certifiably Irish. Our ties lead back to the canal-digging days of New York State’s canal systems – otherwise known as Clinton’s Folly or Clinton’s Big Ditch. The Irish people have struggled for centuries in Ireland. Being impoverished was a way of life. Ireland was pressed hard and was kept a poor country and it was the English throne that saw to the oppression. Several generations ago, our ancestors were paid passage to young America and given a promise of wealth and a home. When arriving, they were handed a shovel and began digging canals. They dug and dug for nearly 40 years. Nearly ¾ of the Irishmen who came to America during those hard times working the canals, lost their lives due to sickness, the types of which were never seen abroad. For the ones who survived these illnesses brought on by digging, they were strengthened and became immune to the water-borne diseases. When New York State’s waterways were completed, it resulted in an abundant amount of Irishmen who sat dormant, out of work. This led to violence, stealing and the law was constantly being broken only to feed their families and stay alive. There was no help. It was not uncommon to see an Irishman begging for work.
In early America, there was no system implemented to relieve the ones who lost their jobs. Governor Dewitt Clinton of New York State, was under constant conflict and battle to do something about the Irish with crime intensifying, brought on by a starving nation of Irishmen who by now, were in large numbers. Because of this crime wave brought on by starvation, the Irish were treated deplorably which hardened them. The Irishman by nature, is a tough breed and they struggled here in this country for better than a century before succeeding in falling into the mainstream of life.
Back in New York State, Governor Clinton, sold the idea of a great canal to Ohio who bought the idea, lock, stock and barrel to dig a waterway of their own, connecting Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Governor Clinton had other motives behind this great sales pitch for the Ohio & Erie Canal, who may have exaggerated the greatness of New York’s canals to finalize the contracts of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Governor Clinton’s motives were to move all the unemployed Irish to the state of Ohio and be rid of them. Quickly, New York passed the word for all Irishmen to go west into Ohio land, to dig the Ohio & Erie Canal. The Irish hated the thought of digging. They were hungry and went west again to pick up the shovel, moving through Ohio, digging many canal systems. When finished, Ohio like New York, treated the Irish awful. The Irish were forbidden from entering stores and for the normal non-Irish citizen, they would prefer the Irish stay in their own little shanty towns and communities and were never welcomed once the work was done.
It’s true, the Irish love to fight, and the proof existed in their performance and in their heritage. Nowadays, the Irish community thrives and the discrimination against them hopefully has gone forever. The Irish were first in line when called upon to work and by the shovel and pick and strong backs, helped form young America.
January 20, 2008 10:42 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
144--How about some history on Port Washington! --Resident
145- Was President George Washington a surveyor before becoming a great general? What was the common trade route used through Tuscarawas County before the settlers come through? --Unknown
146- Hey, did you know that the Tuscarawas Indians name, river and the county in Ohio are spelled wrong according to the Webster dictionary? The spelling should be Tuscaroras.—Unknown
147-I read the entry about the Tuscarawas Indians, and it is spelled as you claim. The Webster dictionary version is as follows. “TUSCARORAS” (A member of an American Indian people of North Carolina, and later of New York and Ontario). I did try to find the other spelling without any luck. As far as an Indian tribe of that name in the Ohio region, I can’t find them or where they lived. The main Indian tribes in Ohio were as follows: Wyandot, Delaware, Shawnee, Ottawa, Chippewa, Pottawatomie, Miami, Wea, Kickapoo and Kaskaskia. That’s the list of the tribes which were present and signed the Treaty of Greenville. Many times throughout our history, the names of person’s places and things get misspelled. Let Cleveland be a prime example, named after Moses Cleaveland. It’s more than likely that the word Tuscarawas that we are familiar with, was originally spelled Tuscaroras. --Jeff Maximovich
January 20, 2008 2:08 PM
Ellen said...
148-Canalwayman, we as a family enjoy this site. We were wondering with the immense amount of immigrants who worked digging and building the Ohio & Erie Canal, was there ever a crime wave? How did such a multitude survive Ohio's winters?
January 23, 2008 5:02 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
149-Robbery was not commonplace along the Ohio & Erie Canal, although there is a record of where an incident took place in southern Ohio. In 1867, right after the Civil War, jobs were unheard of. Many soldiers from either the north or the south, wandered aimlessly. These men were desperate and used any means necessary for survival. As the story goes, it's believed that two or more ex-conferate soldiers took advantage of a situation involving a mercantile store at the Pugh lock on the south end of the Licking Reservoir. It was common for a store keeper to keep his cash close at hand. For any reason he would have to leave his establishment, they usually felt more comfortable keeping their fortunes close. In the wee hours of a late November night in 1867, a store keeper by the name of C.W. Jenkins of Fairfield County was robbed and nearly killed. Jenkins, a store keeper and lock tender at lock 0, was accustomed to being awakened from sleep not only to operate a lock but to open his store for canawlers. In the dark of the night, someone yelled "a boat is coming". Jenkins jumped out of bed and prepared the store for the inbound boat. He then left the store to man the lock and was thumped over the head and the perpetrators took his stash. After an investigation, the local law enforcement figured it was a group of two or more who may have cased him for several days and understood his procedure of operations before making their move. As Jenkins lay unconscious, the robbers went into his home frightening his wife to death as they ransacked their home and they were heard leaving heading south along the towpath. The next morning, Jenkins wallet was found to the south.
150-The multitude of canal diggers never got accustomed to the hard way of life digging Ohio's canals and many perished in the winter months. The wages were low during the good months and there was never the possibility of any savings. Ohio offered deplorable summertime conditions and frigid cold winters where many of the Irish either died of starvation or froze. Along the canal, it was commonly known that livestock including cattle, goats and pigs often came up missing. Meat was 3 cents a pound, but even that was too much for the desperately poor diggers. They lived out their winter months in makeshift boxes and shanties with fires lit all around just to stay warm. When the canal construction began, the Ohioans were very excited and many farmers chipped in, feeding the great multitude. It was in their benefit to do so. It is said that the farmers would plant a little extra for the diggers. It was normal to have your garden raided and chickens often disappeared along with other farm animals. The duck population vanished. I read once that the Irish that worked the canals, were forbidden to carry firearms because of their drunken state and rowdiness so hunting for survival was out of the question.
January 26, 2008 9:59 AM
Carol Miller said...
151-Hello Canalwayman.I'm a bit confused. Which river passes through Lockbourne? Is it the Scioto or the Big Belly Gahanna? Where was lock 2 located on the Columbus Feeder and which water supply kept the canal full?
January 28, 2008 4:58 PM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
152-The Columbus Feeder Canal took better than four years to complete. It started on April 30, 1827 and was finished by September, 1831. It also qualifies as a lateral canal. Its water supply was the Scioto River entering at the guard lock north of state dam which spanned the Scioto River in downtown Columbus. The water from the feeder met with the Big Walnut Creek and Lockbourne west of lock 30. The Big Walnut was also known as the Big Belly Gahanna River. It picked up the name Gahanna River as the Big Walnut passed west of Gahanna. Officially, the correct name is the Big Walnut. Two locks were on the Columbus Feeder. Locks 1 and 2 were lift locks dropping the feeder 14 feet from the Scioto to the level of the low side of lock 30 on the Ohio & Erie Canal. The principal rivers in Franklin County in 1830 were the Scioto, Whetstone, Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek, Blacklick and Darby Creek. Lock one was in Shadeville, lock 2 was at Walnut Creek on its western side in Lockbourne, another guard lock existed on the eastern side of Walnut Creek and another guard lock at the Scioto.
153- The original Ohio & Erie Canal plans, surveys and diagrams did not have the Columbus Feeder included. Columbus and its officials were up in arms because they were not included as a stop on the Ohio & Erie Canal. They found this very disappointing because all the decisions about the canal were made in the state capital and they were left out. Terrain difficulties and an abundant water supply weren't available to make a direct connection from the Ohio & Erie Canal. On the Ohio & Erie Canal, the Blacklick feeder filled the canal for better than 25 miles which spanned from it to the Circleville Feeder making it one of the longest stretches between water supplies. The idea of the connection from the Ohio & Erie Canal to Columbus guaranteed not only a passage to the capital but added another feeder into the system. This also shortened the span by 10 miles. With the connection of the Columbus Feeder, out of necessity to connect to the Ohio & Erie Canal, it had to cross Walnut Creek at Lockbourne. A dam was put in place on the Big Walnut and its water kept the canal full to Circleville.
January 30, 2008 4:29 PM
Betty said...
154- I read the canal terminology listings at posting 117, and wondered where the origin of the word "Weir" comes from. I believe it to be English.
January 30, 2008 4:48 PM
canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
155-I've done some research into the word "weir" as requested, and a complete explanation and origin of the word is as follows.
WEIR or WEAR - Called also a dam, and in the north of England and the south of Scotland, a cauld - a structure placed across a river or stream, for the purpose of either diverting the water into a mill-lade, of raising the level of the surface of the river, and thereby increasing its depth for the purpose of navigation, or of providing the means of catching salmon and other fish. There is also the waste-weir, for the purpose of preventing a reservoir embankment being overtopped by floods; and the gauge-weir, for the purpose of computing the quantity of water flowing over it, from a measurement of the difference of level between the crest of the weir and the surface of the still water above it. The word is also sometimes used, though perhaps not quite correctly, to denote a training-wall or other structure parallel with the general line of a river, for the purpose of remedying or preventing loops or sinousities. A weir may - according to the purpose for which it is intended, to the nature of the materials at command, or to other circumstances-be formed either of stone, timber, or brush-wood or a combination of any two. It is generally placed obliquely across the stream, in order to make the length of its crest considerably greater in the width of the channel and thereby prevent the water and floods from rising to so great a height as it would do with a shorter crest, to risk of damaging the adjoining low lands, and probably putting the mills above in backwater. In such case, the mill intake, or the navigation lock, as the case may be, is generally placed at the downstream end of the weir. Much obliquity, however, makes the current to impinge against and to cut into the side of a river opposite the lower face of the weir and to prevent that effect, weirs are sometimes made of the shape of two sides of a triangle or rather of that of a hyperbola, with its apex pointing upstream which arrangement is peculiarly applicable to the case of there being an intake for a mill on each side of the river, and the apex is a very suitable place for a fish-pass or ladder. Not unfrequently, when at a wide part of the river, the weir is placed at right angles across, and with a slight curve upwards; and a natural shelf of rock is often very advantageously made use of for either a milld or fishing weir, the low parts being made up where necessary with stone or timber.
We now have figured out that the words weir and lock are quite possibly English and Scottish. I would suspect that most of the terminology used on our canal system originated in Europe.
This source of information was retrieved from an 1890 census of the Chambers' Encyclopedia which contained current world events that has the Ohio & Erie Canal listed as 317 miles long!
156-I was given a story yesterday from a man who lives in Canal Fulton. He emphatically told a group of people and I that he put a 50 foot motor boat into the Tuscarawas River and never once pulled it from the river, taking it from Canal Fulton to Marietta. My opinion is as follows: I feel that feat would be impossible for these reasons - There are several dams which would have to be crossed. To name a few - Massillon has a drop on the river just south of Lake St. Zoar has a dam that may be passed through. The next dam would be your biggest obstacle and that is the Dover Dam on Route 800 which is nearly 100 feet high. The next dam is the Dover Dam which spans the river next to the sewage facility south of Tuscarawas St. The next dam would be the Hilton Dam behind the New Philadelphia Electric Power Company. Further down the river, the Trenton Dam would rip the hull of the boat wide open. Further down the Tuscarawas, the remains of a dam spans the Tuscarawas west of Unusual Junction. Once making it onto the Muskingum, its entirely possible to navigate your boat into Marietta, passing Zanesville. I will leave it up to the readers to determine whether or not this person navigated the Tuscarawas from Canal Fulton to where it met the Muskingum.
February 2, 2008 7:56 AM
D.Schaffer said...
157-It would be actually impossible to navigate the Tuscarawas River as the one from Canal Fulton has claimed to do. Did this person mention the locks on the Muskingum? I'm in agreement with you entirely that his story is fiction.
February 3, 2008 10:25 AM
R. Benfield said...
158-Reading about the dams on the Tuscarawas and the Scioto rivers made me think of a wooden dam which spanned the Cuyahoga in the early part of the 19th century. Long ago, a settlement was established in the area we know now as Munroe Falls. Would you know its name? I'm at a loss to remember it. I know a paper mill operated at the dam.
February 4, 2008 4:35 PM
canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
159-Munroe Falls previously went by the name Kelsey's Mill. In 1817, along with the construction of the mill, a wooden dam was constructed spanning better than 150 feet across the Cuyahoga River. This dam sat further west than the arched dam which was constructed in 1836. Another dam was reconstructed around 1904 which lasted until 2005 when it was removed for environmental reasons. In 1836, Kelsey's Mill was for sale. Edmund Munroe from Boston, Massachusetts purchased the mill and several hundreds of acres of nearby land for expansion and with the new dam, flooded much of it for a better water reserve to run his paper mill. Munroe's mill sat just north of the Rt. 91 bridge which sits there today. For years, the Sunoco Paper Company sat on the same location. Even today, the remnants of the mill race which operated Munroe's mill, is still visible which flowed from the dam to his operations. This mill race runs below Rt. 91 through a culvert. The same year that Kelsey's Mill was erected and the dam spanned the Cuyahoga, the Society of the Separatists were building their dam across the Tuscarawas River, building their mill in Zoar.
February 5, 2008 5:09 PM
T Hanlin said...
160-Hey canalwayman, a couple of things to talk about. Before the Stark Parks system took over the operations at Lock 4 park, would you happen to know the previous name of the park beforehand? Was Navarre on the same level as Massillon? When did travel stop on the canal from Bolivar to Canal Fulton?
February 8, 2008 9:44 AM
canalwalker said...
161-Besides the underground tunnel in Akron where the canal flows below the surface, does the Ohio & Erie Canal have any substantual tunnels which compare to the Paw Paw tunnel in overall lenght? I've been to the Paw Paw tunnel and it's a fantastic place to go. The work surrounding its construction is absolutely breathtaking. Obviously back in the canal era, the state leaders had "canal" tunnel vision and tried to incorporate a canal system to reach out to just about anywhere. It must have been overwhelming and exciting when the railways come to life. The canals were dropped like a hot coal when the tracks were being laid. That must have been a great time to be alive.
February 8, 2008 9:58 AM
Canalwayman@yahoo.com said...
162-In response to entry 173, I have two interesting articles from the Massillon Independent. The first of the two is dated May 5, 1961. Its contents is the lock between Massillon and Canal Fulton which is as follows. It is entitled "Old Canal Lock Being Rebuilt". Rebuilding of the locks on the Ohio Canal at the Stark County park site about 7 miles north of Massillon on old Rt. 21 is suspected to be completed in about two weeks at which time, fresh water will be turned in and the stream stocked with fish by the state wildlife division.
Canal Fulton mayor John Cullen who has been interested in the project for several years, said repairs to the lock which were built more than a century ago when canal builts plied the canal waters, will make it possible to permit fresh water from the Nimisilla feeder creek to enter the canal bed in which only surface water has been evident for some time.
Allen J. Simmons of Akron, engineer with the third wild life district in which the area is located, is of the opinion that the locks are the only ones of their type existing in the state and will provide an interesting historical site when the work is completed. An average depth of 4 feet of water is contemplated.
The area, now a Stark County park site in charge of the county commissioners was formely known as Harmon State Park and is equiped with fireplaces for picnics and outings.
Native lumbar growing in the area has been used for the project, according to Cullen who said that the lumbar has been sawed to desirable lengths at Joseph Nichter's lumbar yard free of charge. Much of the volunteer work at this site has been done by Carter and Robert Stephan and the latter's son, Gerald Stephan of the community. They have been assisted by county relief workers under the supervision of Paul
Marks, foreman.
163-The second article is in response to a question posted in entry 173 - When did the travel cease between Bolivar and Canal Fulton? I have an article dated January 6, 1961 which tells about a family who used the canal coming from Bolivar to Massillon in the latter part of the 1890s. We know the canal was in use sparsely until its demise brought on by the flood of 1913. The article is as follows.
"Came To City By Canal Boat". "Married 67 Years". Mr. and Mrs. Sherman S. Smith of 856 Walnut Rd. SW, who came to Massillon from Bolivar via the Ohio canal, will quietly observe their 67th wedding aniversary Sunday, Jan. 8 in their residence where they have lived since 1914.
Married in Bolivar on Jan. 8, 1894 by Mr. Smith's father, the late Rev. A. R. Smith. Mr. and Mrs. Smith sat up housekeeping in Bolivar where they lived for nine years, before they and their three children came by canal boat to Massillon. Incidentally, the Smiths were the last family to arrive in the city via the Ohio canal. Mrs. Smith is the former Miss Florence Gilbert, a native of Bolivar. Mr. Smith is a native of Shanesville, Oh. They have three daughters, Mrs. Ruby Grimm of Akron, Mrs. Sadie Ehmer and Mrs. Evelyn Stoner of Massillon and a son, George Smith who lives in Pittsburg, Cal. They also have four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Smith enjoy good health and have enjoyed watching the progress of the city and nation during the past 67 years. Mr. Smith who is 85, worked for many years as a conductor on the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad. He retired in 1941. Mrs. Smith was 83in June.
Members of their family will call at their residence Sunday, to help their parents observe their 67th anniversary.
Mr. Smith is a member of the brotherhood of Railroad Trainsmen and Mrs. Smith is affiliated with the Daughters of America and the auxillary of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Veterans of Nickel Plate Road.
February 9, 2008 1:17 PM
Enthusiast said...
164- Posting 173 was curiuos to know if Navarre, Ohio was on the same canal level as Massillon to its north? The southern tip of Massillon was on the same level as the upper level or the western end of the Navarre stretch ending at lock 6. That stretch of canal was under ten miles long. The area of the canal on the Bolivar level which is on the low side of Navarre's lock 6 was nicknamed "cordwood county". Long ago, throughout Ohio and that area, the forest and wooded areas were so abundant they were often harvested and loaded on canal boats. Wood was one of Ohio's most abundant resources, and for a big part along the canal wood was boated north to Cleveland to burn in the steel mills. When times were slow on the canal, the canal boats could always fall back on transporting wood north. Many boats used that as a last resort only because the return trip was an empty one. Along the canal shipping fire wood was a good enterprise to be in during those days before coal became the fuel of choice to burn in the mills. The firewood was stacked neatly into cords as far as the eye could see. The numerous cords of wood dotted the landscape thus, nicknamed the area. Massillon sits on the lock 4 and 5 stretch which is about 8 miles long that extends towards canal Fulton.
February 10, 2008 12:08 PM
Ohioan said...
165-New York,City & Cleveland, Ohio held the the title for having the most floating real estate on the North American continent, New York, having the most. New York, was the largest importer and exporter which exceeded any coastal port up and down the eastern and western seaboards. Cleveland was the largest centrally located exporter of raw materials for industry. Both ports date way back into the colonial times who both built ships to fight the English. Both cities had miles of wharfs, docks and berths of any size to accomodate any ocean going vessel no matter its size. Both cities although miles apart were accessible to the eastern seaboard. Cleveland was centrally located on the Great Lakes and most of the freight merged on Cleveland which was a commercial shipping mega of the entire region. From Cleveland the goods were moved through the Welland locks via the ST. Lawrence Seaway then out to sea and abroad.
February 11, 2008 5:47 PM
thomas said...
166- Canals were used throughout the world. Most of the canals were throughout Europe. In comparison, the United States had the least amount of canal miles. Mexico, City and Chicago, Illinois were two other places among many who needed canals; would you happen to know why? Were they dug for utilities or transportation?
February 15, 2008 2:01 PM
Jeff Maximovich said...
167-Long ago, any new method of transportation was known around the world. Any method which took man off the horse was considered to be a technological breakthrough. In those days, the general public looked at canals with the same enthusiasm as we do space travel today. Canals were making history and the hype was spreading state to state. Every state from the mid Atlantic states to the upper eastern seaboard wanted to be a part and be connected up to the nation’s newest and most modern revolutionary form of transportation.
The standard canal climbed summits and descended into valleys, crossing streams and meadows and faced many obstacles along the way. The canal systems connected many towns and villages and spawned life to the areas at the lift locks that soon became towns. The Paw Paw Tunnel was an under-rated obstacle and a greater under-estimation of the funds needed to complete it.
The Paw Paw Tunnel still sits on what’s left of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Potomac River splits Maryland and West Virginia. The tunnel sits on the Maryland side of the river along an area known as the Paw Paw Ridge of the Allegheny Mountains. On the West Virginia side of the Potomac is a small town which was born with the coming of the railways also named for its surroundings, called Paw Paw, which sits in Morgan County. The tunnel is better than 3000 feet in length, making it the longest of any canal tunnel in the United States.
A previous posting asked if the Ohio and Erie Canal which still flows below Akron was longer than the Paw Paw Tunnel. The answer will come shortly. The tunnel’s date of construction was 1836 going into 1850. The date of completion ran 10 years over the projected date of completion.
This area along the Potomac and the Allegheny Mountains wasn’t new to river or the thoughts of canal navigation. Our first President, George Washington, was trying to open the area to take settlers west into the Ohio Territories and nearly lost everything in doing so. His trials and errors came before the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was cut through. Washington opened the Pawtomack Navigation Company with little success and in 1828 was forced to file it under bankruptcy and it closed. His ambitions still lived on, setting the stage for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the tunnel.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal had its problems, just like any demeaning, backbreaking job which pays little. The work was plagued with violence towards one another. Cave-ins were common place while all the blasting was going on and many men’s lives were lost. It took several more years than expected to finally get a bore hole through to the other side. When the tunnel finally was punched through, the Canal Commission had high hopes of a quick completion which was soon hindered when the contractor went broke and pay was delivered in a promissory note to many. This caused violence and sabotage to the completion of the tunnel. Many men stayed on believing they would be compensated when the work was done. The entire work site became a ghost town when disease took hold, bringing in cholera and dysentery to the area. This slowed the progress and when the men returned to work, they were promised better working conditions and soon they could see it was a blanket pulled over their eyes and promises which weren’t kept. The lies they were told brought out the worst in these men and murder among other acts were becoming common. The workers’ conditions became critical, brought out by starvation, sickness and poverty. This condition made the tunneling progress extremely slow until the contractor was replaced and better working conditions were implemented. Many times during construction, the thought of abandonment was on the table. Could a six mile short cut bypassing a bend in the river be worth all the trouble?, was asked among them regularly. After it was bored through, the finishers and stone masons put the final touches on the canal and pride was restored to the beat down men who worked one of the most difficult canal projects ever known.
In comparison of the length of the Akron’s Cascade Tunnel and the Paw Paw Tunnel, there’s none. Akron’s underground water way was never intended to be covered by a city, where the Paw Paw Tunnel was born a tunnel.
February 15, 2008 4:12 PM
Jeff Maximovich said...
168- In reference to entry 179, The Chicago Drainage Canal. On January 2, 1900, as it’s called - the last cut, it let Lake Michigan flow into the drainage “Broad” Canal from the Kedzie Avenue lateral canal. The work began on September 2, 1892. This canal was implemented for utility purposes.
169- In reference to entry 179. In Mexico, a great sanitary improvement has been effected by the construction of a canal 30 km. long and a tunnel 6 ½ km. long, connected with the drainage system of the City of Mexico, by which drainage water passes to the Pamico River at Tampico and thence into the Gulf of Mexico. The work cost about $13.000.000 and in his message to Congress on Sept.16,1895, President Diaz declared that the drainage of the valley of Mexico was near completion.
This canal was also implemented for utility purposes. An interesting note: This was never intended to be used as a navigational canal whatsoever. This would be more along the lines of a sewage system, one of the first in Mexico. The people of the area quickly made use of the waterway and used the sewage canal for means to travel in and out of the city and its depth was no more than 2 feet. The canal was needed for the following reason. Sickness and disease ran rampant throughout the city and the rat population was out of control which brought the plague. Sewage ran into the streets and the people dumped there waste right outside their doors. The high cost of $13.000.000, also included the network of sewers connecting up to the main line to rid the raw sewage from within. Mexico, then a third world country, neither had the knowledge or the experience in undertaking such a huge construction project. They called on the city of New York whose residents were experts at tunneling and building sewers to come to their rescue. The same people and construction companies who had done so well in New York, came to the relief and with their experience and know-how, got the job done.
170-I was emailed about the longest tunnel on the North American Continent which carries water. They claim that Rollins Pass in Winter Park, Colorado near the western portal of the Moffat R.R. tunnel carries water through a nine mile tunnel exiting at Rollinsville to the east. That is correct. This is one of Denver’s water supplies. This waterway is not a navigational system, nor near one. I made the suggestion that the Paw Paw Tunnel was the longest man made “navigational” tunnel in the United States.
February 16, 2008 8:34 AM
McNutt said...
171-We love all the historical work being done on the Ohio & Erie Canal. Would you happen to know if the Dailey Brothers Construction Co. from Bolivar is the predominant contractor who rebuilt the canal coming into the 20th century? Last fall, we went back to Zoar, and examined the information you brought out by saying the guard lock on the eastern side of the Tuscarawas River was a lift lock as well. A tail race canal does exist to the southeast weaving its way back to the Tusc. During our trek we also stumbled across the gigantic marker who name was inscribed as Graig-1898. If you open your mind and let imagination play its way out, thing begin to formulate painting a good picture of the surroundings then. Yesterday we set out again this time to find the lift lock on the Trenton feeder. The whole area is a story in itself, we found it along with the area we believe as the Stillwater crossing.
February 17, 2008 4:31 AM
Griggs - Indiana said...
172-Recently I learned of an extension canal that went by the name, “Ohio City Canal”. I generally understand this waterway was near Cleveland, and fail to find it listed on the internet anywhere. What’s its history?
February 17, 2008 5:29 AM
Canal Society Member said...
173- I found an interesting article concerning Ohio City that perhaps will answer your inquiry. At the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, it brought a great increase in the commerce and shipping to the south of the Cuyahoga River. Up until that time, the land on the west of the river was largely occupied by the Alonzo Carter farm. Alonzo kept a tavern called the “Red House” which was opposite the foot of Superior Avenue and the point of the ferry boat operations at the Cuyahoga. With the Ohio and Erie Canal complete, the western banks real estate was the scene of a dramatic and spectacular land boom. Soon after, an organization called the Buffalo Co. emerged and bought most of the tracts on the western bank which included the Carter Farm. This land frenzy all happened within five years of the opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1831. The boundaries of the Buffalo tract extended from the rivers west bank to W 28th St. and north from Detroit Avenue to Lake Erie. Numerous docks and warehouses lined the west bank. The Buffalo Co. funded a short canal, a lateral through a small peninsula to the Old River bed as we know today. Since those days, the entire region has changed along the River above and northwest of the canal’s former terminus at lock 44. On the western bank and inland, a village was formerly established that eventually was incorporated into Ohio City. Soon after the incorporation, Ohio City lobbied for a canal and it was authorized, and soon the work began. The extension canal was to be dug opposite the terminus at lock 44 and to go as far as the old river bed which was slightly west of the Buffalo tract and their shipping channel. The new canal extension conception was to service the docks, warehouses and businesses on the western bank. The Ohio City Canal eventually vanished when the Detroit Superior Bridge was built. Today, the old canal is now filled in and is called Sycamore St. A vestige of the canal still remains in the form of a slip near the Huron Cement operations. From the new river road bridge, the line of the extension canal can clearly be gazed upon south from the Huron Cement slip to the railroad lift bridge. This is quite an interesting area which lived through and saw the passing of two former transportation systems, one of which was the canal and the other was Cleveland’s street car operations. Along side the former canal in Ohio City stands the power house that powered the electric trolley cars at Woodland and Sycamore and the West Side St. Railway.
February 17, 2008 10:02 AM
Jeff Maximovich Canalwayman said...
174-In the early part of the 20th century when the state was lobbied to overhaul the Ohio and Erie Canal, their intentions weren’t to rebuild the entire length. The rebuilding contracts were given to several different well-established construction companies throughout northern Ohio. By then, the southern end of the Ohio and Erie had already closed. Certain areas from Dresden to Cleveland would be reconstructed with the thoughts of re-opening the new Ohio and Erie Canal which lost ½ its total length. The new southern terminus was going to be the shortcut to the Ohio River at Marietta using the Muskingum connection at the triple locks at Dresden Junction. Several locks, waste weirs and culverts were left untouched between the areas just south of lock 16 called Lower Trenton and Adams Mill lock 30 and the spillway on the same level at the Dresden side cut at the main branch of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The Dailey Bros. Construction Company from Bolivar, rebuilt only a handful in comparison to some of the other contractors. A list will follow as to which locks and structures they were responsible for during the rebuilding project during the years of 1904 and 1908.
Sluice and waste way between the Massillon 5a lock and lock 6 on the Massillon & Navarre level.
Lock 6 in Navarre and the waste way between lock 7 on the Navarre & Bolivar level.
All structures from the Bolivar, Zoar lock 7 to lock 10 which included the levee, and the waste way between locks 10 & 11.
The Hilton Dam on the Tuscarawas River on the southeast end of New Philadelphia.
The number of canal locks from Cleveland to Dresden Junction number more than 60 that fell under reconstruction and that number doesn’t include the dozens of tumbles, spillways and waste weirs and other structures. The Dailey Bros. Construction Company stayed close within the proximity of their home base of operations in Bolivar.
.
February 17, 2008 3:50 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
175- The list of construction contractors which included the Dailey Bros. from Bolivar were retrieved from the following source: “Rebuild contracts of the Ohio & Erie Canal” from the 1909 Board of Public Works Report pgs 70-74. My experience tells me that lock 4 between Canal Fulton and Massillon was also rebuilt by the Dailey Bros. The Board of Public Works Report has the lock listed with S. Fauver & Renich as the rebuilders. Maybe there’s an error in the printed copies available, but at this time, it’s listed as Fauver & Renich as the rebuilders with the completion date of 3-13-1907. I dispute the entry in the Public Works Report from 1909 and personally went to the lock today (2/18/08) and verified that the Dailey Bros. rebuilt lock 4.
February 18, 2008 1:14 PM
Dennis/Washington High School said...
176-Are there any lock tenders quarters remaining along the Ohio & Erie Canal excluding the building at Lock 4 Park? I understand that particular building at lock 4 was used for maintenance and storage uses.
February 18, 2008 4:51 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
177- Nearly every lock had a lock tender’s quarters, be it a cabin, home or store. Today, there’s not much left to go on and just a few locations qualify of having a semi-complete layout as the old days with the lock and some of its surrounding structures. The small building at Lock 4 Park was certainly the lock tender’s quarters. Go back and have a good look around and it will become evident the small building sits on the old style block-stone foundation blocks the locks were once built from. Inside the cabin will reveal a fireplace on the southern end of the small building. All of my information verifies this small building at lock 4 as certainly the lock tender’s quarters. Other sites along the Ohio & Erie Canal that are semi-complete would be the Mustill Store area of Akron at lock 15, Lock 38 up on Canal Rd at the Canalway Museum near Hillside Rd called 12 mile Lock and Wilsons Mills which is the next lock due south at lock 37. Along the towpath throughout Ohio following the Ohio & Erie Canal, foundations of previous lock tender’s quarters from the past pop up here and there as you go from lock to lock.
February 19, 2008 3:56 AM
K. Miles said...
178-What do you or anyone know about two Revolutionary War soldiers that were dug up along the Ohio and Erie Canal back in the 1960s ?
February 19, 2008 1:48 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
179-The two soldiers were un-earthed at Fort Laurens. Fort Laurens is located in the north central end of Tuscarawas County. In about 1983-84 during an excavation, the graves of two Revolutionary War soldiers were discovered. The corpses were fully clothed and their brass buttons and steel articles were still intact after a couple of hundred years. They were gently lifted and removed. The bodies were carefully transported to the University of New York at Buffalo, for an extensive investigation. After an examination, they were brought back to their resting place at Fort Laurens, again, to be placed in the earth where they were exhumed. The two soldiers were gently placed as they were before removal, then covered again. As gruesome as it sounds, the soldier’s skulls were smashed and perforated from the blow of a tomahawk.
February 19, 2008 1:53 PM
Circleville,Resident said...
180-Was there a water supply on the 18 mile level? If I were leaving Circleville going west on RT.22 passing the Scioto River bridge, coming up on my left are the remains of some type of a cement foundation, did it have any ties to the Ohio & Erie Canal?
February 20, 2008 4:12 AM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
181- When someone refers to an area known as 18-mile level, that can only lead to one area which is the longest level between two locks on the Ohio & Erie Canal. The only water supply for that level came from the Scioto River. Just south of lock 34, nicknamed the 18 mile lock is where the waters from the Scioto exit the feeder merging with the Ohio & Erie Canal through the use of a feeder canal which parallels both the Scioto and the Ohio & Erie Canal. The Circleville State Dam and feeder outlet was slightly north above lock 33. On the long 18 mile stretch between lock 34 and 35 the canal crossed several streams and creeks which are Lick Run, Yellow Bud Creek, Deer Creek and Dry Run without a connection to the canal. The 18-mile stretch gave lock 34 the name “the 18-mile lock”. It was 18 miles from the Marfield-Worthington lock 35, in an area along the canal known as Frenchtown further south. Another Frenchtown was near Portsmouth along the Ohio River. Frenchtown was given that name which reflected upon the ethnic population of the people who settled north of Chillicothe at the area of the locks 35 & 36 and their immediate surroundings. Ironically, other than Ross County, another lock was given the name “18-mile lock” and it was lock 47 in Pike County. Its official name was the Howards/Flowers Mill near Cooperstown. This lock was situated 18 miles from the southern terminus, lock 55, at the Ohio River. On another section of the canal in Fairfield County, lock 18 called Creek still sits on the banks of Walnut Creek at a slack water crossing. Strangely enough, it sat 18 miles from the Minthorn lock “O” on the Licking Summit.
195-The concrete structure left of St. Rt. 22 going west just east of Canal Rd., was a mill erected by David Adams. He used the water from the Ohio & Erie Canal which spilled into the Scioto River, dropping 16 feet through a mill-race channel which headed east.
February 20, 2008 3:00 PM
Anonymous said...
182-On the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal system which I'm fairly familiar with, something puzzles me just a bit. I'll explain. The stretch of canal from Cuyahoga Falls seems so long going into Akron. There must have been a feeder somewhere between the two cities.
February 21, 2008 3:26 AM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
183- in response to 195-The Crosby mill race was the last water supply on the western end of the P & O Canal coming across Ohio from Pennsylvania. The mill race that originated in Middlebury from the Little Cuyahoga River, cut northeast across the rolling hills and wooded areas to merge with the P & O canal at the connection near Arlington and North Streets. From that area, the pre-existing small narrow mill race which already went into Akron to power the milling operations along the Crosby Mill-race was widened to accept canal boats which completed the P & O Canal into Akron. It was a necessity to keep the waterway opened from the Middlebury area on the Little Cuyahoga River as a feeder for the P & O.
The P & O Canal went through Bettes Corners in Akron, Ohio, then called Tallmadge Twp on Old County Rd. 18 and Home Ave. Back then, Home Ave. may have been given the name Canal Rd or Main St. leading into Cuyahoga Falls. The cross-roads were given the name of the property owner the roads passed through.
Captain Nathaniel Bettes, born in Springfield, Massachusetts was a real minute man in his military career. For his distinguished service in the Continental Army, he was given land in the Western Reserve. He chose a piece in the western end of Tallmadge Township and the crossroads acquired the name Bettes Corners in his honor years later following his death. When Nathaniel heard news that the P & O Canal was soon coming from the east, he lobbied to bring it through his land. To assure its route, he even donated land to secure a deal so the canal would pass through his land. He died only a short time before the first canal boat passed by his home perched high on a hill above Bettes Corners in 1840.
February 21, 2008 4:08 AM
Just wanna know said...
184-Where does the canal cross back over to the west side of Route 104, in Scioto County?
February 21, 2008 2:38 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
185-The Ohio and Erie Canal, stays to the east of route 104, nearly the entire length of Scioto County, north to south. Approaching Portsmouth the canal bent slightly west crossing 104 to run in the area between route 104, and the Galena Pike, Cr. 239, which goes into west Portsmouth. Old buildings and homes still line the western side of the canal, some of which reminisce the canal era.
February 21, 2008 2:39 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
185- Just like many areas along the Ohio & Erie Canal, over the last hundred years, many of them have fallen into the category of the forgotten.
Cutler's Station is barely a memory and has nearly faded away. This area was popular during the canal era, but a town never developed there, probably because of the absence of a lock. Cutler's Station was a small mercantile and trading post like others along the towpath. Cutler’s Station sat between Camp Creek and Bear Creek on the east side of today's route 104 in the area of the Scioto River called "the notch". Lock 47 (Howard's) was north, next to Ganderhook Creek, lock 48 (Herod's) was south. From lock 47 it would have been about 5 miles. Cutler's Station sat at the north end of Scioto County. Nothing substantial is left to view. I went out with a local historian. We scoured the area which left us with very little to view but filled in land. All three of Scioto County's aqueducts and culverts were on the east side of Rt. 104. A whole lot more activity went on down near Dry Run Culvert. That area was once a stage coach stop. An old hotel is barely standing there today, once used for the stage coach and weary canal travelers alike.
I was reminded that during the Civil war, General John Morgan's Raiders, pillaged Cutler's Station and other areas, then fleeing over the Ohio River, then home to the safety of nearby Kentucky.
February 21, 2008 3:02 PM
Civil War Historian said...
187-I would like to compliment your great efforts in bringing back the rich history of our state, so forgotten.
His name was, Brigadier-General John Hunt Morgan. His first Ohio raid took place September 3 & 4, 1862, in Meigs County. His troops crossed the Ohio River at the Buffington Island Ford, retreating the same way. The term "the rebels are coming" is a product of Morgan’s Raiders. Look-outs would warn the southern Ohioan's, hence-forth the people hid their money and possessions. Morgan, took what he needed from the defenseless people who were stricken with fear. Morgan, cut telegraph lines, blew up bridges, and caused considerably damage to structures along the Ohio and Erie Canal. Morgan's Raiders pillaged Cutler's Station during their brief stay in Scioto County.
February 21, 2008 3:37 PM
J. Darby said...
188-Would you have any idea what the term "Moccasin Tracks" has reference to? A long time back, the phrase popped up having some correlation to digging the canal.
February 24, 2008 3:52 PM
Jeff Maximovich,Canalwayman said...
189-“Moccasin Tracks” was slang for “Shoddy Work”. While digging the canal and construction of the towpaths, many contractors were used. Some of these men were honest and could be proud of their accomplishments, while others weren’t. The only time I ever heard any reference to that phrase was when I was reading journals and news clips of the Bolivar, Zoar, Canal Dover and New Philadelphia areas. Contractors would do such things as cutting trees and stripping them, then laying the tree linear below the towpath as filler along with its brush. These little tricks played out years later as the wood rotted and the towpath fell in. In circumstances stemming from that, the canal or river breached causing severe destruction.
February 25, 2008 3:45 AM
Anonymous said...
190- I recently learned that more than one canal route from Lake Erie to the Ohio River was up for debate. How many routes were in question?
February 25, 2008 5:27 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
191-Which path to be chosen for the Ohio & Erie Canal caused countless seriously heated debates during the decision-making process. In the end, Alfred Kelley had the final say-so that swayed the votes. Stemming from that, the canal would start in Cleveland - his home town. In all reality, Cleveland to Portsmouth using the Cuyahoga, Tuscarawas, Licking and Scioto Rivers, with some smaller connecting streams, was the most practical route to be chosen. Many politicians put up strong opposition and suggested using the Sandusky Route which would have needed a lateral canal of forty or so miles in additional length to bring water to the canal. What sold the Senate and the House on the proposed Cleveland to Portsmouth route was the possibility of a connection at Dresden Junction as a possible short-cut to the Ohio River. Below is a clip from the Columbus newspaper about the decision-making events surrounding the rhetoric and due process which eventually determined the canal’s route.
On the 8th of January, 1825, a long and exhausted report was made by the commissioners, in regards to the four proposed canal routes through the state. By the way of the Scioto, Killbuck and Black River by the Scioto, Tuscarawas and Cuyahoga; by the Maumee and Miami, and by the Scioto, Killbuck, Chippewa and Cuyahoga. Each of the routes had strong friends and ardent workers; but after all the advantages and disadvantages had been considered, this of ours by the Scioto, Muskingum and Cuyahoga was chosen; and on the 4th day of February, an act was passed, “to provide for the internal improvement of the state of Ohio by navigable canals” from which we quote. The vote in the Senate was 34 in favor to 2 against; in the House, 58 to 13.
February 26, 2008 3:10 PM
Larry said...
192-In all your experiences and accumulated information and archives, would you happen to know the distance between the abutments on the Tuscarawas Aqueduct or the length of its span?
February 26, 2008 6:31 PM
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman said...
193-When I started re-blazing the Ohio & Erie Canal, I wanted to mimic the early settlers and make physical river crossings, forgetting in many circumstances, a bridge was in plain view. Many areas along the canal left me with no option whatsoever except to cross the old way if there was no bridge in plain view. If it was apparent the water was too deep and looked dangerous, I’d walk out and around, or tie off carefully and pull myself across. I did measure the distance of the Tuscarawas abutments which once held the mighty structure, a water crossing that carried the canal over a major river. In doing so, I came up with a measurement of 200 feet. I had done this by tying a rope to the eastern side and pulling it the distance across the river and putting a knot at the western abutment, measuring the distance some days later.
Below is a passage from an article written during the canal planning and preparation stages.
The subjoined paragraphs are a great description of the route from Cleveland as far south as Gnadenhutten by the way of the Tuscarawas survey. From this point the line pushes southwardly along the valley of the Tuscarawas, generally on level or gently stepping ground encountering a few steep-sided banks of great extent or difficulty, in the place where it re-crosses the river a few miles above Fort Laurens. Here it is proposed to construct an aqueduct which will be 210 feet in length.
(Note, the route of Gnadenhutten was partially used. An alternative chosen route went west bypassing it, instead tying in at Port Washington then cutting westerly across Ohio).
February 27, 2008 4:34 AM
Anonymous said...
194-Was there a rivalry between New Philadelphia and Dover? Is it true, that the one who had the most enticing package to offer got the canal, that's how the canal ended up in Dover passing New Philadelphia?
February 27, 2008 2:13 PM
Dover & New Philadelphia Conflict, and I said...
195-Part One of two. The Dover and New Philadelphia conflict centered on who would win the passage of the Ohio & Erie Canal into their town. The two of them were constant rivals, displeased with each other on nearly everything causing heated debates which dragged on over the potential chosen course of the canal. Each town was trying to out-do one another, caught up offering and enticing the Canal Commission, showering them with gifts and cheap bribes. In the end, it became evident the canal had to pass through Dover. Unlike the other, it was positioned directly on the river. New Philadelphia wasn’t. It was built east of the Tuscarawas River, perched high above the river by design, keeping clearly away from an unpredictable river which was prone to frequent flooding. Its elevation was 30 feet higher than the river. The lower southeast corner sat 15 to 20 feet lower than the proposed path of the Ohio & Erie Canal. To bring in and use the main line of the Ohio & Erie Canal would command extensive work, sky-rocketing the initial cost of the canal project. The talk of twin aqueducts was put to debate, one in, the other would lead out. The people of New Philadelphia had great expectations, “putting the cart in front of the horse” you might say, and the townspeople made preparations ahead of time for the Ohio & Erie Canal which never arrived, looping right on by in the end. The townspeople were let down. When the reality finally set in that their town was hindered geographically, they got together to bring in the same canal builders and engineers who worked on New York’s Erie Canal. Things brightened up after having the area re-surveyed and the possibility of a canal finally surfaced using the waters of the Tuscarawas River that could cut across the lower end as a canal. Again, a connection was completely out of the question unless the people of New Philadelphia assisted in the cost to connect a canal to the Ohio & Erie. Several things had to be done in order for this to work. A slack water dam was needed on the western lower end spanning the Tuscarawas. The Baker Dam was built to hold back the river for a slack water crossing. A connection canal was then dug to the main line of the Ohio & Erie Canal. With both the dam and Ohio and Erie Canal Connection on the opposite side of the river completed, a canal was cut across the lower end of New Philadelphia with a lock on its southeast end. New Philadelphia finally had their canal, named the Lateral Canal. Any property west, south or east of the Lateral and between the river sat on an area named Blue-Bell Island and its waterfront real estate absolutely sky-rocketed.
It would have been tough and expensive to run the Ohio & Erie Canal into New Philadelphia simply because of its elevations to the river and the land directly south of the river. To do so would have altered the proposed course of the canal. To make it all work, this would have warranted the use of an aqueduct crossing the Tuscarawas coming from the west into New Philadelphia’s lower western end. Then another aqueduct to the east would be needed for re-crossing the river on the lower south eastern end. If that course would have been chosen, that would have by-passed Lockport and Blakesfield and tied in somewhere between New Philadelphia and the village of Tuscarawas miles to the south. That could have worked.
Jeff Maximovich
Look for part two.
February 28, 2008 12:45 PM
Harold said...
196-I learn more every time I log on to this site. Two questions: I’ve done some research from Sugar Creek going south along what I would believe is the Ohio & Erie Canal. Something puzzles me a bit. 150 yards directly south of Sugar Creek sits a block stone structure on the property of the Arizona Chemical Co. which I’m led to believe is a lock, but that really doesn’t sit right with me, especially with it being slightly off the canal easterly. What’s your take on this? When did the canal open as far as Newark from Cleveland?
February 28, 2008 3:34 PM
Harold said...
197-We went this morning and had a good look at the Sugar Creek Dam from the Dover side of the river to try to piece it together. We're lost. Can you give a good description of the basin and what to look for?
March 1, 2008 6:52 AM
Part two Dover & New Philadelphia conflict said...
198-“As follows is an article which was printed some 60 years after the opening of the Ohio & Erie Canal”.
News article-There was perhaps much rivalry between Dover and New Philadelphia sixty years ago, as now still exist, and it seems that a considerable struggle was made over the canal, as to the next to paragraphs will show.
It was thought desirable by the acting commissioner so to locate the canal in the neighborhood of New Philadelphia, as not to injure the property of the town by diverting its commercial and other business, to another point in the vicinity. The citizens of that town felt much solitude on the subject. Considerable time and much exertion were used to find the route, and devise a plan, by which the canal might be conducted along the east side of the river so as to pass through, or near the town.
The result of the examination, surveys, and estimates, however, proved that this desirable route could not be attained, except, at an increase in the cost of making the canal, from forty to fifty thousand dollars, beyond the expense of the route already adopted, also subjecting the canal to the hazard of crossing and re-crossing the river, which is here a large and powerful stream. The line was, therefore permanently bred on the right, or western side of the Tuscarawas River.
“This next article was written during real time as things were unfolding during the struggle to get a canal into New Philadelphia, in the early 1830s”.
News article-It is believed that New Philadelphia may be brought to participate freely, in the benefit of canal navigation, by making a shortcut from the canal to the river opposite the town, and uniting it to the river by locks of cheap construction. This arrangement, if made, will enable boats to pass and re-pass from the river or basins connected with it, adjoining the town to the canal with little inconvenience. A due regard of interest of New Philadelphia, as well as well as the public convenience, and the revenues to be derived from the canal, may justify the expenditures of a modern sum, in assistance the citizens from town, to accomplish this desirable object.
March 1, 2008 6:52 PM
Anonymous said...
199- Is there any way possible to figure out where the Sandy and Beaver Canal tied up to the Ohio & Erie in Bolivar?
March 2, 2008 12:30 PM
Part two-Dover & New Philadelphia conflict said...
200-The Sugar Creek Basin had me a bit confused for some time. I can't stress enough how much study and exploring goes into tracking the history of the Ohio & Erie Canal. It’s so important to put forth hands-on research and get the genuine feeling for the way it operated and its layout and configuration as it was intended to be, before technology arrived, in which in many circumstances, these areas were destroyed or removed.
The Sugar Creek Basin was rather large in its linear length from north to south as it paralleled the Tuscarawas River. Two merging waters filled the basin. The main and foremost water supply came from Sugar Creek. The smaller and secondary water supply was the canal which was fed by the Tuscarawas River. The basin had the distinct shape of a triangle and reached west nearly 900 feet at its most western point and was a good 1/8th mile in length. Today, to explore that area really doesn’t tell the real story as it was during its time of operation. Time swallows the past and so does the naturalist who had the dam destroyed so fish could spawn. It’s clear to see the dam was razed. The remains are stacked sloppily along the creek. I once believed that small dam was the slack water crossing at Sugar Creek but eventually came to realize that was only a small section of the dam. The northern line of the dam began at the B & O Railroad abutment north of the creek and ended at the block stone abutment on the Arizona Chemical property a considerable distance from Sugar Creek to its south. The dam’s length consisted of retaining walls, earth dikes, dams, waste weirs, a spillway and a wooden walk-way of great length spanning the entire linear length from the south of the spillway to the stone block structure. The creek was widened and the retaining banks are still in good shape on both sides of the stream. At the spillway once sat a mill operated by Walter M Blake. Today are barely remnants of the mill which sat on an island surrounded by water. The water has carved a new path along the southern side of the spillway draining Sugar Creek into the Tuscarawas during high water conditions only. What’s left to view? The spillway still stands in its original splendor except for a section of its southern wall which toppled over. The remaining wall still has a hole where the axle block once rested. The opposing wall lies in the water and between both walls housed a water wheel spinning within. Some effects of the retaining walls and waste weir are still on Sugar Creek’s southern side, that are in a line which the dam followed, ending near the railroad bridge to its north after passing the spillway at Sugar Creek. This straight line stretches from slightly west the railroad abutment on the Dover side, to the stone block abutment on the New Philadelphia side of Sugar Creek. To the south, the block stone abutment represents the southern end of the dam and a wooden walkway. This square block structure is still standing in fair condition a few hundred feet south of the stream. The towpath and earth mound retaining walls on both sides of the stream remain in good condition which gives the distinct shape of the lay-out of the Sugar Creek Basin. They both converge towards each other forming the triangular shape of the basin. The land and the water which flowed down Sugar Creek were then owned by an entrepreneur, and Judge, Christian Deardorff, who was also Dover’s founding father. He leased his water for canal usage and as a feeder and basin for the Ohio & Erie Canal. Deardorff was a smart business man who saw an opportunity, sealed his fortune by donating the land for which the water flowed through into the canal. Deardorff held the water rights. Deardorff guaranteed the Canal Commission that only a small portion of water would be allocated for Blake’s Mill situated dead smack on the middle of the dam at Sugar Creek. Walter Blake was in operation long before the Ohio & Erie Canal arrived, and it’s suspected that he built the original dam along Sugar Creek. Blake, disgusted by Deardorff having so much control, moved off that site and set up elsewhere, this time in Lockport along the canal at lock 13.... Jeff Maximovich
March 4, 2008 3:48 AM
THE ABOVE POSTINGS FINALIZE THE SECOND CHAPTER OF 100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. ALL CHAPTERS WILL CONTAIN 100 ENTRIES. THE ENTRIES WILL BE IN AN ARRANGEMENT FROM A TO Z. SOME QUESTIONS MAY HAVE THEIR ANSWERS WITHIN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS. ANY POSTINGS ON THIS SECTION OF THE WWW.JOHNNYAPPLESEEDOFTHEOHIOERIECANAL.COM © ARE PROTECTED AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED PUBLICATION
DIRECTORY
API 103
Akron’s canal locks 117,118
Akron’s infectious outbreak 132
Alfred Kelley 142 Akron’s tunnels 161
Adams, David 181
British 106
Buckeye Trail 109,113
Boston Massacre 114
Barberton 115
Boat crews 129,134
Black Hand Gorge Tale 136
Big Belly Gahanna 151,152
Bolivar 163,171
Buffalo Tract 173
Board of Public Works 175
Bettes Corners 183
Baker Dam 195
Canal Terminology 105
Commodore Perry 106,112
Camp Bull 112
Continental Army 113, 114
Canal boats 120,124
Circleville 121,180,181
Chillicothe 127
Cincinnati & White Water Canal 123
Columbus Feeder 123
Canal technology 127
Cuyahoga Falls 140
Captive whites 140
Clinton’s Big Ditch 143
Canal story 149
Canal diggers 131,132,150
Columbus Feeder 151
Canal Fulton story 156,157
Cascade tunnel 161
Canal’s 166,167,168,169,172,173,195
Chillicothe 181
Crosby Mill Race 183
Cutlers Station 185
Doors at the locks 101
Dresden Junction 121
Dams 158,159,181,195
Dailey Brothers Construction Co. 174,175
Dry Run Culvert 185
Dover conflict 195,198,200
English Navy 112
English Parliament 114
England’s canals 127
Engineers of trains 129
Fried chicken 110,115
Fort Laurens 113,179
Flies (bugs) 125
Feeder Canals 153,182
Fauver & Renich 175
Great Lakes 106,111,112
Governor Jeremiah Morrow 132
Gnadenhutten 137
Homeless 104
Hocking Valley Canal 123
Holland 127
Hinckley Roundup 133
Indians 142,147
Irishmen 143,150
Immigrants 148
July 4, 1776, 108
Joe Louis 126
James Geddes & Isaac Jerome 127
John Omic, hung by the neck 142
Killer fog 132
Kelsey’s Mill 159
Lock 54, 55… 121
Licking Summit 123
Loramie Trading post 138
Lorenzo Carter 142
Lockbourne 151
Lock 4 Park 176,177
Lock 47…181
Locks 35 & 36…181
Lateral Canal 195
Muskingum Improvement 123
Milan Canal 123
Mosquitoes 125
Montezuma Necklace 125
Moses Cleaveland (Cleveland) 128
Moravian Massacre 137
Mary Campbell Cave 140
Munroe Edmund 159
Massillon 160,162,163
Mustill store 177
Middlebury 183
Morgan’s Raiders 185,187
Moccasin tracks 188,189
Naval time line in the 1840s, 107
New Philadelphia Lateral Canal 123
New York’s canal system 127,143
Navarre 160,164
New Philadelphia’s conflict with Dover 195,198,200
Ohio & Erie Canal 116,118,121,123,126,130,153,173,174,185,190,191
Ohio’s Counties 141
Omic’s execution 142
Ohio City Canal 172,173
Pecks Grocery and trading post 102
Peninsula 102
Paint Creek 112
Portage Summit 122
Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal 123, 182,183
Poison ivy 125
Prisoners 132
Pennsylvania Militia 137
Pierre Loramie 138
Port Washington 144
Pugh lock 149 Paw Paw Tunnel 161
Revolutionary War 108,114
Robbery along the canal 149
Rollins Pass, Colorado Tunnel 176
Revolutionary graves 178,179 Rivalry between Dover and New Philadelphia 194,195
Spillways 101
Sandy & Beaver Canal 113,123,199
Summits 199
Snake bites 131,133,135
Sickness 132
Summit Lake 133
Story about Seth and Rachel 139
Society of the Separatist 159
Stark Parks 160
Steel mills 164
Scioto River 184,185
Sugar Creek Basin 196,197
Tunnels 103,104,170
Train workers 134
Treaty of Paris 138
Tuscarawas Indians 146,167
Trenton Feeder 17- Tallmadge 183
Tuscarawas Aqueduct 192,193
United States Navy, British Conflict 112
University of Buffalo 179
Vital statistics of every Ohio canal 123
War of 1812…106
West Portsmouth 121
Walhonding Canal 123
Warren County Canal 123
Washington George 128,145
Williamson, Capt 137
Weir 154,155
Waterfront Real estate 165
Walnut Creek 181
Zeisberger, missionaries along the Tuscarawas River 137
201-Chief Hopocan killed white settlers and He and his tribesman collected bounty turning over Revolutionary war soldiers to the British to be executed.
202- PART ONE-CHIEF HOPOCAN-His name was Captain “Pipe” Hopocan. An appointment of captain was given to him by the British. Chief Hopocan, the leader of the infamous killers called the "Wolf Band", is one in the same as Captain Hopocan who was a British sympathizer, and the reasons are well-known. The chief lived in a time of transition and confusion for the Delaware Indians of Ohio. For the last 100 years, their land was shrinking and the Indians’ future looked bleak as hostility and anger escalated. The Delaware had to take one side or another during the war. It was inevitable that they would be drug in, one way or another, but Commander-In-Chief George Washington of the American Armies asked them to stay neutral, one of the reasons being that they didn’t want them to join forces with the British which could change the tide of the war. Looking back, there are many reasons for the actions of the Delaware Indians, but you would probably have to be an Indian living in that time period, to justify them. As it stood, Hopocan committed his Delaware warriors to the British cause, to kill as many American soldiers and take prisoners to the British for a bounty. A live soldier was worth more than a dead one. Once in British hands, they were given a choice to join their cause or die – cut and dry, or given back to the Indian's who brutally enjoyed torturing the young men for information. In the eyes of the Indian, neither side, British nor American, could be trusted. For many years, the British armies reinforced the outcome of an overall British victory to their Indian allies who at that time, could clearly see that the British were stronger and more organized than the Continental Army. If the Indians would help them win the war, the British would be gracious and return their lands to them which were disappearing at an alarming rate. The British warned them not to be on the wrong side if this war should ever end. If so, they would be annihilated. The Indians feared the British Armies. The Continental Congress intervened and gave the same land away time and time again, with much of the land already having several overlapping claims. The original owners were the Indians, and in many cases, delegation to them was not an option – their land was taken by force.
--Part One, PART TWO WILL FOLLOW
March 9, 2008 4:08 PM
Chief Hopocan, Traitor or not? Canalwayman said...
203- PART TWO- Hopocan united his warriors throughout Ohio and sent out war parties to kill the settlers and the Christian Delaware Indians who would not joint his cause along the Tuscarawas River and other areas. In reprisal, the Continental Army and the Militia destroyed many Indian encampments out of anger, often taking the lives of innocent women and children. An example, Colonel Edward Hand, commander at Fort Pitt, sent his men into Ohio in reprisal for killings within Pennsylvania by the Delaware Indians out of Ohio, and killed a handful of women and children which left a bad taste in the mouth of all the Indian nations. This killing was dubbed the “squaw campaign”. Around the same time, soldiers and militia men massacred the Delaware Christian Indians of Gnadenhutten who were unarmed, in retaliation for Indian raids along the Tuscarawas. Because of that brutal massacre, many Christian Indians threw out the Bible and picked up the tomahawk once again to become warriors, now joining the British forces. One of the things which bonded the Indians to the British occurred during an unfortunate circumstance when the well-known Chief named "Cornstalk" was caught up in a retaliation campaign and he and his two sons were murdered by militia men. Chief Cornstalk and his sons personally were taking word to the commanders of the Continental Army that many of his young warriors would not sit still and abide the peace treaties set by the Continental Congress and the Indian nations. The word of recent killing of white women and children were spreading like wild fire. This set the militia into a killing frenzy and resulted in the killing of any Indians that that was stumbled upon as well as their villages - just plain murder, which also took the lives of Chief Cornstalk and his two sons who were allies with the American troops. They tried to explain who they were to no avail, only to be struck down. These three killings had a long-term effect on American and Indian relations. Stemming from their deaths, a bond was never regained. The American Armies won in the end and pushed the British out, not only off of American soil, but also off the water ways of America including the Great Lakes. Not only did we have our hands full with the Brits, we fought with the Indian nations at the same time, prevailing.
The statue of Chief Hop can at Wooster Rd and Norton Ave. in Barberton commemorates and honors a bandit, a killer and a sympathizer to our enemies. Jeff Maximovich
March 9, 2008 4:10 PM
204-A CHRONOLOGICAL OUTLINE OF WILLIAM McKINLEY
Born in Niles Ohio, Trumbull County, Jan 29, 1843
A student at Niles District School, 1849
Moved to Mahoning County, Poland – near Youngstown, 1852
Entered the Union Seminary, 1852
Joined Poland’s Episcopal Methodist Church, 1859
Entered the Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, 1860
Illness brought him back to Poland to teach, 1860
Assistant Post Master in Poland, 1861
Enlisted as a private, Company “E” of the Ohio 23rd Volunteer Infantry, 1861
Promoted to commissary sergeant, April, 1862
Commissioned to Second Lieutenant, Sept 24, 1862
Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, February 7, 1863
Promoted to Captain of Company “G” July 25, 1864
First vote for President cast, while on march for Abraham Lincoln, October 11, 1864
Commissioned Major by brevet in the Volunteer United States Army by President Lincoln, March 13, 1865
Mustered out of the army, July 26, 1865
Entered Albany Law School, 1866
Admitted to the Warren, Ohio Bar, March, 1867
Elected Stark County, Ohio Prosecutor, 1869
Married Ida Saxton, January 25, 1871
Elected to Congress, 1871
Reelected to Congress 1878, 1880, 1882, 1884, 1886 and 1888
Delegate –at –Large, Chicago Convention, 1888
Defeated for Congressional seat, 1890
Elected Ohio’s Governor, November 3, 1891
Delegate to Minneapolis Convention, 1892
Reelected for Ohio’s Governor, 1893
Nominated for Presidency, June 18, 1896
Elected President of the United States, November 3, 1896
Inaugurated President, March 4, 1897
Re-nominated again for President, June 21, 1900
Reelected President for the second time, November 6, 1900
Second Inauguration, March 4, 1901
Shot by Leon Czolgosz while he attended the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, September 6, 1901
Pres. William McKinley struggled for his life but finally passed away eight days after being shot. He died at the home of his friend, John G. Milburn in Buffalo, New York. He died at 2:15 am on the morning of September 14, 1901.
Many came to offer assistance, one of whom was Alexander Graham Bell who brought his x-ray machine invention in the hopes of locating the elusive bullet which was still buried inside the President. The machine could not detect the bullet because of the metal framing of the bed. The President died of gangrene.
Mrs. McKinley could not bring herself to attend her beloved husband’s funeral but thousands of Cantonians did. McKinley was buried temporarily in the Westlawn Cemetery in Canton but his remains were transferred upon completion of the National Memorial in 1907.
205-As a canal enthusiast who watches this site often, I know anyone is at liberty to respond. Dr.Eliakim Crosby went bankrupt. He never regained the fortune he spent on his mill race. The banks were getting edgy wanting repaid for their loans, this brought the foreclosure of his personal assets. Dr.Crosby had great ideas but, was unable to implement them further as the funding disappeared with the financial loss on the Crosby Mill Race. He was deemed insolvent, as the years crept up, his age and health were deteriorating. Crosby, again, thought he would be able to straighten out his financial burdens by creating a milling center near the great bend on the Big Cuyahoga. This area now is known as the Chuckery area on Peck Rd.
Crosby was unable to secure the funding, this kept his new ideas idle never going into operation. Banks ignored his request. Crosby was partially responsible for the milling operation through Cuyahoga Falls. Crosby designed planned and engineered the famous mill race that started the Cascade, a name which is used regularly. He was a genius among other things, a master engineer who got things rolling in Akron. Dr.Eliakim Crosby died in poverty.
--Enthusiast
206-LISTED AND UNLISTED FEEDERS
The Ohio & Erie Canal was watered by several rivers by following them closely from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. This was made a reality through the well thought-out engineering team who knew where and how to place dams, locks and feeders along the entire length of the canal. Below are a list of what sections and what rivers kept the canal full starting at Lake Erie, ending up 308 miles southwest in Portsmouth.
Big Cuyahoga River fed the canal for the distance of about 23 miles and kept the canal and 13 or more locks filled. The river begins paralleling the canal just south of lock 22 named Upper Portage, also known as Boothport. This particular river is the most northern and last water supply on the northern slope going down from the Portage Summit. On its stretch, the canal’s water supply was also assisted by the Little Cuyahoga Feeder north of lock 21 and another feeder between locks 16 and 17 which watered the canal as far as the Peninsula feeder. The Big Cuyahoga River filled the canal by the use of the Peninsula Feeder at lock 30 and Pinery Feeder at lock 36 - the canals most northern feeder.
On the northern end sat another watered section of the canal which merges with the feeder of the Little Cuyahoga immediately north of lock 16. This watered section goes back up and over the Portage Summit and flows down to Dresden Junction at the Muskingum River, the bottom of the southern slope from the Portage Summit. The feeders on the Tuscarawas River begin in the Portage Lakes at its feeder. Two of many feeders within the Tuscarawas section of the canal are fed by another water source rather than the Tuscarawas River, one of which connected to the canal at the Wolf Creek Aqueduct, fed by Wolf Creek which merged with the canal. The other would be at the Walhonding Feeder at the connection of the O & E at the Roscoe Village lower basin. Clinton was considered a feeder at the Tuscarawas River slack water crossing below lock 3 between the guard lock at mile 52. Continuing towards Canal Fulton was the Nimisila Creek feeder that still keeps a small section full today. This is located north of Canal Fulton at Lake Lucerne. Between Canal Fulton and Massillon at Crystal Springs was the Mud Brook Feeder. Massillon was home to the Sippo Creek Feeder which tied to the canal near lock 5 around mile 64. Further south in Bolivar at the connection of the Sandy & Beaver Canal to the Ohio & Erie was certainly an unlisted feeder. Its water came down from an elevation that was better than 20 feet higher than the O & E. Zoar had a major feeder that entered around lock 10. The Zoar feeder was incorporated from an earlier dam construction - a diversionary river which was dug out years before the canal entered the valley. While the dam was under construction, it was necessary to pass the river around the work area. The Canal Commission saved time and money by incorporating a previously built dam and diversionary river bed for the use of a canal feeder, extending it to meet the canal. This dam originally backed up the water of the Tuscarawas for the Society of the Separatist for their milling operations. The next two water supplies qualify as feeders. They are the connection of Sugar Creek to the O & E Canal at its basin in Canal Dover. The Baker Dam had a spillway that led back to the O & E. The Baker Dam backed up the Tuscarawas River for the Lateral Canal connection for the city of New Philadelphia. The next feeder filled the canal for nearly 30 miles, known as the Trenton Feeder. It tied into the canal at its junction below lock 16 in the village of Tuscarawas. This major feeder filled the canal all the way into the lower basin at Roscoe Village where another feeder other than the Tuscarawas River water supply began filling the canal. Roscoe Village signifies where the canal quits paralleling the Tuscarawas River. For a short distance, the O & E runs next to the Muskingum River heading towards Dresden. The Walhonding Feeder regenerated the canal at the lower basin and its water merges with the canal waters delivered by the Trenton feeder from the Tuscarawas River up north. Then, by way of the canal, the waters from both the Walhonding and the Tuscarawas Rivers flow through Adams Mills on to Dresden Junction by use of the Dresden Side Cut and the excess went into the Muskingum River. This area was the bottom of both the Licking and Portage Summits where their waters met at the Dresden Side Cut.
All of the above feeders and rivers were connected with the Portage Summit one way or another. This next section will get into detail about both slopes of the Licking Summit. From Dresden Junction, the Muskingum River flows directly south and away from the Ohio & Erie Canal. For nearly 10 miles the canal flows southwest without a river running parallel to it, and from Dresden the next feeder is better than 15 miles southwest at the Licking Dam and guard lock on the Licking River. The water of the Licking River was backed up through the Black Hand Gorge between the Toboso Guard Lock and the Outlet lock further west in the gorge along the river. The Licking River served as a slack water crossing which ran the river in a linear course between the locks. The guard lock in Toboso was certainly a feeder. The water from the Licking River flowed down the remainder of the Licking Staircase from the Licking Dam and Guard Lock to Dresden Junction. The next feeder was in the Newark area and delivered water to the canal by backing up the north fork of the Licking River west of the North Fork Aqueduct between locks 9 & 10. Within a mile, the canal got another shot of water from the Raccoon Creek Feeder that was slightly west of the aqueduct with the same name. The canal now stays close and runs parallel to the Licking River out of the gorge up to the Licking Summit and reservoir assisted by the Granville Feeder near Heath as its connection point to the canal. Both summits, the Licking and Portage, had an abundant water supply that carried down their slopes. The Licking Summit was watered by the Granville Feeder and the South Fork of the Licking River. From the south end of the Licking Summit to Ashville where Walnut Creek meets the Scioto River, the canal passes over Walnut Creek at the Bibler Lock 8 outside of Basil and at Creek Lock 18 at the bottom of the Lockville staircase, both of which were feeders. West of Canal Winchester at the Georges Creek, the canal was regenerated at the Black Lick Feeder. The canal hasn’t run parallel to any particular river since it departed the Licking Reservoir going south. The next feeder ran from downtown Columbus to Lockbourne, named the Columbus Feeder. In all actuality, it was more of a transportation route than a feeder and I’ll explain. The feeder canal was watered by the Scioto and delivered its water into the Big Walnut which was backed up for a slack water crossing for the Columbus Feeder to enter the O & E Canal on the opposite bank of the stream. In reality, this makes the larger stream the feeder and that was the Big Walnut. The feeder at the BigWalnut Creek west of Lockbourne was at canal mile 221. The next feeder was miles to the south beyond Circleville at mile 238 at the Circleville Dam and Feeder. From Ashville, the canal runs parallel to the Scioto River sometimes as far as a mile away. The two merge closer as they converge on Circleville. Only one more significant feeder exists on the southern slope of the Licking Summit and it’s nearly 30 miles south of the Circleville Feeder beyond Chillicothe. The area of Three Locks Road has the remains of the Tomlinson locks and the block work still remains of the feeder connection into the canal where the Tomlinson Dam once sat. The canal bed then runs parallel to the Scioto and stays close all the way into the West Portsmouth area. Sandy Bottom Creek was the last and unlisted water supply on the canal near the Higby’s Guard Lock at canal mile 269 which assisted the canal to the Ohio River. The canal paralleled the Scioto to the Ohio River when lock 54 was once the southern terminus. That changed when lock 55, the outlet lock, was built as the new terminus. Lock 55 was southwest of the Scioto and Ohio River confluence and where the canal bed once turned towards Portsmouth at Elbow lock 53, it went the opposite direction towards the Ohio River to lock 55. Jeff Maximovich
207-The documentation I have puts the oldest canal survivor at 80 years old in 1961 which will follow. But first, I would like to mention the man who set me ablaze for the Ohio & Erie Canal who was around in 1964 and had to have been about 90 years old. Being I was only eight years of age, I really didn’t know how to interview him. He was filled with so many stories about the canal which later on in life, I investigated, and they panned out. I never knew his name but he was the oldest survivor. Below, is the story of Charles Croft, the oldest and last documented survivor of the Ohio & Erie Canal.
This is an article from the Akron Beacon Journal, April 16, 1961.
I wish to point out that the person who gave the interview got canal boats confused with river boats towards the end of the story.
BARBERTON. The old Ohio Canal may be just an historical fact to most Buckeyes, to Charles A. Croft of 335 Bell St., its memories – memories of a unique way of life many years ago.
Croft, who will be 80 April 30, is the last remaining area resident who made a living as a boatman on the canal. He spent seven years going up and down the old waterway between Dover and Akron. Though his memory for dates is uncertain, a little deduction pinpoints his boating years as roughly 1898 through 1905.
TODAY, Croft and his wife Anna, live a scant ¾ of a mile from the old waterway. No rocking chair retiree, Croft enjoys frequent pleasure trips through the state in his car.
On one trip not long ago, he stopped at a restaurant near Columbus. A stranger approached him and asked his name. Croft told him and the stranger exclaimed, “I knew I’d seen you before. I used to boat with your father on the canal.”
Croft is a native of Bolivar, Tuscarawas County. He used to haul coal from Chilling’s coal mine, 3 miles outside Dover, to the Akron Paper Mill where it was used for heating.
The 45-mile trip normally took two days. The power was provided by two horses and a mule. They walked along towpaths, pulling the barge laden with as much as 70 tons of coal, by stout ropes 150 feet long.
Croft and one other driver were the only persons on board. One night, Croft recalls he went to sleep on deck and rolled over off into 5 or 6 feet of water.
The barges were 81 feet long and 14 feet wide. Work was seasonal, since barges could not move when the canal was frozen.
Croft could get from 90 cents to one dollar per ton for his coal in Akron. Had he cared to continue to Cleveland, he could have gotten one dollar to one dollar and 25 cents, but he never did. The barges had to go onto Lake Erie, which he considered too dangerous.
THE CANAL had its hazards, Croft says. The horses were often clumsy and would fall into the canal. Mules were far more dependable, he says. When Croft left the river, he sold his boat to an operator on the Miami & Erie Canal and came to Barberton. He worked 15 years for the Diamond Match Co., then about nine years Ric-Wil Manufacturing Company. He has been retired for the last 10 years. His wife, a native of York, PA., never saw the deck of a river boat and does not particularly regret it.
--Jeff Maximovich
208-CANAL DIGGERS, FLIES, MOSQUITOES
I can’t even imagine how deplorable digging the canal would have been. The mosquitoes and flies breed naturally out in the woods, but thrived on man. These pesky insects fed off the thousands of workers, bringing death to many. Cholera and malaria and other insect-borne diseases were nearly unstoppable. In many cases, this held up construction as the men fled. The insects were dormant all winter, and between the months of February and late March and late October into December more work was completed. The insects thrived in the summer months in between.
With all the thousands of men working, this brought on unsanitary conditions. Human waste/feces were a serious problem and were the breeding ground of the big black flies. There were no toilets or urinals to remove the waste. The flies laid their eggs in the human waste, burrowed in it and then bit the men. The flies also laid their eggs on the skin of the canal workers infecting them with larva which had to be dug out or burned as they matured.
To ward off insects, other methods were implemented, none of which were without consequences that were almost as serious to the men as the insect infliction. Green shrubbery was smoldered to ward off the bugs but the men could only tolerate so much and fell sick. A smoldering necklace with a tar creosote substance worked the best. The necklace was called the Montezuma necklace. In many cases, this asphyxiated the men, killing them. Insects were one of the biggest obstacles that faced the men digging the canals. Because of the pain and affliction, a daily ration of whiskey was given to the men to make their meager lives more tolerable. The sick and dying got more...Jeff Maximovich
209-SMOLDERING SHRUBBERY
A historian friend of mine got a hold of me and added to my comments today about the insect problems which affected the canal diggers. I was reminded that out of the original group of canal foreman that numbered around 24, a third died from insect-borne diseases. Hundreds of thousands men and their families during the canal construction years spanning from New York to Illinois, dug canals. It is estimated that a third of the diggers succumbed to sickness and death brought on by the canal construction; otherwise, these men may have lived full lives elsewhere. The insects were the biggest menace during the years of canal construction and still are quite bothersome today. Even with the best insect repellant available these days the pesky flies and mosquitoes can cut a good picnic or outing short. Poison ivy ran rampant. Poison ivy has about a dozen different forms, all of which create an irritating rash that if severe enough can put a man down. Generally the men who weren’t affected by the ivy would clear the plants away so the other canal workers weren’t threatened. The men who cleared the brush away threw the greenery on top the fires to smolder. This worked well and warded off mosquitoes, but caused unforeseen side affects. Many times, the men had no idea why they contracted lung sickness, even killing many. Poison ivy can easily be carried airborne within smoke, and some men through inhalation and exposure, had their lungs and throats lined with blisters. With some rubbing their eyes from the smoke nearly caused blindness as the ivy set into their eyes. Many died from suffocation and pneumonia-like symptoms. Medical knowledge was minimal then and with this lack of knowledge, there was no pre-warning to the workers not to inhale the smoke.
During the Indian wars, the Indians knew of this weapon. The Indians would smolder huge amounts of poison ivy, then letting the wind do their bidding. The poison ivy floated inside the smoke and was carried on the wind into their enemies’ camps. In a few days the men were miserable with a rash and sickness and then the Indians attacked.
210-RIVER DAMS AND FEEDERS
Elevation played the strongest role delivering the needed river water supply into the canal system. The definition of a canal is “An artificial water way for navigation or irrigation”. To ensure an abundant and constant water supply, dams were placed in rivers and streams backing up the water. In nearly every circumstance on the Ohio and Erie Canal and all other navigational canals, the water level in the canal was at a higher elevation than its water source, be it river, stream etc, except on a summit where the water flowed in from a higher elevation . After a strategic area would be decided on, a dam was then incorporated so the water flowed into the canal year round, even in drought conditions. It was designed that even if no water went over the dam, the canal would remain in use. Only one area on the Ohio and Erie Canal comes to mind where the canal sits nearly level with the river, and that’s below the south end of Clinton’s lock 3 on the southern slope of the Portage Summit around mile 52. That’s the only area where the river crossed the path of the canal at a rather unconventional slack water crossing. Generally, the canal does just the opposite in most circumstances and crosses a river or stream.
Feeders often tied directly into the canal laterally at a 90° angle and some blended in. Let Pinery Feeder be an example of a feeder which progressed to a lower level, then blended in below a drop in the canal on the lower end of a lock. At the Pinery Feeder, the water enters off the Big Cuyahoga River from behind the dam and then paralleled both the canal and river blending into the canal. The dam at the Pinery Feeder inlet is still operational as well as the canal. Another area which mimics that very same layout is the Circleville Feeder, except no water has flowed in that part of the canal for better than a hundred years. Two areas which come to mind that connected at a 90° angle would be the Trenton and Tomlinson Feeders. I’ll give a few scenarios of how the feeders work. Generally, a feeder dam sits at the same level as its canal connection, no matter how many miles may separate them. The feeder travels to a lower level of the canal which is equivalent to the dam. For instance, the Trenton Feeder travels miles until it reaches the same level as the canal and ties in there. The reasoning behind that is simple, using Trenton as an example. Where the dam on the Tuscarawas and the canal are parallel to one another on the New Castle lock 14 and the Upper Trenton lock 15 stretch, off to the east, the Tuscarawas River sat about 15 feet lower in elevation. That’s why the Trenton Feeder had to bypass the locks converging on the canal as it was descending. Once the feeder canal matched the canal elevation, it tied in coming from the northeast. The Tomlinson Feeder south of Chillicothe was designed differently. It turned directly west only a few yards at a sharp 90° angle and tied into the canal. Sharp bends such as the Tomlinson Feeder caused erosion which was an ongoing problem.
Only a few places yet are left watered along the historic Ohio and Erie Canal after its demise nearly one hundred years ago. Today the canal is active in the Akron area from the Mustill Store lock 15, up and across the Portage Summit to Wolf Creek. The water supply for the Akron section is the same as its original design and enters off the Portage Lakes at its feeder. The Pinery Feeder area is still very active. Its water flows north along Canal Rd. The Nimisila Feeder is alive and well and fills the stretch which keeps Canal Fulton in its original splendor. Roscoe Village has a watered section on its upper basin level that offers a nice ride on a canal boat that reminisces the old days and will give the passenger the essence of the past. That particular section now has an artificial water supply. Back when the canal was operational, the Roscoe section of the canal which turned into the upper basin was fed by the Trenton Feeder located better than thirty miles to the northeast. That was considered one of the canal’s longer sections without assistance of another water supply.
March 15, 2008 10:15 AM
President William McKinley as said...
211-PRESIDENT WILLIAM MCKINLEY’S CONNECTION TO THE CANTON REPOSITORY NEWSPAPER. HOW WILLIAM MCKINLEY CAME TO STARK COUNTY.
Long ago in 1867, Canton teacher Anna McKinley who settled in the area, convinced her brother William to move to Canton. The young attorney and Civil War Commander moved into Stark County, leaving his home in Trumbull County, Ohio. Immediately, he became involved with the Republican Party and several other organizations which were the Masonic Lodge, G.A.R., YMCA, the First Methodist Church (now the Church of the Savior United Methodist Church). In 1869, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for Stark County. Although he was distraught after being defeated in his re-election bid of 1871, he gained his composure quickly by marrying Ida Saxton that same year and had several good years to follow. (Ida’s grandfather John was the founder of the Ohio Repository newspaper in 1815).
--Jeff Maximovich
212-Hello Canalwayman. How do you think the boat crew felt as they passed over the Scioto River on the rickety aqueduct at lock 32?
213-Circleville Basin once sat on the western end of town in the area between the railroad tracks located on the western side of Route 23. Today looking for this area, it can be identified by using huge concrete silos as reference at the SR 22 and Route 23 crossroad. The main road through town remains as it was, still lined with the old store fronts with many of them dating back to the canal. To proceed south on the canal from the Circleville Basin, a canal boat would travel west through a short channel and pass through the guard lock which leads onto the Circleville Aqueduct, passing high above the Scioto River. It was a relief when the canal boat reached lock 32 which put them out of the danger of the rickety structure. The eastern side of the river still has the huge abutment. The western side offers little, and it’s obvious to see most of lock 32 has been harvested for its blocks. Only a small section remains of the western abutment. The canal became the life of the town and everything coming and going circled around the basin. The saloons and businesses surrounded the basin. Boats lined up by the scores as the crews disembarked making their way into the saloons and up town. Circleville paralleled the days of the old west with its gun-toting gamblers and the saloons were everywhere going into the 20th century. After the southern end of the canal closed in the 1880s, the aqueduct was converted into a main thoroughfare for nearly 30 years before it fell in 1915. That year is when an angry gambler thought he was cheated once again in one of the gambling halls. This is the story which was relayed to me, coming from a local Pickaway County historian, outlining the events leading up to the arson. I was told gambling and corruption had deep roots in Circleville and was well-connected with the law at it highest offices who were all on the take. This even included the sheriff and his deputies who were on payroll by all the casinos who always took the side of the gambling enterprises no matter what and did the dirty work. The people down river at Chillicothe often saw a body floating down from Circleville riddled with bullets or beaten. What happened, a man lost his fortune and he was convinced he was cheated by a marked deck, exposing it. He began causing a great disturbance and was rallying the people to retaliate against the way he and other gamblers were being robbed at the casinos. As the story goes, he was severely beaten and bloodied, barely getting away with his life. The beaten man was dragged to the edge of town and dropped at the aqueduct. The local law, who worked for the casinos, told the man that the next time he came into town would be his last. In retaliation, the beaten gambler soaked the eastern and western approach of the aqueduct with kerosene and set it ablaze. It burned out of control, eventually collapsed, ending up on the ground. The heavy timbers can still be found lying around where they landed and further down river are more water-logged at the bottom. Ironically, the structure survived the devastating 1913 flood. During the flood as the Scioto River pushed against the mighty structure, the townspeople looked on, convinced that any time now, the rushing water would push it off the foundations. Surprisingly, it lived through that, only to be destroyed by an act of arson two years later.
214-I would imagine crossing the Scioto River by boat by use of the aqueduct was probably an exhilarating experience. One must have held his breath listening to the timbers crackling as you slowly moved along, and the only safety was waiting at the entrance of lock 32. The anticipation of arrival must have been overwhelming. On the entire canal system, even the most seasoned boat captains and crews who looked at passage on the canal as an old hat, cringed knowing they were to pass over the Circleville Scioto crossing. This crossing presented the most dangerous crossing on the Ohio and Erie Canal. The Circleville Aqueduct sat higher and was longer than any span on the entire system. Crossing this man-made waterway was a heart riveting experience I’m told. I have several stories archived about the travels on the canal. One story stands out concerning the Circleville Aqueduct at lock 32. The crew experienced the structure swaying when the boat bumped from side to side and often skidded along the bottom. The biggest fear was the loud crackling of all the joists and timbers. It was almost a peacefulness looking out from the guard lock as the aqueduct was filling. As soon as the tonnage applied itself to the span, the stress became apparent and the structure would scream louder the heavier the payload. Relief came in short spurts when the boat was directly above a support column. The crew would yell out loudly as they passed and counted them. Passing the supports below, the captain yelled out how many were passed and how many to go. One could only imagine the span giving way and plummeting downward into the deep Scioto River. The aqueduct was generally kept empty until a boat arrived. It could only be filled from the Circleville side of the river where a watch was on duty at the guard lock. To ensure the canal was full beyond the aqueduct even when it was emptied, a spillway was built along the north side of the aqueduct which carried a continuous supply of water.
215-Port Washington, in Salem Township, Tuscarawas County, on the mainline of the Panhandle division of the Pennsylvania Railroad and on U.S. Route 36, is another town charming reminiscent of canal days. It was laid out in 1827 along the route of the Ohio and Erie Canal by Col, John Knight who first named the town Salisbury.
It was a busy canal port for many years with sawmills, a tannery, a creamery, a carriage works, warehouses, stores and other current enterprises of the era. It was a favorite spot for circuses, carnivals and sporting events a situation that was increased by a brief iron ore boom in the 1870s, when a group of Glasgow, Scotland industrialist organized the Glasgow and Port Washington Iron and Coal co and erected a blast furnace at Glasgow, near Port Washington. The enterprise, as many similar projects of the times, was doomed with the vastly richer ore deposits in the Duluth area.
But the town survived by adjusting to changing conditions which included the development of the clay industry in the surrounding area. It is the home town of former state Supreme Court Judge J. H. Lamneck, who also served as state welfare director and Tuscarawas County common pleas and probate judge.
Present mayor is Ellwood F. Couts. Postmaster is John Welsh, who served that post for 21 years.
NEW PHILADELPHIA DAILY REPORTER, JAN 10, 1955
216- I was asked several times if there have ever been plans put into action to recreate the Ohio & Erie Canal to be a competitive trade route going into the 20th century.
Here is an article posted by the New Philadelphia Daily Times, January 15, 1907 in direct reference to the question above, titled “Two Years”.
“Necessary to complete improvements on Ohio Canal. Navigable then from Pittsburgh to Cleveland”
“It will be at least two years before the Ohio Canal will be navigable from Cleveland to Pittsburgh” was the assumption made to the Times this morning by one who is thoroughly familiar with all contemplated improvements. However a portion of this channel will be ready for use before that time, if the state improvements are carried out as per agreement.
The original course of the canal was from Cleveland to Portsmouth, a distance of several hundred miles. As Dresden a branch channel was constructed into Zanesville, but this was abandoned long before the main waterway. It is now the purpose of the state and federal government: to once more to make the water course navigable, by using the Dresden branch. To do the work on this branch from the city of Zanesville will take at least two years; E.J. Landers of Canton has the contract for doing the construction work at Ellis Station. The work is being done under the supervision of the war department. Federal engineer Warner, with headquarters at Cincinnati having charge of it.
A dam is being erected in the Muskingum River, which will feed the channel as far as Dresden, where it becomes the states duty to supply the water and keep up the waterway. Beside the dam two large cement block houses are being erected for the lock tenders, who will have charge of the mammoth locks at this point. It is here that Wood McLean, Ohas Lenhart and Will Wymac are stationed. The former has the contract for supplying all the pilling and timber needed in the work. The estimated cost on this branch will be $500.000.
When the canal is ready for use the company which was incorporated in Cleveland, will begin business with their new 125 ton steel boats. The motive power of these boats will be gasoline. The company will carry freight of all kind. It will mean the passing of the mule in local waters and a beginning of a new era for local shippers. The new company says they can get freight from Cleveland to Pittsburgh almost as quick as the railroads, at a much less cost.
These are my findings. I found that piece very interesting. The time line was pushed back a few more times. The construction was slowed by economic circumstances and the project was shoved to the back burner. The state by then, just reconstructed the northern end of the canal system and made no provisions for larger boats, nor did they widen the system or lengthen the locks to accept the larger crafts as the Muskingum locks were built for. It became apparent the state could not spark the interest of the big industries who by then had already spent heavily to bring the railroad to their businesses and factories. The state wanted them to foot the cost of building docks and wharfs again along the canal. To the state’s surprise, businesses turned their heads the other direction, un-interested in using the canal again and many by then were locked in battle on a local level fighting the canal usage tax even though their wharfs and docks had been closed for nearly a decade. The canal usage tax still applies to many areas along the canal - Massillon being one of them. The proposed 125 ton boat would have had the maximum speed of 8 knots. The steam locomotive was making better than 30 mph.
217-New Philadelphia Daily Times, October 12, 1912.
REOPEN TRAFFIC ON OHIO CANAL NORTH OF DOVER.
The Ohio canal was used Saturday for flour transportation for the first time in six years when canal boat “The Storm” carried a cargo of 1,000 sacks of flour from Canal Dover to Navarre. The towpath had not been used for so long that the horses waded knee deep through grass that has grown up.
A packet freight line is to be established by “The Storm” between Canal Dover and Navarre, a distance of 20 miles, and the master of the boat will also carry passengers if they care to ride.
These are my comments on the above. Between the early years of the 20th century in the years between 1904 and 1908, a landslide of improvements was completed to the northern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal in preparation of reopening the canal for service. That was all fine and well except for one important factor which was somehow overlooked - where’s all of the canal boats? The canal boat building industry began disappearing in the 1860s and in the next 20 years, the boat yards and dry docks were vanishing at an alarming rate. The railways took command of the freight transportation throughout Ohio. When the Ohio and Erie Canal was leased away in 1861, it immediately fell into disarray and the funds dried up as the contract was being signed. The state of Ohio had contemplated closing the system and abandoning it, selling the property.
By the year 1912 when the above article was written, most of the canal boat fleet would be pushing 80 years old. The newest of them would have been better than 50 years old.
218-New Philadelphia Times July 31, 1949.
30 years ago, a high wind accompanied by showers, brought relief to Tuscarawas County last evening from the longest and most severe heat wave experience here in the past 40 years, and which caused extensive damage to crops.
What is believed to be an indication that the Ohio Canal will no longer be used in this county came today when the county commissioners were ordered to remove the canal bridges in Port Washington and Newcomerstown, and fill in the channel on a level with the streets.
This is my take on it. After the canal was laid to rest by the flood of 1913, many areas over the years to follow crumbled and bridges and spans became dilapidated and unsafe. These unsightly structures dotted the landscape becoming an eye sore. For years, no one took responsibility for the removal of the leftover structures from the canal days. No one then thought of the strong historic values which were to be destroyed and nothing was in the plans as far as restoring the towpath as it is today. In most circumstances, the canal bed stood in the way of progress and was removed for roads. Chillicothe filled their section of the canal in 1907 after a lengthy battle with the Canal Commission who discarded the canal back in the 1880s when the plug was pulled on the southern end of the system. For several years after the canal was rendered useless for travel, the commission was alive and active, and stayed so until the late 1920s when the canal was officially closed. After that, the state took charge selling the water for many industries along the canal that depended on it. Today in the Akron area, several industries still use water from the Ohio & Erie Canal.
219- The New Philadelphia Daily Times, August 22, 1912.
The “Fairfield” Newcomerstown’s last canal boat, owned by Newcomerstown man, Frank Lyons, is being torn down for what usable lumber can be gotten out of it.
Mr. Lyons had plied on the Ohio canal with the Fairfield but two years ago when the canal became impractical for travel, and it has lain here near the west canal bridge for the past six years, steadily rotting down. Decay has so far progressed that the boat was far past being again serviceable.
Mr. Lyons has another boat at Canal Dover that has been operating some this summer, mostly moving wheat.
My thoughts on the Fairfield. This was one of the older boats which reached far back into the earlier days of the Ohio and Erie Canal. It’s clear to see some activity was still on the canal in the Canal Dover area in the last days of the canal. By the year 1912, the canal showed signs of inevitable abandonment for lack of business. Recently in the years leading up till then, a ton of money was poured into rebuilding the northern end right after the turn of the century. The canal boats were few in number. Cleveland had a potential ship builder who was gearing up to build metal hulled crafts which could navigate the canal system, although interest was low and orders weren’t coming in. These boats were to have gasoline powered engines. The mule-drawn days were behind them. The flood of 1913 ended any further interest in canal travel on the Ohio and Erie. In the prior years and some to follow, it was proven that an engine powered boat could navigate the canal and locks. A single cylinder boat called the “Arvine” was making its way onto the canal in the Stark County area. It couldn’t draw in the interest of the necessary parties who were needed to fund or revive the canal using motorized craft and barely made the headlines. The boat was named in honor of Arvine Wales who was well-known for having brought hundreds of special sheep into the Massillon area of Kendal in the 1820s. The Arvine wasn’t the first motorized boat to use the canal systems. The canal boat “New Yorker” owned by a wealthy business man enjoyed the canals on his personal pleasure craft as early as 1843. It was driven by steam propulsion.
220-The New Philadelphia Daily times.
In your issue of January 10th, 1878, I see a communication taken from the “Chillicothe Advertiser” signed by “One who knows” that the completion of the Ohio canal was in1826. Such is not fact. It was not completed here until 1830. The first boat came here to Lockport-or where Lockport now is-July 4th, 1830. I think the name of the boat was the “Union” and was to take the citizens of New Philadelphia and Dover a boat ride to Zoar and return in the evening, I was about fifteen years old and lived with Dr.Taylor, who resided in a small frame house at the foot of Broadway, now owned by Mrs., Jon. Simpson and well remember the excitement of the people here. A boy, about my age, by the name of Levi Sargent; came running along and called up to me, …Ain’t you gonna take a boat ride? I answered no!? “The boy exclaimed, why they’re to eat dinner on the boat and have coffee on the table, and the boat will run so smooth that the coffee will not slop out of the cup,”and then stated off after the crowd at the top of his speed and yelling in tones as loud as his voice would permit, “BOAT RIDE!, BOAT RIDE!” Of course, I felt bad that I could not go, but since, have had all boat rides I wanted.
Isaac Everett, New Philadelphia, Ohio. January 12th, 1878.
221- I found your website absolutely the most informative historical site ever, certainly not boring. I have on my desk a board of public works reports that just doesn’t add up. It claims only 149 locks are on the Ohio & Erie Canal. Please give your view on that. Can you give in detail, the statistics of the major feeders on the O & E Canal?
222-Somewhere along one of Ohio's canals there was a floating set of water wheels which deviated away from the norm with the rise and fall of the river it sat within. Would you happen to know of such a thing?
223-Lana: In posting 221, you have a public works report showing 149 locks on the Ohio and Erie Canal. You know it’s quite possible the report is correct, depending upon the year it was published. To have 149 locks listed, was either a very early report and all the locks weren’t finished or it’s posted incorrectly.
Before 1872, 44 locks existed on the Akron to Cleveland stretch, with an additional weigh lock; lock 1 which represented the northern end of the Portage Summit. So we begin with 44 locks.
Portage Summit’s southern end at Wolf Creek to the lock at the Dresden Side Cut consisted of 31 locks. That number of locks includes lock 20 which was at the intersection of the side cut canal and the Ohio and Erie Canal that once belonged to the north end of the Licking descent. We have an additional 31 locks. This brings our count to 75 locks.
Dresden Junction had locks 31, 32, and 33 and was considered the main branch of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Their numbers ran consecutively in order following lock 30 in Adams Mill. We have 3 more locks to add to the total, bringing the number to 78.
I’ll try to clean up the confusion about lock 20 that’s listed above. It was once listed as the bottom of the northern end of the Licking staircase according to some. There’s information listing it as lock 20, other information says otherwise. I tend to believe lock 20 existed at the connection of the side cut. In my opinion, the staircase consisted of 21 locks including the Toboso lock that even yet continues to be wrongly listed as lock 16. The Guard lock at Toboso doubled as a lift lock. Including the 19 listed locks from lock 1 at Heath on the north end of the Licking Summit down to Lower Webbsport lock 19 and the Toboso lock, we have accumulated 20 more locks to be counted. This does not include lock 20 which was once part of northern Licking descent at its very bottom. Never-the-less, this makes no difference on the final lock count we’re doing. Lock 20 was added onto the number of locks within the southern end of the Portage Summit’s descending stretch to Dresden. Some would wonder why that lock’s number hadn’t been changed to lock 31 following suit from the Adams Mills lock 30 keeping the numbers running consistent. That probably wasn’t possible because the lock 31 number was already applied to the upper of the triple Dresden Junction locks at the Muskingum. Lock 20 was transferred to the northern count late in the canal era when the decision came to close the southern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal making Dresden the new terminus. Lock 20 sat at the Dresden Side Cut which was the division point that separated the northern and southern end of the canal system. After lock 20 was applied to the descent of the Portage summit, lock 19 was considered the new bottom of the Licking Summit or its furthest lock from its summit. By then, service was nearly at a standstill on the southern end of the canal and soon after, it closed. Lock 20 was on the Adams Mills level but still carried the progressing number coming down from the Licking Summit as it was once part of. Lock 20 passed the canal boats in and out of the side cut. The lock was also accompanied by a fairly good size waste weir that moved the excess waters from the canal flowing down from both the Licking and the Portage Summits intoWakatomika Creek near the confluence of the Muskingum River. With this group of 20 more locks, this brings the total to 98.
The Licking Summit had both the Minthorn and the Pugh locks which are certainly accounted for in this list - two more. We now have 100.
On the southern slope of the Licking Summit beginning at lock 1 King Watson to the terminus at the Ohio River, there was 55 locks. That number was reduced by 1 when lock 54 the first southern terminus was removed on the Scioto River, although for a short time both terminuses operated simultaneously. We now have the final 55 locks counted from that section. Let’s add them to the 100 already counted. I came up with 155.
In reality, more locks were on this system than are listed. Some were built after completion and some were removed, depending upon the year. Locks 44 and 43 were removed as well as lock 42 along with the weigh lock near Cleveland. Lock 42 and the weigh lock were relocated further south and was the new northern terminus at the Cuyahoga River as lock 44 once was sitting further north. There are many unlisted locks over the course of the canal system. We’ll cover those another time.
224-I know this story. Bear in mind what your about to read is hearsay, but reliable hearsay! This story originates in Waynesburg Ohio, once a stop on the Sandy & Beaver Canal. The water wheels were on the Big Sandy River and powered the Whitacre and Greer manufacturing Co. making bricks and tile-related products. The Big Sandy & Beaver River was prone to inconsistencies, often running deeper than usual. This created a problem. When the water wheels were in a fixed position and the river rose up to the axles, the wheels stopped, thus resulting in a stoppage of production until the water receded. To remedy this on-going problem, the company engineers went to work and mounted the water wheels on several buoyant casks which floated the wheel housing and gearing atop the river no matter how deep. To hold this structure in place, heavy poles were driven into the bottom of the Big Sandy and the water wheel housing rode them up and down as the river changed depth. A special drive shaft was designed with an early rendition of a universal joint that kept the drive unit from binding whatever the river’s level was.
In this area along the Big Sandy near Waynesburg, a shantytown was formed called “New Town”. Its inhabitants were indigent blacks that came out of the south who were bound to a life of poverty. The small town consisted of a series of poorly built brick huts made from the discards of the mill. These living quarters had no running water or facilities and were constructed poorly. The Big Sandy was their drinking water, where they bathed and was used for every other needed purpose. The inhabitants worked hard to survive and the pay was totally disproportionate and never came in the form of cash. Housing was deducted from their wages and a voucher covered the remainder of their wages which was only good at the company store. For those who borrowed on pay advancements, they were forbidden to leave until the debt was paid, which never happened. Being there, the poor people fell deeper into poverty and the place was inundated by deplorable human rights violations. The company through fear and harsh conditions to the blacks and a company using its own form of justice kept the working men and families at bay – right here in Ohio!
March 25, 2008 4:02 AM
225-This following paragraph is hearsay, and can’t be proven either way. For years after the closing of the Ohio and Erie Canal, the canal boat “Reform” and others laid around the middle basin rotting away near Roscoe Village. In honor of their service, they were given a proper burial, being pulled out onto the lake and sent to the bottom. One of the boats remained stuck in the bowels of the Walhonding triple locks. That boat was removed and sat on display. That boat was a packet boat. It sat near the canal boat Monticello in Roscoe Village forever than recently vanished. Two other boats which may have been sunken in the middle basin might have been the “Quaker” and “Rosalia”. It’s said, Munroe basin has several of them below the water. In places, the basins are ten feet deep. The canal boat “Captain Jinks” rested in Adams Mills. Along with several more boats wasting away as eye sores, they were drug out into Munroe Basin then sunk. Our lakes and rivers may hold the relics of many well-known canal boats. Summit Lake, could undoubtedly be the largest canal boat graveyard on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Canalbiker
226-Jeff-
Regarding the "oldest"canawler".The Coshocton Tribune,August 26,1970 quotes a Mr.Clinton J.Snyder,age 93 in an article that explains how he and some other canalers sank there boat at Roscoes middle basin in 1898 as the canal era was nearing its end. It was rediscovered in 1959. This might make him the oldest former canal employee ?
227-WOULD I SPEND ANOTHER EVENING IN THE BLACK HAND GORGE?
I was once again apprehensive about staying the evening in the gorge. If one was a believer in the paranormal and anomalies, you might get what your looking for. Just being there might provoke the Indian spirits who are said to roam the burial grounds. A knowledgeable historian explained to me that during the excavation and the clearing process and digging the canal through the gorge, this provoked the local Indians who were inhabitants of the gorge. These were the days of the Indian conflicts; they would kill to keep their homes safe from intrusion and their burial ground sacred. A great battle broke out when the sacred Black Hand was destroyed, when the construction process blasted the face off of the Black Hand Rock, making room for the towpath. The Indians were given no respect and their request was denied to keep the area sacred which was very inherent to the Indians. As the canal’s progress moved forward in the gorge, the Indians were angered and soon the workers where under attack. Stemming from the actions of the Indians, soon the work and digging completely stopped and the men ran for their lives. They wouldn’t return until a military regiment arrived that was sent by the Governor into the gorge to hold back the Indian warriors who were on a rampage. They were driven in retaliation to kill the white man who was desecrating the sacred areas throughout the gorge. Until the canal came along, the gorge was home to the Indian. They lived in an area which provided everything necessary to sustain life. The paragraph above leaves a lot to consider about spending the evening in a place which had so much hostilities that is known to be sacred.
In my opinion, the entire area is overcast with an eeriness, even more so, as the sun goes down. I can speak from experience, spending another evening above the Licking River last July 2007, exactly two years after trekking the towpath from Cleveland to Portsmouth. I carried my gear and climbed high on top of the Black Hand Rock, looked around and after finding an ideal location, settled in for the evening. I made certain that under any circumstances I would be clear of the steep cliff if for some reason I lost my heading during the night. The plunge from the top of Black Hand Rock was a good 80 feet to the Licking River. The top of this plateau would resemble something from an episode of the “Ponderosa” with the tall pine trees all around and the ground full of pine needles, giving a golden look to the area. For safety precautions, I ran a rope between the trees and hung chimes in case I stumbled onto it during the night.
Long ago at this very spot, two braves fought to the death in bitter anger. This was considered a holy place among the tribes and that was the only thing which made me feel comfortable. I knew very well of the battle which took place on the sacred ground. I would be bound to this high place until the following morning. Even if wanted to leave in the night, the barrier which kept me there was the total blackness all around me. The story outlining the events of an Indian Princess and the brave she was betrothed to and the brave she loved can be read in posting 136 on this site. That should give you a good feeling about what happened here. As darkness falls, the woods below come to life, the nocturnal creatures of the night roam, strange noises fill the night. I kept a small fire lit all evening. For the biggest part, the evening was uneventful except for some loud snapping noises below which were probably deer. Often during the night, I was awakened by what I would say were the howls of dogs far off in the distance .The morning’s fog cast eeriness as the sun’s light pierced the forest. That morning it was rather cool. Looking around, the fog was so thick that it kept me hours longer than intended. The beaming columns of light looked as if they were so solid you could touch them. They reminded me of laser beams they were so intensified.
Some of these areas along the canal are rarely visited. Without any doubt, the Black Hand Gorge is laced with unmarked Indian burials and white men alike. You wouldn’t know it if you were sitting on one. The northern side of the river sees very little in the form of visitors in comparison to the opposite rim on the southern side. The canal was on the northern side and all the hostilities originated over there during the digging process in the 1820s.
Until the gorge was opened and turned into a park, the canal boats and crew were probably the last of the canawlers to pass through the area of the north rim of the gorge. These places are deep and tucked away, far from the normal everyday life. Even with my know-how and experience, I found it extremely difficult to maneuver through this thick maze of overgrowth and thicket - sometimes losing all sense of direction. Many researchers say they’ve been in there investigating but have they really covered it all? Whether my imagination was overactive or not, cameras tell the truth! I captured something on film looking directly at me no more than a couple of feet in front of me that my eyes did not see!
228- Could you describe what your eyes missed and was caught on film in posting 227.
229-PART ONE: You know, as crazy as these following stories may sound; strange things can happen when you’re alone anywhere, including the deep woods. The chance of these things unfolding while you’re accompanied by others seems to lessen. While conducting research along the towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canal in March of 2005, this developed into quite an experience. Previously, the Licking River rose 60 feet above normal from a January flood. The entire region looked decimated as if the aftermath of a bombing and there was a lot of open earth and erosion was carved out by the river. Trees where busted in two, lying everywhere, and high in some of the branches were the remains of what the Licking River left in them as the water slowly settled, leaving the debris high above. Upon arrival and as soon as I passed from the road into the woods, a shudder came over me which stopped me in my tracks. Something deep inside of me felt impending danger. All these feelings were overrun by ambition and eagerness to get started documenting the region, although my stomach was tense. Within an hour, I strongly felt as if I wasn’t alone, but looking around, nothing looked out of the ordinary and I kept steadfast to my purpose. Moving along, I saw a plastic lawn and leaf bag and kicked it. I thought that the rising river deposited this bag there and it probably floated in during the flood. The bag was solid and I pulled back. I really wanted to investigate its contents but hesitated in doing so. I left the area distraught by it, heading back to Canton. This bag and its possible contents consumed my thoughts and I told Laura of it that evening. We decided that it needs further investigation and returned the next day and had a better look. Arriving at the bag, I poked a stick into it making a hole to have a look and a lock of golden hair connected to the stick and that was all we needed to see. I called the authorities of the region and felt as if I had done the right thing. I gave an exact location of the bag. Two and a half years later, further research took me into the same area, following upon a good tip. Again, I was standing at the edge of the wooded area at Toboso Road and the old canal bed. I was extremely nervous to go back into that area because of the events that played out during the same week following finding the bag which unfolded. As we plied through the woods, we were stopped dead in our tracks by a stench so strong it nearly gagged both Laura and I. To our surprise the bag was still there.
I wasn’t alone along the towpath as the next segment of this posting will reveal. Unknowingly to me, something eerie was unfolding. Finding the bag disrupted my initial purpose of being there. I returned again later the same week and poured my ambition into investigating the region and stayed clear of the place where I found the bag. Hopefully the authorities found it by then back in March 2005.
230-Part Two: Putting my emotions and discomforts behind, I returned again to an area east of Toboso Road to photograph a rock face along the old Inner Urban train bed that sits above the towpath. This rock face has dates carved in dating back to the beginning of the canal era. Other features throughout the immediate area along the Licking River needed further research. Everything on that particular day went well as planned as I shot the pictures needed and eventually posted them on this website. The following day was a little more active. I kept hearing a hoot owl and crows that sounded as if they were surrounding me but not a single one was in sight. I can see much further in the early spring than in the full summer months which helps doing research and saves a lot of time. Listening to the surroundings, I could have sworn others were in the woods off in the distance. Hearing voices stopped me more than once. In doing so, I could concentrate and make some type of bearing on which direction the voices were coming from, then headed off in that direction, only to hear the same activity elsewhere. I felt as if something weird was going on and just sat down against a tree a little confused. What I was hearing sounded like a gang of men working and I could hear yelling and commands being given, then things got quiet. I also took it into consideration that sound can carry quite a ways through the canyon. As the week went on, the small unexplainable events began escalating, becoming more frequent. I couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it. I moved my research to the west side of Toboso Road to photograph the towpath at Black Hand Rock. It was there that it became apparent that perhaps I wasn’t alone. From the rock ledge once used by the mules to tug the canal boats, I was looking over the edge into the Licking River to be startled and shaken by what I thought I saw. Staring into the still water below the rock ledge, I could clearly see my reflection in the water, but another reflection materialized and was looking over the edge along with me. I jumped up and swung around but no one was there, just me. I sat down and put my back to the cliff wall. After looking around and looking straight up the steep cliff, on top were things sticking out which may have played tricks on me, resembling a person. Was my imagination in overdrive? Taking no chances, I got on all fours and crawled off the high ledge in fear, afraid to stand, afraid of being tossed off the ledge into the river. Later on that day, I laughed it off and said, “Jeff, you are the biggest sissy”, then I chalked it up to imagination. Unknowingly, what I was about to learn later on that week ties in with what was standing on the ledge with me.
I again returned to Canton and had all of my film processed, only to be horrified by what the pictures revealed. It all became so clear, I wasn’t alone in the Black Hand Gorge. Laura, who’s now my wife, came to my house that evening. After showing her the pictures, she expressed her feelings of fear and concern for me. This was a hideous and frightening thing that seemed to be trailing me. At this discovery, my hair stood up like wire and my entire body was covered in goose bumps. The picture of this being needed a name. We researched this and tried to find the Bureau of Indian Affairs here in Ohio to inquire but came up empty. I was afraid to sleep. After researching this some, we decided he fit the description of a Manitou. A Manitou can either be good or evil; we’re not really sure which one of the two we had. He later revealed himself.
231-Part Three: My camera caught this anomaly we named Manitou. It was directly looking into my camera. The angle of my lens was facing upward on the rock face. This puts the Manitou in mid air hovering. The picture revealed a transparent being but solid enough to give a good description. He strongly resembled an Indian except his forehead was abnormally large and his eyes were sunken deep into his head and were severely bloodshot. Thick gross veins ran across the forehead and over the cheek bones going down its neck. His nostrils were flared wide open as if he were angered and the camera picked up breath coming from his mouth and nostrils that looked like steam. His mouth had barred teeth and resembled a wolf which was about to attack and his facial expression looked as if he was growling. He had war paint on his cheeks and forehead with some type of head gear which had horns protruding from it, and all sorts of feathers and beads were around his neck.
The ones who I confided in who viewed these pictures were equally as horrified as I. Seeing these picture was a life-altering experience for Laura and I. The Manitou, spirit or whatever it was, got in the truck with me and came back to Canton without my knowledge. We examined every picture taken of the Black Hand Gorge and to our surprise many had some strange and unexplained things.
The reason I named lock 15 called the Outlet Lock, Spooky Lock will come to light. Nearly every photograph had lightning bolts throughout and in the background and surrounding the lock itself as if it was being electrocuted. Other pictures have strings of pearls which reminded me of an illuminated rosary which cast off great light. The rosary wrapped around things and floated in space. I strongly feel as if the glowing rosary may have protected me and the lightning represented evil. Many of the pictures revealed the Manitou looking from beyond a tree or peeking over something. It would appear as if it was hiding from something. There could have been another force which kept him at bay that possibly he was even afraid of.
232-Part four. Unknowingly, my unwelcome stranger caught a ride back to Canton. At home, it wasn’t too long before strange things began happening which we never experienced previously to entering the Black Hand Gorge. We knew he was with us. That was made evident when the doors would open and slam with a tremendous force. If we would attempt to get close or cuddle, it would cause a great disturbance in the home. For instance, something would fall or a door would swing open violently. Up until this point, he kept his presence at home invisible. All that changed one evening when Laura began screaming and began shaking in fear. What happened, Laura was next to me watching a show on television and looked into the bathroom where our spirit visitor positioned the mirror at an angle to observe her. She became frantic. I listened to what she was trying to tell me and finally I was able to make out her words. I flew into the bathroom only to find nothing. It had the ability to come and go without leaving a trace, just vanish. The next day, still upset from the previous evening, as I was washing the dishes listening to the TV, a strange feeling rushed over me. I just knew it was standing directly behind me watching my every move. I stopped washing and a fear came over me as I stood frozen at the sink unable to move. I knew that I had to face this. Mustering up all my inner strength, I turned slowly and there it was. It stood there looking into my eyes. He wasn’t a solid being but rather transparent. I noticed immediately that I could see through him. He was motionless but continued looking into my eyes. I stood there nearly paralyzed. He then turned away and vanished. What ever he was, he was the form of an Indian medicine man or something similar, scary and grotesque looking.
I needed someone who could help me deal with this but had no clue where to turn. I was careful about who I spoke this to, not wanting to be dubbed a weirdo or get bad reviews. My mother who I confide in had some good advice. She advised me to hang a rosary in the home near to where I sleep. This action had some affect on the behavior of my visitor who then confined himself to the basement. In constant fear and becoming sleep-deprived, I moved from the home. After being set up in my new home it wasn’t long before he again made his presence known. In the basement it materialized then disappeared. Somehow, I packed him up and brought him along. From then on, any action we were going to take wasn’t discussed at home concerning it. Laura and I made a decision that I would stay away from her home and also my mother’s home. I didn’t want him to enter their homes. I became desperate for help and even challenged it to come with me to work during the day and hopefully it may find another place to haunt. I was running out of options. Laura and I were being forced to live with an angry spirit who threw a fit when she and I got close to each other. He liked the basement at the new home and Laura and I both observed him looking up from the bottom step into the living room. Something had to be done – we were living in fear. I thought of the movie The Exorcist and went to St.Pauls Catholic Church in North Canton for help. This can be verified. The priest listened to my story and we prayed together and he asked God to intervene and help me. His advice in the meantime was to get rid of any evidence. That meant going through hundreds of pictures. We painstakingly found the pictures he appeared in and they mostly centered on the Black Hand Gorge. His advice was to destroy them by fire. The priest then anointed me with holy oil and we prayed some more. Upon coming home, my spirit visitor was on a rampage - I feel as if he knew what I had done. Laura and I tried something new by totally ignoring him, hoping he would leave. This angered him. He almost was acting like a spoiled child who wasn’t getting enough attention and was creating noisy conditions and things were banging around coming from the cellar. We burned the pictures and we were careful not to get the smoke on us or inhale any of it. I talked with a spiritualist who made the suggestion that the Manitou may live within my camera, making it his home. That camera went everywhere I went, and if that was the case, it explained a lot. The other house we moved into was torn down and the camera was destroyed. We were convinced every picture containing him had been destroyed, but as I said early on, one picture got through and he’s on this web site. I haven’t had any more problems since the home was destroyed along with the camera which was done after my historic walk along the towpath of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The above events just might explain why I was plagued with so much trouble through the Black Hand Gorge during my walk following the canal bed from Cleveland to Portsmouth. I’ll never really know for sure what his intentions were or whether he was good or bad. Posting 139 of this section has the story about a battle which went on at Black Hand Rock, thus giving its name.
Looking back on those days, I really don’t feel as if the Manitou was actually trying to cause me any harm. He may have just been curious having someone walking through the gorge alone and I drew its interest. Bear in mind, the whole region was just flooded earlier that year and a lot of earth was ripped open from the flooding Licking River. His grave may have been unearthed which set him roaming about.
233- I read some of your previous work where you said that Canton, Ohio was in the process of connecting to the Ohio and Erie Canal. You know, not that it’s not true, I have never heard of such a thing. Do you have anything, a news article or anything which could substantiate this claim?
234-I don’t find it too unusual that my work is questioned. I remember writing about the connection of Canton to the Sandy and Beaver Canal. I looked intensely and came up short for any information to substantiate my feeling about the topic. The east and west branch of the Nimishillen was once groomed for a purpose. This can be found on sections of both where extensive stone masonry was performed. The area of Tuscarawas Ave. and the Nimishillen near Downtown Ford was a proposed landing for canal boats. The stairway there today is from long ago and was incorporated in with the new and recent construction of the immediate area near Mother Goose Land. I painstakingly walked miles of both the east and west branch of the Nimishillen to know enough that it was being prepared for another purpose and was totally convinced that it was going to meet the Sandy and Beaver Canal near Bolivar. I went forth and listed that article without any solid proof, going on pure instinct as I have before. Below is an article which surfaced after I posted the Canton Connection to the canal system, which in return I received plenty of emails of total disagreement to my statement. So, for those who are in total disagreement, I say get on foot and have a good look for yourself and read the following.
Evening Independent, August 1961.
The Nimishillen & Sandy Slack-water Navigational Co. was organized to build a canal to the Sandy & Beaver Canal from Canton via Nimishillen and Sandy Creeks. Thousands of dollars went into the engineering and the canal’s channel through Canton was even cut; when the whole enterprise fell flat because of the failure of the Sandy & Beaver Canal to the south. Massillon as a canal port handled a great deal of heavy produce in the 1840-50 decade, even taking in commercial goods from Wayne, Holmes, Columbiana and Jefferson Counties. The tide began to turn against the canal system with the event of the railroads. In fact, Canton breathed new life after 1851, when the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad was confirmed to go through that city.
235-Hello. I wish to start off by commenting on the progression of this website. I’m a Massillonian who loves the rich history of our small city. I have learned more from your work than all the combined research I’ve been involved with my entire life. Do you still spend a lot of time researching on foot? Have you reached a pinnacle on the research of the Ohio and Erie Canal? Can you give any insight about Massillon’s part in the commonwealth of early Ohio and what our town meant to the state in the early days?
236-To answer the above posting 235, I often spend many hours investigating the canal system on foot. Yet, even more information still is surfacing through the help of people who follow this site. You asked if I’ve reached a pinnacle of my research. My answer would be no. I haven’t even scratched or put a dent into all of the available information which still exists. I feel fortunate that so many people come to my aid who monitor this site when questions are asked. Just Wednesday, a member of the Massillon Genealogy Society who spends hours in the library, handed me so much forgotten information, and much of it was news to me. I have an acquaintance in southern Ohio who has dedicated his entire life to researching the Ohio and Erie Canal. This individual goes way back into the early starts of the CSO. He passed the baton to me and loaded me with so much overwhelming information. I’m at a temporary loss as what to do with all of it. Over the last two years, I’ve tried to categorize so much it seems impossible to do sometimes. You asked about what Massillon’s contributions were in the early days of Ohio. I have a very interesting article from the 1960s era from the local paper.
This article outlines the conception of the Canal Society of Ohio and leads into Massillon’s role to the state.
A non-profit organization dedicated to the legacy of the old Ohio canal system has been organized with T.H. Finley of New Philadelphia as President.
Called the Canal Society of Ohio, incorporated, the society explains it works in a brochure which reads “The story of how the people lived, the life on the Grand Canal”, the experience of travelers on the old packet boats and the picture of a race of pioneers building a great state in the most intriguing part of Ohio history.
“It is to preserve the history of the canals and make available to the people of Ohio by means of pamphlets’, lectures and exhibits that the canal society has been organized”
The secretary of the newly formed group is Dr, Louis P. Carabelli of 216 Melbourne ave, Akron 13. Membership applications and other inquiries should be directed to him.
On July 4 in 1825, Ohio began one of the greatest pick and shovel projects the state has ever known----the digging of two canals.
‘The early history of Massillon is intertwined with the beginning and later development of the eastern channel—the Ohio and Erie Canal.” In fact, according to “A standard history of Stark County, Ohio” published about 1912 with John H. Lehman as supervisor editor. Stark County was benefited immensely (by the canal) for at least a quarter of a century.
The eastern canal, as most of us know, was dug from Cleveland to Portsmouth. Its channel passes through (or once passed) through Canal Fulton, Massillon and Navarre. In Massillon at one time a drawbridge on Lincoln Way West spanned the channel, which ran north and south under the area where the Massillon Ace Hardware Co. store now stands.
Two locks in the canal that this writer knows of were located just south of Canal Fulton, and Navarre. The northern one, as pictures above, is now a picturesque picnic area along old route 21. (Go to the home page on this site and click on canal lock section to view these locks just mentioned)
Immediately after the passage of the act which authorized the building of the canals in 1825, land tracts were purchased along the Tuscarawas River. The village of Massillon was laid out simultaneously with the letting of canal-building work contracts.
As the work of building the canal progressed, businesses came to be centered at Massillon for this was the only important point in the Tuscarawas valley between New Philadelphia and Akron. All sort of businesses established and sprang up here.
Some of the influential men who erected early warehouses and stores in Massillon were, L. and S. Rawson, H. B. and M. D. Wellman, Jesse Rhodes and the Johnsons, according to “A Standard History.” Their enterprises encouraged others, and by the time the canal was completed to the mouth of the Scioto River at Portsmouth, Massillon was known as the “Wheat City.”
From 1830 to1850 the blossoming of Massillon was “Wonderful” according to “A Standard History.” During that time Canton was quite overshadowed (and its) position as the county seat (was) even threatened.”
In fact, Canton was making attempts to get into water communications with the Ohio canal system all during the 1830 to 1850 period. When the Sandy and Beaver Canal was built from Glasgow on the Ohio River, westward to Bolivar in Tuscarawas County, it passed through Waynesburg and Magnolia. The citizens of Canton thought they saw their chances to get into the Ohio canal system through the canal to the south.
237- Canalwayman: what year did the dry dock fold up in Akron? I was recently told it stayed open until 1913 when the great flood closed it along with the boatyard at lock 2.
238-In Akron Ohio between Main and Water sts., a few hundred yards south of the M.Oneil Co. building on State st. are ruins of a drydock which was once the center of activity on the old canal. Built of stone in1836-37 it was located at lock 3, a little to one side of the canal. Here boats damaged in accidents were repaired, leaks were plugged and vessels were given new paint. Spring was a busy time of the year, many of the boats being repainted at that time.
Not far from this site, on the east side of the canal, many boats were built for the canal. The first one was constructed in 1827.
In 1840, the P & O Canal was finished; a huge banner bearing the words "Pennsylvania and Ohio Unite" was unfurled near the old dry dock. Canal life centered at this point until around 1874, when the work of filling the canal bed at the Exchange st. bridge began. The towpath was cut through to let the water out and the drydock went out of use.
239-Responding to an email I received concerning Dresden Junction and the Munroe Basin. Dresden and the Munroe Basin, Dresden is located southwest of Coshocton and sits almost exactly halfway between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. The Munroe Basin sits a few miles to the northeast. Some responses take considerable time accumulating information, hoping I can give the best and most accurate explanation available. Bear in mind, some information is second hand; hear say, speculation and stories. From all of the gathered information, I sift through it and try to place it in the proper time frame and try to make it easy to understand, enjoyable and hopefully not too technical.
Dresden and Dresden Junction are two different places. The area of Dresden goes far back beyond the early 1700s. It was situated near the Indian village of the Wakatomika tribe. Up and down the interior rivers of our nation long ago, many trading posts where established near the Indian nations. Dresden was a French trading post before it got its name. Ohio was growing. Many eastern companies were buying up land in the new state, hoping to start towns thus generating a huge profit. These land buyers would usually target established trading posts, areas along river trading routes and lakes - anything that looked promising. Up until 1916, the area was considered a post. In 1917, the land plot was laid out for potential homes and businesses. The founders were a Philadelphia land management company and the company's owner came from Dresden, East Germany. But in 1817, the area was only a province. Germany would be formed about 80 years later. To verify Dresden, it was listed in the 1816 Ohio Gazetteer as a trading post. Dresden was not incorporated until the coming of the Ohio and Erie Canal, around 1833. With the word of the canal passing through town on to meet the Muskingum, a new town was to rise up called Dresden Junction. The land management companies, who were given privileged information, bought up the land around Dresden Junction, only to resell it to the people. The side cut and the properties to the river were sold with good intentions that the canal would meet the new water transportation route, the Muskingum Improvement. This new town would be Dresden Junction. In reality, money was made and it was the land management companies and the land scalpers who were sent ahead to buy before the canal arrived that made the money. The town’s people lost their fortunes buying the land.
To the northeast, the canal was widened leading into the Munroe Basin to its east. It’s possible this was done in preparation for the side cut into Dresden. The basin may have assisted the water supply for the three locks 31, 32 and 33 that led onto the Muskingum River.
The Muskingum Improvement was heavily under construction and the state was pushing the contractors to come in on time. Many waited impatiently for the river to open. Businesses where put on hold but were anticipating industry in the new proposed town. The day finally came in 1841 when the Muskingum Improvement was finished, all the way from Coshocton to Marietta. Finally, the investors could see themselves actually able to show a profit but the thoughts of grandeur were fleeting for the new water way was plagued with structure failure. No sooner had it opened, and then it closed for repairs. The industries that planned on moving in went somewhere else. Only a few mills opened in the area. If everything would have worked, Dresden may have been one of Ohio's industrial leaders positioned well along the Muskingum. The town’s people were proud of the fact they had the most expensive three water falls anywhere and the three locks were all the town could show for their money. The three locks in Dresden didn't get much use. A bridge was constructed in Dresden spanning the river. In doing so, this sealed the fate of any larger river boats making their way into Dresden and further up river to Coshocton.
--Part 2 below
As the years went on, the Muskingum Improvement got a reputation for being so unreliable. Few and far between river boats made their way to Dresden Junction. With the new span across the river, the newly designed river boats could not pass under. They were nearly 35 feet wide and 160 feet long. That didn't pose a problem but the smoke stacks were three stories above the water line. Dresden was now desperate because heavy river traffic never became a reality and the canal boats very seldom made their way down the side cut to Dresden. Dresden sent out a call for help. It's been years now and the people's fortunes were lost but a spark of hope arrived with technology but it came much too late. Twenty years makes quite a difference and that's how long the people waited for a good, reliable transportation route so they could recover their lost fortunes. By then, the townspeople were awakened from the dream that Dresden Junction would ever materialize. Again, hope. Two different railways were competing to lay the tracks into Dresden. The first there would win the contract. The connection at Dresden Junction never really happened and Dresden would never recover from its loss. Another huge waste of money - the triple locks was rebuilt between 1904 and 1908. The two lower locks were replaced with concrete but I was told the doors were never put back on. The Canal Commission got the crazy idea to complete its original plans - now 70 years old, and were considering putting into action, a completion date for the summer of 1912 and go forth with actual completion where the canal boats could moor next to the river ships. It never happened. Only a spillway to the Muskingum and a small basin ever made it below the triple locks. This story was generated from hearsay, speculations, conversations and facts but the real fact - 1912 came and went without a river connection at Dresden Junction, but 1913 will go down in history as the end of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The Muskingum the locks are: Dresden, Simms' Creek, Zanesville, Taylorsville, Eaglesport, McConnellsville, Windsor, Luke Chute, Beverly, Lowell, Devolt, and Harmar, There are two locks at Zanesville, and a dam near each of the locks named, except at Dresden, which is obviated by the canal flowing into the Muskingum River.
240-I'm curious concerning lock 42. It’s believed that the original lock 42 was to the north of Dille St. before the Valley Railroad arrived in 1872. Leading information has the newer lock 42 at the foot of Dille St. What is your opinion about it?
241-Jeff,
I ran across two of your business cards this past weekend while
locating
the locks between Hebron and Roscoe Village. The first was on Lock 18
in
Frazeysburg. (To get to this lock you go down a very short dirt road.
The road continues down left into a farmed field and splits right up a
small hill and the lock sits between the hill and the road.) Your
laminated card was on the eastern wingwall of the lock and in excellent
condition. The other card was on Lock 32 at the Dresden Side Cut on a
cement ring that looks as if it just doesn't belong there, as if to be
used for a fire pit or something. Your card was on top but was about
half worn away by rain. Just thought that you'd like to know, after
three years, that they're still out there.
By the way, the Tuscarawas River was so flooded that Lock 31 was nearly
underwater except for the top few inches. The entire river in the
vicinity of the Zoar dam was right up to the foundations of every house
along that entire stretch in Bolivar/Zoar Locks 7 to 11.
Also, Lock 50 down in Union Mills near Portsmouth; your picture shows
it
as heavily overgrown but it has apparently recently been bush hogged
and
cleared because it's in much better condition now.
I'll have to wait until the floodwaters subside to see the last few
locks.
Mike Flavin
242-Mr. Maximovich I to have followed your work also as the gentleman in the posting 241, who’s covering central Ohio that found your cards at different sites. I find that impressive on your behalf. I live in Cleveland and one afternoon another and I set out along the railroad tracks from Cuyahoga Concrete Co. on Independence Rd. hoping to find something of any interest. We found more than we bargained for. I have never seen so many unfortunate homeless people living behind old buildings and below bridges yelling out making threats. The smell was horrendous and it’s clear to see the outdoors was used for sanitation purposes. The whiskey and wine bottle are in staggering numbers. Four men climbed down from below the Nickel Plate Bridge and were swearing at us. We then were detoured away and left the area we turned away and never finished our exploring that day. The Cleveland portion of what’s left of the Valley Railroad is not a safe place to travel. I read the section within your book where you immediately had problems walking out of the city. Was this something that was anticipated beforehand? What could have been the outcome if you weren’t prepared to deal with such individuals?
243-Lock 42 leaves a lot to consider, considering no-one yet up until now has come forth with the whereabouts of where the original lock 42 was located before the Valley Railroad laid their tracks. I was kept in total confusion for quite sometime. A popular edition of canal information has the newer of the two lock 42s at the foot of Dille St. That is just a little off because River Lock 42 sat at the northeast corner of the ship turn around area, that’s a quarter of a mile north of Dille St. The weigh lock sat directly behind river Lock 42, but in a wider section of the canal which was added in to enable the boat traffic to by-pass it if needed. After extensive and on-going research going back several years, these are my conclusions on the lock 42 situation. I have went over this a hundred times, I strongly feel as if the original lock 42 site was never removed at the time, but its structure was used again, this time converted over then to be used again as the new weigh lock which moved south near Dille St. from just north of the Seneca St. area. Today would be in the Tower City area. After 1872 a guard lock was added into the canal merging with the Cuyahoga River now that its northern two locks were taken out of service. This addition was only a few feet to the northwest of the new weigh lock naming it, lock 42 River Lock. Lock 42 wasn’t designed to mimic locks 43 and 44 which had the ability to accept larger lake ships, only standard canal boats. Fortunately for me I was able to obtain enough information to accurately pin point both locks, the weigh lock and 42 in the same frame. By doing so, this ended my long term of research of the area, which finally gave me the necessary closure which I needed to move on.
244-The homeless around any large city are in staggering numbers. Cleveland has a rather large number of them in the flats area who live in shanty’s and tents, many sleep in the open. Previous investigation of the Valley Railroad tracks gave me a vivid and clear course of action which should be held on standby just in case a situation may arise. I wanted the book to be about the adventures and some history involved walking through our state trying to maintain the true course of the towpath. I could have written the whole edition about the slums of Cleveland and how your life isn’t worth to much if run into the wrong people. Akron has their problems with the homeless just as well. Go down to lock 2 and 3 park at 7: am, you’ll find fifty of them sleeping anywhere they can get comfortable. The bottom line here is this. They have nothing left, anything you have usually they want and will beat you up and take it using any means possible, this includes killing you if you put up a fight.
Was I ready to deal with the homeless as I started my walk towards Portsmouth back in 2005? I certainly didn’t want a confrontation, but I was ready. Two weeks prior on the tracks of the Valley Railroad I was assaulted when several men came out from under a bridge and screamed using awful language, insinuating that I had to pay a toll for being on “their tracks”. I was well prepared for them and just kept moving south on the tracks, cautiously knowing their whereabouts at all times. They positioned themselves behind me about fifty feet hollering obscenities. The whole situation turned real bad when a few more positioned themselves out in front of me and one busted a glass bottle to use as a weapon. They demanded all of my belongings. Some of the group split off and got out front of me, and now they were behind as well. I made my stand, what were my choices? My truck was at the parking area at the Merwin Basin about a mile to the north, so I immediately reversed my direction heading that way. I made it clear that I was armed by revealing it, then sliding in the clip and cocking the weapon. I pointed the weapon in the direction I was heading and quickly swung around to check the rear. In doing so they disbursed, gone, no-where in sight. Because of my previous experience back in there, I could only expect problems as I started my journey back then. I was hoping somehow they might be asleep and I could pass without difficulties. What was I thinking? It’s the darkness and the stealth of the night which brings them to the surface so they can steal and rob. These people are rarely seen during the day, they don’t fit in well in a normal society around people. So they stay in back alleys and doorways under bridges and especially along the tracks. This is not a place that I would recommend any historians to push a stroller with their young at hand investigating the canal bed. What would have happened if I wasn’t prepared to deal with such actions? I would have probably been injured badly or the worst possible scenario could have been death.
245-Canalwayman, my cousin is a Cleveland policeman. According to him the homeless situation is critical along the tracks and below the bridges in the flats. Many times, they are the worst criminals our society has to offer. The homeless accumulate along the Cuyahoga River none of which have any identification as to who they are, and some of them are wanted men, fugitives from the law, who hide from the law cloaked as hermits and homeless. The police are hesitant to arrest them for they smell so badly and many act as if they’re totally illiterate which poses a problem when the language barrier cannot be bridged. If arrested for vagrancy, they receive a few days behind bars which includes a shower and three guaranteed meals each day. When released, it’s then straight back to the impoverished life they’re so accustomed to. These people are clothed from the donation boxes and eat from the dumpsters behind our most exclusive restaurants. These people actually have given up, many never had a decent chance, their rearing left them little opportunity to succeed in life and they were born into poverty. They in some circumstances, are nearly cast as lepers as in the biblical times and are shunned away. I feel sorry for them on the overall. I share your thoughts about the escalating danger that hovers once you step into their world from the mainstream. I know from reading your journals that you’re determined to cover all the ground along the towpath. It makes good reading but reveals many dangers to us, the readers, who should take heed from your adventures and be happy we don’t have to investigate areas such as this, for instance along the Valley railroad.
A closing note of interest: Since the colonial days, the flats of Cleveland have always been the hub which magnetically pulled in the worst dissidents who for centuries lived along the river, canal and the tracks. This particular section of Cleveland is no stranger to prostitution and criminal activity even including mass murder (the torso murders of Kingsbury Run). What’s changed?
246-The Ohio & Erie Canal had its starting ceremony on the Licking Summit at the area of where the Upper Taylor lock 1 in Heath was later situated. July 4, 1825 commemorated the start of the Ohio & Erie Canal. The first section to be completed was from Akron to Cleveland, but at the same time it began, work started immediately in the area we know now as the Buckeye Lake Reservoir. A reservoir was needed to keep the canal full and assist both the northern and southern declines to operate the system. The Granville Feeder was planned and dug as a water supply. It alone would not have been enough to fulfill the demands of the canal. The main water supply came from an area that was formerly marsh lands five miles long and better than a quarter of a mile wide that was fed by the south fork feeder which was re-routed for that purpose. This marsh land would be converted into a reservoir. To make this project workable, an earth dike was put in place on the northern end and another embankment to the west then filled with water. The natural surrounding hills made up the other embankments to the northeast and along the eastern border.
The water supply was the south fork of the Licking River which is the main feeder and source that was enough to fill the great demand at that time. With the completion of the new reservoir that name didn’t remain long and soon changed (within only a few years it would be called the old reservoir). Within it, the boats were pulled along the eastern bank of the western edge that would change years later into a towpath that divided two bodies of water, one on each side. It was a necessity that the towpath cut directly straight through rather than use the long shore line which would have proven too time-consuming to travel. A few years later, getting into the mid to late 1830s, news spread of another canal system that would meet the Ohio & Erie in the town of Carroll of Fairfield County. In the center of town, there would be a large basin which would connect the Ohio and Erie Canal to Athens by way of a canal. This canal system would be the Lancaster Lateral system going by the name the Hocking Valley Canal. All the towns and villages then wanted the wealth and commerce brought in by the canal systems. With an additional canal to be fed from the Licking Summit, this brought the scare of a water shortage. This problem was put in front of the Canal Commission at the state capital. A decision was made that the existing body of water would have to expand to mimic its neighboring summit to the north called the Portage Summit. Out of necessity, the Portage Summit had to expand with the connection of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal in Akron. Expanding the Licking Reservoir would solve other problems, one of which was the water through the deep cut south of Millersport that was prone to constant dredging and mud slides, stopping boat traffic. Many times, the boats were unloaded within the deep-cut, emptied to raise the mudlarked craft, then towed through using great teams of everything that could be mustered up, all pulling at once. A higher water level would alleviate this. The decision was passed down from the capital to add on the new reservoir, and immediately construction began. The former reservoir became the "old reservoir". This brought on another problem which became apparent after completion. In haste to complete the New Reservoir - the Canal Commission working within a budget and didn't remove the stumps that ripped open the hulls of the canal boats, resulting in a few sunken boats. Boat traffic stopped and the angry boat captains moored their boats until this problem was fixed. This necessitated dredging a path to clear all the stumps. The boat traffic was shifted to the western side of the towpath where it was once dry land covered by trees. With the "new reservoir" completed, the water level was 8 to 10 feet higher than the existing Ohio & Erie Canal leading in and out. On the reservoir, at each end of the towpath which divided the bodies of water, was an opening which kept both reservoirs the same depth. The surrounding dikes on the original reservoir were raised to accommodate its new depth. A lift lock was added to the north end of the division towpath on the A. Minthorn property. This lifted the canal boats up to the new level from the canal below. A few miles to the south, another lock was added on the Byron Pugh property to do the same - both built around 1839, give or take. With the new elevation of the Old and New Reservoirs, technically, it was the new Licking Summit. It sat above the original canal and was considerably much shorter. The Licking Summit now had two levels. The Licking Summit had its original elevation that changed after the raising of the reservoirs which made it necessary to add in two more locks un-numbered as “0”. The south fork of the Licking River entered the New Reservoir on the southwest end. Its spillway exited where it still does today. The fourth lock and final lock on the summit going south was called King Watson lock which sat lower than the Pugh and Minthorn locks at the canal level the same as Heath, miles away on the opposite end of the Licking Summit near Newark. From King Watson, the canal ascended to the Ohio River, 112 miles away. We have four locks on the summit, Heath, Minthorn, Pugh and King Watson. When the canal was opened, the summit consisted of only two locks, one at its northern end at Heath and King Watson at the opposite end beyond the Deep Cut of Millersport.
247-Today it’s hard to imagine that such a primitive mode of transportation was basically the only way to cross big streams and rivers. A ferry boat had eyelets which a rope passed through, or was tied to the craft. The rope was anchored deeply on the opposing banks of the river. The boat was pulled along by the use of a rope and poles to push. Their construction was generally huge timbers bound together as a floating platform which could float tremendous loads. Before a bridge was constructed in that vicinity, the ferry was the only way in-which to carrying goods from New Philadelphia into Lockport and visa versa. I understand a smaller suspension bridge came along later on in time which carried pedestrians at the ferry location and it was a toll bridge, owned by the ferry company. Another suspension bridge crossed the river up-stream at the corner of Bluebell and Front, which still may have some remains. Nothing remains of the ferry landing today that crossed from New Philadelphia into Lockport, even Ferry St. is gone. The Sr.416 Bridge marks the location where the ferry crossed the Tuscarawas River.
248-PORT WASHINGTON’S LOCK 17, WAS REMOVED IN 1949.The sad passing of the old Ohio lock at seventeen entered its final stages as bulldozers and other modern machinery scraped, leveled and filled what remained of the canal between SR.16 and the Pennsylvania Railroad in preparation of the new Route 36, July 8 1949.
Well over a hundred years old then, the canal was first put into use at Lock Seventeen in the early 1830s, and was the main trade artery in and out of Tuscarawas County. Its location at seventeen was ideal with the connection of the Pittsburgh, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroads.
The canals barely prospered from the 1870s up until 1913, but steadily, business was falling off in the later years and canal boats were far and between. The area was still a center for trade and commerce established throughout the previous canal years. After 1913, the whole canal fell into disuse; the floods rendered the Ohio & Erie Canal useless and will live on in memory as a vital part of Ohio’s past.
The towpaths were filled in and turned into hi-way. In a way, the canal still lives on, now roads, as automobiles, not canal boats travel the same routes. Most people would be unaware that towpaths cut the original passages through the state in which many major roads now pass right over. With the changing of the times to modernize Ohio’s routes to accept traffic instead of canal boats, it had its cost. Many of the historic structures at seventeen were removed for road expansion. The areas along RT.36 were hit harder than any other place when it comes right down to it. Miles of canal were filled and disappeared along with many historic structures between lock 17 and Roscoe Village with no regard for their historic value.
The general store which is gone now but was kept running up until 1925 by the late H.F. Heck who rented it as a residence until late June, 1949. The train bridge was removed along with the Fox home dwellings which both had connections to the lock.
With Lock Seventeen gone, its memory quickly began to fade away to join all the ones who centered their lives near this once thriving area along the Ohio & Erie Canal. Now, the 100 yard long town or village as you may call it has a sign well-placed as reminders as to what gave it its name a long time ago – the lock. A mighty structure still stands today, once a milling center, store and a center of life for so many, and stands proud as the tallest buildings in the area. The huge white Mill serves also as a solid reminder of the Ohio and Erie Canal that operated throughout the state and at Lock Seventeen.
Jeff Maximovich: The Johnny Appleseed of the Ohio & Erie Canal.
249-NASHPORT DIKE, DILLON LAKE & THE BLACK HAND GORGE. I’ve heard on many different occasions that Old Nashport sits below Dillon Lake. I find that hard to substantiate. My information tells of the Licking River being dammed as a flood control project that began in the 1930s. 30 million dollars and nearly 30 years later, Dillon Lake was a reality. The actual construction took 3 years. Through the years, wars and money shortages pushed the project back. Whether Old Nashport was covered, leaves concern. Usually the Corps of Engineers name lakes to match the closest town. If Nashport was below the lake it would have been called Nashport Lake. Why is the lake named Dillon Lake? In the early 1800s, Moses Dillon from Maryland migrated to the area attracted by the swift currents and rapids of the Licking River. Dillon was searching for an area to set up a mill and did so, creating not only a town but the largest foundry in the known world during those times. The surrounding hills were loaded with extremely rich iron ore.
The Nashport dike never covered any locks or structures. The dike covered the canal bed and its adjacent Canal Rd. Canal Rd. ran next to the canal from the area of the Wakatomika Aqueduct near Frazeysburg all the way across the valley ending at SR.146 called Zanesville Rd. Canal Road still runs parallel to the old canal bed south of the dike but is out of service. An alterative road was made by-passing the levee. Crossing SR.146 along the towpath reveals several foundations and scattered blocks throughout the woods. A mile or so further down the canal bed offers a few more block formations which I can’t identify. Further down, a concrete span sits near the canal along a hillside which is some type of a mud slide protection from the high hills above. This area of the Ohio & Erie Canal will prove to be the most difficult to traverse. You can’t go three feet without some type of blockage - be it thick brush or fallen trees, and the mud was like grease when I was in there. The poison ivy runs rampant along the towpath and the canal bed is filled with reeves once it began to run parallel along the Licking River. Formerly, the canal was on a southerly course but turned to a westerly course all the way into Newark along the river. The canal offers many unlisted culverts and other structures along the Licking River heading towards Toboso, still a few miles further west. When I walked this section, I was plagued with so many difficulties with the staggering humidity and insects that never let up. To top it off, it was nearly 100 degrees that day.
250-Waverly sits in Pike County along the old path of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Doing some preliminary investigation, we were down in that area a few years back while looking for lock 44 called the Stahler Bros. Mill. We spent the previous day in the area of the Higby plantation north of Waverly. Back then being our first time there in Waverly, we were not familiar with the area and had no idea the lock sat in a park, dead smack in the center of town. We asked a local police officer if he knew where lock 44 was. He claimed he had no idea what we were talking about. Then, Laura and I saw the lock over his shoulder about a block away. The officer replied, “I’ve been here for years and never knew that was a lock, I just thought it was a bunch of blocks.”
Lock 44 sits north of the Rt. 23 and Rt.104 split on 23. 104 runs through Pee Pee Township and is the course of the towpath into Portsmouth. Rt.23 runs opposite the Scioto and is not the path of the canal below Waverly. While you’re in Waverly, make sure to visit the basement of the local library. The wall of the Stahler Brothers Mill is part of its foundation and is still completely intact as you go into the basement by use of the steps. The southern end of town is alive with the essence of the canal days. Don’t forget to look in the upper windows of the Emmitt House Restaurant & Hotel just to see whose looking back at you.
The county seat was changed from Piketon to Waverly within 30 years after the canal arrived. The commerce established with the canal’s coming was the catalyst needed for James Emmitt to cloak his real intentions that were totally political and personal to move the county seat into Waverly, vacating Piketon. By doing so, it eliminated much of his opposition and those who were against his every move. James Emmitt is one of the founders of the Emmitt House. He was detrimental in developing Waverly in its early days. Waverly’s hey days were when the canal was active and later it thrived during the Civil War. James was the son of German and Irish immigrants who settled in Waverly in about 1816, about 15 years before the Ohio & Erie Canal came through. James Emmitt was a prominent figure in the economic growth of “his town”, Waverly. Emmitt was a well-known socialite and business man, well-known throughout the lower Scioto River Valley for a big part of the 19th century. He was a determined man who got his way. James Emmitt perfected the distillery process with knowledge brought over by his immigrant ancestral backgrounds. His distilleries spread as far as Chillicothe and had concerns in Circleville. Piketon was the county seat of Pike County since 1815 to 1860. James Emmitt wanted Waverly to assume this role and used his financial clout and circle of political friends to uproot and transpose the county seat to Waverly. This came with a lot of hostility, debate and controversy. Some accused him of shady dealings, but the main source of revenue in Pike County was Waverly, which was instrumental in the decision. James Emmitt won his battle for the county seat in 1860, leaving in his wake many hostile politicians who were determined to get even.
Emmitt secured a short visit to the Ohio House of Senate, serving only one term, and was never re-elected for obvious reasons, one being a potential investigation of the ruthless way he conducted business. Emmitt had many enemies from Circleville to Portsmouth, but his fortune bought many good friends. To oppose Emmitt would be disastrous for your commonwealth or business for he controlled what came in or out of the region as far as farm goods, and would shun your goods if you weren’t in his good favor and others followed suit, afraid of the wrath of Emmitt. He was the key figure in Waverly and in Pike County and used his fortune for any purpose, one of which was to usher the railways into the Scioto Valley, adding to his personal fame. His success came after the opening of the Ohio & Erie Canal that brought good financial fortune to him and to the people of Waverly. The canal enabled Waverly to enter a vastly richer market, allowing them to transport trade goods to points north and south up and down the canal. Waverly’s main product was grain, whiskey and distilled alcohol. He also had interest in the rich farmland of the Scioto Valley which grew his corn and wheat needed to operate his enterprise. His products made it as far as the shores of Lake Erie and all the towns along the lower Mississippi River and aided the Union Army during the Civil War, making him a millionaire. During the war, his products mainly moved by rail. By then, the tracks of the B & O Railroad closely followed the towpath of the Ohio & Erie Canal, crippling commerce on the canal.
Today, the Emmitt House is a main attraction in Waverly. It’s thought that Thomas Jefferson may have ties to the Emmitt House in that the carpenter (Madison Hemings) claimed to be the son of Thomas Jefferson. The Emmitt House hotel and restaurant, was a relief for the tired and weary canal travelers in its time, and still stands strong today as a restaurant. Go inside, it has some wonderful pictures of the canal era dotting the walls.
A point of interest: It’s said James Emmitt had a bridge constructed over the Scioto River eliminating the existing ferry. The new bridge was a toll bridge, giving access between Piketon and Waverly for which he footed the bill himself, to recover his cost by collecting tolls.
Following is a short history of Piketon. Piketon: A small post town and seat of justice for the above-described county of Pike. Pike County covers the areas of Mifflin, Sunfish, Pee Pee, Jackson, Beaver, Piketon and Seal townships. It was laid out in early 1815 on the eastern side of the Scioto River, 19 miles below or south from Chillicothe, on the great road leading from thence to Portsmouth, and 26 miles north from the last town mentioned. In the year 1806, on a western expedition of our country, Zebulon Pike discovered and named the gargantuan mountain on Colorado’s Front Range known as Pikes Peak. This discovery made such news and reviews; Pike County, Ohio was named in Zebulon Pike’s honor.
Some aspects of this story are pure hearsay and speculation as well as much of it is factual.
251-The first successful train engine was trialed in about 1829 here in the United States and its future was promising after a decade of rigorous trial and error. It wasn’t long until the United States was building steam locomotives which could out power their English predecessor’s designs. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad invented the “Tom Thumb” for an exhibition which soon went into production as a workable steam engine. A few years to follow, many prototypes were introduced, but the “Dewitt Clinton” class engine born of the New York Railroad became very popular and was favored among the American railways. The steam locomotives eventually picked up the name “iron horse” which more commonly was the name used in the western regions of the country. The steam locomotive could out perform a whole legion of horses with ease. This mechanical wonder definitely had something to work with as history has proved. Inventions are commonly known as “the mother of necessity” only because an easier way is always called upon to simplify things and use less manpower and beast alike getting the job done more efficiently. During Ohio’s early days, some of the smartest minds centered in Ohio implementing their ideas which in turn made us an industrial giant.
If the trains were introduced by the first quarter of the 19th century, there would never have been a need for a canal system. If the railroad would have laid its tracks first and operated for 25 years as the canal has done, and the canal proposal was put in front of the state’s legislation, the General Assembly would have laughed it off the floor.
Could the railroad have gotten off to an easy start if the canal didn’t come first?
The railroad would have faced the same problems except for digging the canal. It would have had to go through a similar clearing and excavating process. Railways would have been easier to complete rather than canals. Canals need reservoirs and basins to be dug and they have to hug their water supply and could only follow the natural course given by an adjacent river. If tracks were laid first, we would have towns born of the railways not of the canal, which may have taken a different course and many towns we have now could have been nonexistent had the railroad come first. While digging the canals, they couldn’t see the future or even comprehend a shift in transportation was on the horizon. The Canal Commission only secured a couple of feet of land beyond its towpaths. No one then could have envisioned that such an overwhelming competitor would follow in their footsteps.
Knowing what the future held, the railroad bought all the land along the towpath that wasn’t secured by the canal. The B & O Railroad was the first to run their tracks wherever and whenever it was possible to parallel the towpath. With the trains arrival, people soon forgot the canal and got caught up in the iron age of our young country. People by the droves went to witness the trains coming and going, fascinated by the mighty roar of the locomotives. Those days were the times of great excitement; with every day bringing a new and marvelous invention. Along with the trains came the telegraph in or about 1843 which in its earliest stages connected Washington to Baltimore. The telegraph soon connected our nation. The trains offered the whole nation a chance to see our great country. The canal offered nothing but problems leading into the 1870s and guaranteed a slow passage from point A to point B. By then, it was dubbed un-reliable, especially in southern Ohio when crops and perishables were often lost, and the boat captains as always were loaded with excuses. By then, the lessees of the canal at its corporate level were on the brink of financial disaster and it begin showing signs it was on the verge of going belly up in the late1860s when its board members began walking off. The more die hard and dedicated canawlers worked to keep the channel open and submitted the bills for their work to the lessors to go unpaid. The state unwillingly, took the canal over again in the late 1870s.
A group of six men leased the canal system in the early 1860s. One of them was Massillon’s Kent Jarvis who obviously made a bad decision. The new lease holders soon after couldn’t pay the lease nor make any substantial repairs on the system overall. Out of necessity, lock 13 on the Lockville staircase was overhauled during their reign. Most smaller repairs were done out of necessity which were breaches in the towpath. Technology arrived just in time for Ohio in the aspect of transportation in the form of the railroad, but it was already much too late for the Ohio & Erie Canal which was clearly much too slow and cumbersome to be of any further use. By then, the railroad had already been sinking its roots deeply into Ohio and was backed by the full strength and support of the State House. Forty years later in the early 20th century, the idea of converting the Ohio and Erie Canal (what was left of it) into a barge canal was put on the table in front of Ohio’s legislation. The idea was to have the Ohio and Erie Canal reborn to mimic New York’s State Barge Canal which was successful in comparison to Ohio’s canal systems. The idea nearly fell to the wayside, but, surprisingly they authorized some repairs only to the northern end only. In doing so, several northern locks and structures and the towpath were to be refurbished to keep the northern end operational as far as Dresden Junction at its southern end and Cleveland as its most northern point. The canal was to be a gateway to the Ohio River by way of Zanesville and Marietta using the Muskingum Improvement.
With the canal system being constructed before the railroads arrived, this surely made the coming of the railways so much easier with industry already established by the canal who preceded it.
252-Question: I was told during the Civil war, General John Morgan's Raiders, pillaged Cutler's Station, and other areas then fleeing home to nearby Kentucky.
Answer: His name was, Brigadier-General John Hunt Morgan. His first Ohio raid took place September 3 & 4, 1862, in Meigs County Ohio. His troops crossed the Ohio River at the Buffington Island Ford, retreating the same way. The term "the rebels are coming" is a product of Morgan’s Raiders. Look-outs would warn the southern Ohioan's, hence-forth the people hid their money and possessions. Morgan, took what he needed from the defenseless people who were stricken with fear. Morgan, cut telegraph lines, blew up bridges, and caused considerably damage to structures along the Ohio and Erie Canal. Morgan's Raiders pillaged Cutler's Station during their brief stay in Scioto County.
--Civil War Historian
253-The (Big Walnut) was a large easterly branch of the Scioto River. It rises in the northeastern quarter of Delaware County, and after running in a southwardly direction above 40 miles into the southeastern quarter of Franklin County, receives a stream from the east called Black Lick, and almost immediately below, Alum Creek from the west. With this accession of waters, it then turning southwestwardly flows nine miles further into the Scioto River, by a mouth of fifty yards wide. It is here called (Big Belly). This stream and its various branches irrigate and fertilize, perhaps, a rich and valuable body of land, as any in the western country. In Sunbury, a little eastward from this stream, is a spring to posses strong petrifying qualities. Even leaves and trees, after laid some time in it become completely petrified.
This above caption was pulled from an 1810, Ohio document. I find it extremely interesting, and I'll make it a point to investigate the petrified area of Sunbury soon. The (Big Belly) never crossed the Ohio and Erie Canal, but was close at canal mile 221. Mile 221, is where the Ohio and Erie, changes a direction, from a southwestwardly direction to a more southerly course after a long journey cutting diagonal across the state. The Lockbourne area of the canal, is at mile 221, sitting on both a westerly southwardly course
254-On September 25, 1831 on a warm evening, Canal Winchester was lit up with torches and lanterns awaiting the first boat to come down the canal making its way into town. "The boats are coming" was being shouted, boosting the anticipation of this marvelous event. Then a small lantern on the bow was visible coming from the southeast as the children ran along side. Out of the darkness came the first boat, the Cincinnati. Close behind was the Red Rover and the Lady Jane. The boats all stopped for the event and all aboard were treated as celebrities and given royal treatment. While there, the townspeople climbed off and on the canal boats and no-one was left out of the festivities. Even the mules were fed well. The following day, they left Canal Winchester and proceeded on to Lockbourne. In Lockbourne, the boats left the confines of the Ohio and Erie Canal crossing the Big Walnut Creek to travel the Columbus Feeder going north into the state capital. A much greater celebration was waiting for them in Columbus combined with fireworks and marching bands. In Canal Winchester and Columbus alike, the people had a big carnival and made a day of it along the towpath ushering in the changing times. This great celebration commemorated a start of new era and went on throughout the evening. Every stop along their maiden voyage attracted multitudes that came from miles around to celebrate and gaze upon this new modern marvel.
255-
How to find lock 55 near Portsmouth. It's fairly easy to locate. You could walk the north bank along the Ohio River west of the Scioto confluence eventually you’ll find it. Or go west on Rt.52 leaving Portsmouth heading towards West Portsmouth and look for a Volkswagen sitting high on a pole which advertises an auto wrecking establishment. Just beyond it turn left, you'll see a split in an old dirt road; take the left passing through or over a gate. Once there now you’re on the Old River Road. Follow the road and you’ll see it’s made of large sandstone blocks for quite a ways then they vanish. Stay on a direct course heading towards the river and the lock will be directly in front of you. This is quite an area to see. I recommend going later in the summer months, only because in the spring and early summer it’s much too soggy and the water may be up on the Ohio River. This road was the end of the line for many coming south on the canal to Portsmouth, or new beginnings for others going north. Either way this was a very important road during the canal era.
256-• INFORMATION AND VITAL STATISTICS OF NEW YORK'S CANAL SYSTEMS
Part (1) New York's canal systems are undoubtedly the grand daddy of all of the North American canals, dating back 270 years. Evidence has been found which dates back that far but who dug them? No one knows. To this day, many of the original canals that linked the Empire state are still in operation. In preparation of the proposed canal, funding had to be secured. The state funded the canals by selling bonds but they still fell short and relied on private investors. The United States Congress came to the rescue and backed the project. Many wealthy entrepreneurs dug and opened their own canals. By doing so, they linked up with the main branch of the Erie Canal. For some, this boosted their personal wealth and for some, it spelled financial disaster. As the years went on, branch canals opened and closed, but the main branch of the Erie Canal remained open. Eventually, connections were made with the Pennsylvania canals to their south which later connected to Ohio. New York has a lot to work with when it comes down to canal research. I'll list all of the canals that I’m aware of and then elaborate on a few of them. They are as follows:
Baldwinsville Canal
Black River Canal
Cayuga and Seneca Canal
Champlain Canal
Chemung Canal
Chenango Canal
Chenango Canal Extension
City Ship Canal
Clark and Skinner Canal
Crooked Lake Canal
Delaware and Hudson Canal
Erie Canal
Evans Ship Canal
Feeder Canals
Genesee Valley Canal
Gowanus Canal
Grand Canal
Harlem Ship Canal
Junction Canal
Little Falls Canal
Love Drainage Canal
Main and Hamburg Canal
Mohawk Canal
New York State Barge Canal
New York State Canal System
Oneida Lake Canal
Oneida River Improvement
Oswego Canal
Scottsville Canal
Seneca River Towpath
Shinnecock Canal (Long Island)
257-PART 2 The longest canal system in the world is the Grand Canal in China at 1,115 miles. The second longest canal was Indiana's Wabash and Erie which was the longest on the North American Continent in its time, 468 plus miles long. The New York canal system with its constant growth, took over the number two spot in the world, now at 524 miles. Originally, it was 363 miles long.
Before the opening of the New York's canal system, many men toiled for years through deplorable conditions to make Clinton’s dream a reality. Nearly all of the workers were Irish immigrants. When finally completed, New York's new water way connected the Buffalo and Tonawanda area near the Niagara River to Troy, located 363 miles east at the Hudson River. The original canal had 83 locks and 18 aqueducts. Through the years, the canal expanded 161 more miles, now 524 miles long. The Erie Canal went through many changes. One of them was the changing of times from mules to steam-powered boats, marking the beginning of a new age. Demand called for larger boats. This quickly brought on drastic renovations and several overhauls. In about 1860, the system went through a major reconstruction renovation making it larger, then in 1905-1918, further widening and deepening were called on and 26 locks were removed. The name was then changed from the Erie Canal to The New York State Barge Canal. About 75 years later, the name changed once again, now called The New York State Canal System.
When the canal proposal was introduced here in this country, the acting President, then Thomas Jefferson, said this idea is "a little short of madness". Then Dewitt Clinton, who wasn't yet governor of New York, pushed and pushed the idea to Congress who finally took a good look at the project. Money was in short supply then. Loans had to be arranged. Some were secured from abroad and along with the State of New York selling bonds and raising funds. Along with the financial support of Congress, it was enough to go forward and soon the digging began. DeWitt Clinton who was then the Mayor of New York City, had so much determination, he stood out above all of his opposition. He soon was elected and became the Governor of the great Empire State of New York. As the canal system was under construction, his opponents never missed an opportunity to laugh and give their disapproval and mock him when construction stopped or ran into problems. They called the slow moving and unfinished canal Clinton's Folly, hoping that he along with the canal would be a complete blunder. Well, the day finally arrived and the gates on the canal system opened. As the rushing water was filling the canal, his opponents were eating they’re personal pride. The canal was no less than an immediate success which picked up the commerce of New York, making it a leader among its neighboring states. His opponents, mostly attorneys and politicians, were silenced once and for all. They made such fools of themselves mocking Clinton, they were finished in the State of New York, losing so much credibility they brought on themselves. They had to eat their words. All of his opponents are unheard of today and none of their names are known. Dewitt Clinton, now that’s a name that will live on.
258-Part 3. Clinton’s proposal was approved. On July 4, 1817 in Rome, New York, this was the spot picked to remove the first shovel of dirt commemorating that day as the start of the greatest canal construction project ever in our country. After 8 years of back-breaking work, Clinton's dream was a reality. By then, Clinton was the Governor of New York State . October 26, 1825, the passage from Buffalo to Troy finally opened - the Erie Canal.
At its completion, people from all over the world came to New York State to see this modern-day marvel. New York now had a door to the west by use of Lake Erie. Lake Ontario made Rochester one of America's leading business centers and was noted as the fastest growing boomtown throughout the country. With the canal operating, goods from the states interior merged on Rochester as the passage to the Atlantic Ocean by way of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
New York was situated commercially better than its neighboring states. For one, New York had a major seaport - New York City. With the canal in full service, Rochester was considered a major seaport and exchange depot with the help of the internal canal system. The states eastern border was lined with several states - Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, all of which made use of the Erie Canal. The Hudson River connected to New York City and Troy and already had several well-established cities and towns along the river dating back before the Revolutionary War, far back to the colonial times. To the north was Lake Ontario and Canada and to the west were Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, Ohio and several of the Great Lakes. To its south from the lower tip of Seneca Lake is Watkins Glen. The Chemung Canal connected to Elmira along with the Junction Canal through the north branch of the Susquehanna River Canal out of Pennsylvania. Soon after opening, New York’ s canals would soon connect to the Pennsylvania canal systems. With that connection made, the Ohio and Erie Canal was now within reach. With Pennsylvania’s and Ohio’s canals finally completed, it would enable New York to reach as far as New Orleans by way of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
As the years passed, New York was hit with a hard blow and was forced to make sudden unforeseen changes when the trains arrived. This problem shut down many canal systems in all of their neighboring states and hit hard at home, but there was no way that New York would let this happen, letting Ohio and Pennsylvania being an example of what was to come. Through steadfast determination, its waterways stayed open. Initially, the state government actually forbade the trains to haul in certain areas at their early stages. This happened between Schenectady and Utica which caused a great uprising within the railroad commission. In a matter of time, even the most hardened canal backers could see the writing on the wall. They were resigned to the fact that technology had developed a more efficient way of moving freight but the state had no intentions of throwing away their money already invested in the canal with huge debts still owed. The State of New York wisely revamped the canal system for larger boat and barge traffic. The New York Canal system hung on for years to follow and never folded as the canals did in other states. While it was in service, it connected the great Empire state to the world market. In the end for the state of New York, the trains won the battle but not the war - it was won by the trucking industry. Today, the canal system is geared more towards the tourist trade.
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Verse on the stone as follows:
OUR TWO LITTLE DARLINGS HAVE GONE, OUR TWO LITTLE BROTHERS HAVE FLED. THEIR FACES NO MORE ON EARTH WE SEE. THEY DWELL AMONG THE DEAD.
Daily Times, August, 1874.
Monday morning, a very sad accident occurred near the Bolivar lock. Mr. George Smart has been employed as a lock tender there for a number of years and lives close by. On the morning in question, he went to the locks, accompanied by his two little boys and after pulling out the grass, he went on to Bolivar, telling his two boys to go home. They started, but it is supposed they stopped at a "waste-way" and in playing on a log, the younger fell in. In attempting his rescue, the older one was also drowned. The water was about four feet deep where the boys fell in and the younger being 4 and the other being about 8 years of age, could not get out. Their hats were discovered floating on the water about half an hour afterwards, and the bodies soon recovered but all attempts at resuscitating them were in vain. Both were bright little boys and the parents have the heart-felt sympathy of the community and their sad bereavement.
You'll find them in a cemetery in Bolivar, Ohio in the back of Wesleyan Church. The grave markers display the following names: Albert Ellsworth Smart 8 yrs, 4 mos, 26 days July 31, 1874 and George E. Smart 3 yrs, 9 mos. 27 days July 31, 1874.
They were found drowned in the Ohio Canal, at Canal Dover, Ohio where their father, George Smart was a lock tender. Rumor in the family, is that they were murdered by some older boys because they supposedly had found a teacher's diamond stick pin. That story was related to me by Louis D. Richardson.
260- Elizabeth Park was built along the Little Cuyahoga River. Its boundaries may have extended to the Ohio & Erie Canal. This area was also nicknamed Elizabeth Town back during the canal days. Elizabeth Park was built along the same time frame as Old Forge Field, formerly the Summit County Fairgrounds, and both were constructed back into the mid 19th century. The fairgrounds location changed after the flood of 1913 when the Little Cuyahoga River turned into a raging swift river which wasn’t too discriminate about what it destroyed, raising better than 20 feet. The fairgrounds moved into Tallmadge, Ohio. Elizabeth Park was once Akron’s showcase, a prominent area featuring the finest stonework and design. Back then, the park was a place to take your family to around 1850 for a nice outing. Elizabeth Park was where Akron’s more prominent arrived in their fancy buggies and the women showed off the styles of the day, a place where the unfortunate people of the shanty towns stayed clear of, being a captive to poverty. Before the 1913 flood, the landscape and smooth fields, the manicured walking paths were filled with excitement. The park started falling into disarray going into the 1870s as the canal was doing the same. Its up-keep fell to the wayside and by then Akron offered many more beautiful sites elsewhere. Elizabeth Park then was not a community of section 8 homes as now– it was a park, a place to get together for concerts, similar to Blossom Music Center – a place to leisurely stroll with your family. The park offered access to the neighborhood above, once a prominent area, through a long staircase that still remains today which led to Charles St., Dean St. and Turner St., etc. Another steep and long staircase leads up from Glenwood Ave to Waters Park, but today is unsafe for passage. Waters Park sits high above Elizabeth Park across from St. Thomas Hospital.
The two parks were built about 85 years apart. Waters Park was a gift given to Akron to take the place of the Elizabeth Park which was destroyed years earlier in the flood. It was to be used as a park and playground, given to the city by Frank Hyde Waters in memory of his wife Cora Swift Waters, and also the memory of his daughter Mary Waters Sneddon. The park was completed in 1934.
Who would believe that just west of Elizabeth Park was the worst slums Akron has ever known called “Little Dublin”. Akron’s unfortunate and poor made their shanty homes along and around the Little Cuyahoga and the Ohio & Erie Canal. Mostly, Little Dublin was along The Little Cuyahoga River. The river was favored so the unfortunate people who lived in the shanty town of Little Dublin could bathe, wash their clothes, fish – the water was much cleaner coming from the east than its byproduct after passing Little Dublin. They dumped trash and used it for bathroom duties throwing their feces in the water. The same water used for cooking and every day needs. Because of sickness the people learned to go upstream and get fresh water before it met the boundaries of Little Dublin. The fresh water was much cleaner than what the canal offered. To do these things along the canal, they would probably have been asked to leave. This was also the area of the Mustill Store and lock 15. These poor people lived in atrocious conditions which offered no sanitary provisions except for what the river offered. They couldn’t get any relief and had the black mark put on them, most of them being Irish. Akron, like many other areas along the canal and throughout the state stood behind these four letters and enforced the meaning –“I N N A” which meant IRISH NEED NOT APPLY, which meant no job opportunities and continual poverty. The diggers were treated with open arms when they arrived in Ohio to partake in digging the canal, when it was finished; they were shunned from the mainstream of life. When you’re starving, you will rob and steal and do what means are necessary to survive. This resulted in layers and layers of negativism towards these people. It took decades for the atmosphere to change towards the Irish people and today no one really knows the hardships imposed on them. After the flood come and gone in 1913 and things settled, the lower areas of Akron along the river were washed away. Hundreds of people lived in Little Dublin and the aftermath left many wondering where they ended up after the flood. There was no trace of Akron’s former shanty town, and all along the major rivers the thousands who lived in similar dwellings were swept away.
260- I'm going back out on the towpath and will resume this section of the website after May 3.2008
261- I was asked about four aqueducts in southern Ohio, Sunfish Creek Aqueduct being one of them in Pike County. The other three - Camp Creek, Bear Creek and Scioto Brush Creek Aqueducts are in Scioto County and are in that order going south. The question asked - what type of materials were the aqueducts constructed of. I’ve gotten people referring to them as wooden and others claiming block stone construction. After reviewing another publication for reference and after my own investigations, I strongly feel that stone was the choice of materials they were made of.
A culvert is a drain that goes below a road or a railroad track. Technically, that would not apply to the Ohio & Erie Canal. Now, let's look up the word "aqueduct". Aqueduct is a conduit for carrying running water, a structure that carries a canal over a river or a hollow. That would apply to the Ohio & Erie Canal. If we are to go by the Webster Dictionary, every structure along the canal that carries water can only be an aqueduct, according to our dictionaries. Culverts as a term, should be dismissed (my opinion). Through a lot of research and debate, I've come up with this thought concerning aqueducts, and some of it actually makes sense. If an aqueduct span is long and high above a river or ground, chances are the span will be constructed of wood with evenly spaced stone block supports. If the aqueduct span is long and low to the ground, a block structure was more than likely used. In canal terms, crossing a small stream, spillway or creek, the structure would require the use of a culvert. The structure over larger streams would require an aqueduct. Usually, culverts are designed with one single passage when used on the Ohio and Erie Canal. I know of a span which was originally a stone structure and was replaced in haste with a wooden and metal design up in northern Ohio. Furnace Run Aqueduct or culvert, originally stone block construction, was washed away around 1828 and was replaced with a steel and wooden construction. The original construction blocks still lay piled up on each side of Furnace Run. I've run into other crossings in southern Ohio that ended up wooden but probably started out as block.
There would be no reason why all of the aqueducts listed in Pike and Scioto Counties would be none other than stone construction. I also know that Dry Run Culvert was block. I viewed this before and after it was removed which was only a couple of years ago. Jasper guard lock was block as every structure through the lower end of southern Ohio was obviously also block stone construction.
262-Lets talk about ethics, back in the early days of the canal, many unmentionable dealings went on secretly. All of which were in direct correlation involving, the canal, the state and crooked land dealings. People were thrown off their land, Indians thrown onto reservations, to survive. Doesn't anyone ever wonder why they went? How about this eminent domain the henchmen scared land owners into selling, or loose it. Then vultures just like Alfred Kelley would buy the land, then selling back to the state making a huge profit. Alfred Kelley, the beloved "God" and Father of the canal, was no more than a common land swindler. He was probably the biggest bureaucracy criminal of all times here in Ohio. He and many others should have been jailed for monopolizing so many land deals, and they were put under review, and when no longer could pull it off any more, resigned from the Ohio and Erie Canal. Fortunes were again waiting to be made and established himself within the ranks of the Railroad, to restart his unscrupulous deals all over again. In the end Alfred Kelley was a millionaire. While Kelley was in charge of the railroads, nearly 80 railroads were chartered in Ohio, with only a forth of them ever evolved into any thing. Because of him and the example he sat, many robbed Ohio blind. The Board of Public Works and the Canal Commission, along with the Railroad, were put under severe pressure to change their ways of practice, and some were even charged with embezzlement in the 1850s by an appointed oversight board. Alfred Kelley was detrimental in bringing in the plunder act. If big business could provide two, thirds of the loan to start a business the state would provide the rest, and on paper everyone came up with their end. The Plunder Act was reformed, then revoked and finally removed costing Ohio Millions in lost revenue. None of this is neither made up or is fictional.
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To ask about Jacob Blickensderfer, gives me an opportunity to open up with some history about him and the area. Blickensderfer, a native from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania went west. He come to Ohio and after settling in Goshen Township which is situated just down the Tuscarawas River a bit from New Philadelphia around 1810 give or take, he immediately got into the forefront of things, one of which was politics. Jacob had several appointments to the county, some were prominent positions and he was a very influential man. During his life, he was elected Judge and County Commissioner. Blickensderfer battled with the Canal Commission trying to bring the canal into New Philadelphia but in the end, lost the battle. Blickensderfer and his brother held many land deeds and rights on the proposed path of the canal in the Dover area as well. They purchased land they hadn’t owned, knowing well the canal would pass through. They still made they’re fortunes by selling and leasing lands and water rights to the canal. In the end, the canal swung around New Philadelphia, instead, going through Blakesfield, ending up on the opposite bank of the Tuscarawas in Lockport, a stones throw across the river from New Philadelphia. Jacob was also a toll collector in Dover along the Ohio and Erie Canal. Blickensderfer’s mathematical skills were warranted to straighten out the financial concerns in Dover pertaining to toll collections. He tried pushing his political clout to bring the canal into New Philadelphia. To put the canal into New Philadelphia was looked over and became even less of an option when the canal commission’s findings greatly differed from what New Philadelphia’s surveyors had brought forth, who were hired by the prominent towns people of New Philadelphia. The findings backed by the Canal Commission brought out the obvious terrain difficulties. This led to financial concerns by the state who felt the area had several strikes against it, one of which was hard-nosed politicians one of which was Blickensderfer, and a huge cost overrun to complete a task in an area which was also prone to flooding and constant repair brought on by the river. In the end, connecting the canal into town would have been a cost over-run of monumental proportions. To cross the river to enter New Philadelphia would have left freight movement at the mercy of the unpredictable weather and the Tuscarawas River, which could bring all the canal movement south of New Philadelphia to a halt. If the canal was put into New Philadelphia, this would have left a rather long slackwater crossing to re-enter the canal miles down stream. Then the concern was raised that often the river is swift and dangerous and boats could get swept away in the currents. The boats after passing through town on a side cut, would have had to leave the canal and be pulled or floated to an area further south to re-enter the canal at Trenton using the feeder as a byway, an area where the canal boats could re-enter at the same level. The Tuscarawas River would have been the link of the canal or a linear slack water crossing. This practice of using the river for a slack water section worked well on the Sandy and Beaver and other systems later on. In the case of the New Philadelphia canal proposal, the canal boats would re-enter downstream at Trenton. At the time of the canals route and planning and surveying, there was so much heated debate stemming from the argument that was totally outrageous coming from New Philadelphia’s end as far as the Canal Commission was concerned. The thought to bring the Ohio and Erie Canal into town crossing the river and exiting using the river was thought to be absurd. Ironically, this ended up happening a few years after the opening of the Ohio and Erie Canal, when New Philadelphia contracted out and dug their own canal called the Lateral by backing up the Tuscarawas River at the Baker dam. The idea was to use free river water, not expensive canal water. By doing so they could shrug off paying an impending water usage tax. If an aqueduct would have been implemented to carry water over from the main branch of the canal system, New Philadelphia may have to have paid a pretty hefty price to use its water. The real reason the main branch of the canal never tied into New Philadelphia was simple, New Philadelphia's lower end sat at a lower elevation than the Ohio and Erie Canal. The river dropped elevation substantially before the first bend coming into New Philadelphia ¼ mile before the rapids and more so after all the way to the Hilton Dam. Baker dam was built at the rapids. The dropping river created an obvious concern, and it alone, was enough to be the deciding factor to go around instead. Even if the canal planners wanted to hook up and continue the canal at the Lockport area and not loop around to the west as it did, it would have been impossible to install locks on the opposite side of the river. What held this back more than anything - there was no water in the area of Lockport to work the necessary locks needed to lift the boats at least twenty feet out of the river back into the canal, or to restart another canal. All of these things were considered before the determination was made to go around New Philadelphia. Jacob Blickensderfer boasted and claimed he still got the canal to go through Goshen to save face. He lost the war to put the canal on the northern bank of the river but claimed to have won a battle in their best behalf. To the people of the area, he was still a hero for bringing the canal so close to New Philadelphia. Little did everyone know, but it was necessary that the canal go through the area of Lockport and Goshen anyhow, hugging the Tuscarawas River by design. This story was put together after numerous interviews and combing the available archives.
264-I found it long ago, on a 1860s Akron directory coming through the Akron Rural Cemetery. I didn’t go into Glendale Cemetery looking for it either. Wilcox run, tied into the Ohio and Erie Canal at Market, Street, and a little further south. Today Wilcox Run, runs below ground along Glendale St. Back in the 1970s, Wilcox Run made headlines, when it exploded along with the sewer system throughout that area exposing graves at the cemetery.
265-Hello Canalwayman. I wish to start out by saying that we follow your work and visited several sights that have been made easier to locate with your help. One of these areas would be the exact location where the Bolivar Aqueduct crossed the Tuscarawas at Bolivar joining the Sandy and Beaver to the Ohio and Erie Canal. This was one of many excursions that my wife and I set out on indulging into the rich history of our canal systems. I wish to point out something, Canalwayman in the past worked has with us one- on- one, supplying the best route and a rich full history lesson, just by a simple email request. Mr. Maximovich has a strong knowledge base of the P&O and the Sandy and Beaver Canal systems as well
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I was emailed last evening about the Jones lock 12 in Tuscarawas County and a waste weir just north of it at the Boy Scout camp on Route 800. The concerned party asked me of the layout of the surrounding area of the locks former placement, and found it hard to envision a lock ever being there at all.
Perhaps the best descriptive information on the lock 12 sight lies in a painting that I retrieved a few years back. Go back to my home page and click on “The Lock System of the Ohio and Erie Canal”, and then click on the number 12 in the 3rd column to the left and view the painting. The second picture in the lock 12 framing is Carl Shriever, who is responsible for the locks removal years ago, which a story in itself is. I had a long talk with Carl and his sons who filled me in on the whole story of lock 12. I was also told that they lost a little girl who fell into the lock and drowned and later on in time the wooden bridge which spanned the lock was giving away and he blasted the walls in and some of the lock still remains below his yard. He filled in the small basin and covered the tumble.
The weir up at the Boy Scout camp to lock 12s north has a rather long spillway that was part of the canals flood control. That spillway led directly back to the Tuscarawas River. To look that structure over reveals that it was manned and within the structure it had an adjustable wooden slide door slid up and down that regulated the canal.
Ironically another water control fixture sits on the opposite side of the canal in the same general area of the weir which was also man controlled. None of the two mentioned operated automatically as a fixed weir was designed for. The other water control gate supplied the water for the channel which ran around to the west of lock 12 and went over the spillway tumble to keep the canal in motion. Ill soon post a complete story on lock 12, and its historic past.
267-267-I was looking over your information and I wondered why there was never a mention about the lock on the Trenton Feeder. We visited the sight today and found it intriguing to say the least. Was this a new discovery on your behalf? There were people back in there on 4 wheelers who had no idea what the structure once was.
268-Up until the time that I made mention about the lock on the Trenton Feeder, I never heard or read anything of its whereabouts. How that lock came to be was with the connection of Uhrichsville to the Ohio and Erie Canal. On the Trenton Feeder, a lock was put in place which dropped the canal boats into a pool which was cut into the western bank of the Tuscarawas River. From there, the boats were pulled across the river and entered the mouth of Stillwater Creek. I’ve been back and re-studied this area recently and my findings may differ from my original findings on the subject of a slackwater crossing. The standard slackwater crossing has a calm pool of water that’s backed up by a dam. This makes the transition rather smooth crossing a river or stream. I can’t find anywhere where a dam was in the river, or even a trace. The water in that area is swift and pulling a boat across to the eastern side and back may have been quite a task in high water conditions. Walking both banks extensively revealed no traces of any structures of any type which might indicate a walk bridge or anything. The area has some giant oaks and other trees and more than likely back then, trees similar to these were used to tie off to or used for assistance when crossing. Stillwater Creek was groom dredged and manicured to accept canal boats that could make passage into Uhrichsville and Dennison along Stillwater Creek. They both wanted to be connected to the main line of the Ohio and Erie Canal system. The only mention of Uhrichsville is listed within another publication but is spelled differently with no mention of how the crafts entered in either direction. The entire region of the Trenton Dam and Feeder was quite a puzzle to figure out. From the area of the dam, the manmade waterway cuts the landscape in a southwesterly direction away from the river, but it meets the river again further down as the Tuscarawas swings around to the southwest. The water way which led away from the dam was the diversionary river for the dam’s construction so the water could pass around the work sight. All of the land between the diversionary river and the Tuscarawas River was named Moose Island.
I feel as if I re-discovered the lock on the Trenton Feeder and photographed it also. I’m certain that hundreds have stumbled across it in the past, oblivious to what it was. I was told by a central Ohio Historian that there was no such lock on the Trenton Feeder because he never found it. Since my discovery he has changed his thoughts on it. According to a few other canal historians, I found locations which were lost. Let Webbsport lock 19 be a good example with its southern wall still intact.
269-Recently, I and others researched the section of ground on foot from Port Washington going west into Newcomerstown checking for the lock placements. Unfortunately for my party and me, we came up empty and located nothing all the way to Buckhorn Creek on the far side of town. Would you dictate a detailed description so we can find the same locks in your pictures?
270-To the Cosley family who enjoy outings investigating old sites of the Ohio & Erie Canal. They made an inquiry about the Columbus Feeder. My response is as follows. The Columbus Feeder confluence at the Ohio & Erie Canal would be nearly indistinguishable today. Rowe Rd. is a main road through Lockbourne which now sits directly on top of where a basin sat at the connection. The guard locks are still there and can be viewed from high above on the road and are in deteriorating condition. This area is somewhat grown over but you can make out the connection if you visualize a little bit and use your imagination. Today, a stream runs through the guard locks that didn’t back in the canal era. This is runoff which comes from the Rickenbacker Air Force base. This stream comes from an underground tunnel which is very eerie-looking and can be viewed next to the mobile home at lock 29 on Lockbourne Rd. Lockbourne Rd. wasn’t present during the early canal era. You asked if there are any dangers in that particular area. I presume you’re planning on going down into it. When I was in there, the whole area seemed to be infested with black snakes and water moccasins, so wear deep water waders. The mud is very slippery like grease and you’ll sink to your waist if you’re not careful. I would wait till late summer when everything dries up which makes it safer all around.
The Cosley’s visited Canal Winchester and were disappointed and brought out the fact that this canal town who advertises being a prominent canal town, has nothing to offer reminiscing the days of the Ohio & Erie Canal.
Canal Winchester. This area dismantled all of its canal history except for what might be hanging on a wall or sits in the Lithopolis Library which is nearby. For the average weekend explorer, Canal Winchester would look empty, especially with regards to canal memorabilia and structures. It does have remnants of the interurban railroad but for an explorer who knows how to dig it, it has a lot to offer. The park in town on Groveport Rd. is loaded with the huge blocks which once made up the locks from the region. The canal to the east, is still intact in many places and the basins around where Waterloo was, are still visible. West of town, Rogers Hanners ball field, has a corner of a lock at the entrance and some seem to think a lock is still buried intact under the huge mound out front and I’ll admit it, that mound has the correct dimensions. I cannot say it is and I can’t say it isn’t. Going west on Groveport Rd. after Gender Rd., the blocks which made up locks 20 and 21, line George’s Creek at the entrance to the Glenarda Horse Farms. Just across the road and slightly west, a culvert still sits intact which is in really good condition. Make sure to go a little further west a few miles into Groveport. Turn right onto Blacklick St. Blacklick Park holds lock 22 which has been reconditioned recently. Canal Winchester wasn’t thinking into the future when they destroyed their nearby locks. Locks 20 and 21 were removed by the man who resides in the white house just west of Gender Rd. on the right side. The tracks of the interurban railroad came out near the same time the locks came out, as I’ve been told, but the truth of the matter – Canal Winchester had no locks within its city limits during the canal era – they were to the west. This town is divided by Fairfield and Franklin Counties.
271-Good morning: Last weekend was the perfect day to investigate. With us living in Lancaster puts us fairly close to the mother canal in the area. Not much remains of our canal, the Lancaster Lateral Canal which once thrived. Just down the road, Lockville Park is somewhat interesting, although I’m puzzled. One of the lock's make a statement engraved in marble, this statement is to the effects that in July 1862 the lock was built. Was this another lock that was added in for one reason or another? Please explain.
--William
272- The answer to the above posting. The marble engraved plaque in question read as follows: BUILT JULY, 1862 THE LESSEES OF THE PUBLIC WORKS. SAMUEL DOYLE, CONTRACTOR, N.E. BYERLY, STONE MASON, H.E. BUTIN, FOREMAN.
That’s not really saying a whole lot. The original construction of lock 13 happened better than 30 years earlier as the canal was being built. As the plaque reads, “the lessees of the public works” – that phrase should have been more descriptive or at least now have a plaque there doing so. The lessees were the group of six men who were swindled into taking over the canal by the state of Ohio around the opening of the Civil War. They were led to believe good fortune and grandeur awaited them, but what were really waiting for them were extreme canal repairs. During the years the canal was leased this particular lock in question absolutely fell apart and collapsed in and caused the canal to run low which mudlarked the boats all the way back to the Licking Reservoir. The lock drastically needed rebuilt. Money was short and with the Civil War raging on and traffic was very slow on the canal. Somehow, the group of six rebuilt only one lock on the Ohio & Erie Canal and it was lock 13, right there in Lockville Park. The construction started in early spring, 1862, and finished in July. Once repaired, the canal was again opened for travel but boats were few and far between because the railways were now on the agenda for moving freight throughout the state leaving the canal in its wake.
The Ohio & Erie Canal was considered the crown jewel of the state of Ohio when it finally opened and started waking up Ohio’s slumber economy. Three decades later, Ohio’s legislatures wanted to be rid of the canal and needed a way out from under the costly repairs it called for, but at the same time Ohio didn’t want it to seem as if they were turning their backs on what was left of the canal fleet along the Ohio & Erie Canal and other canals, but in reality were doing just that. Ohio sold the same ideas word for word which were sold to them years before the canal was still in its planning stage, now to a group of entrepreneurs who should have known better than to take a gamble on this nearly dead waterway. Altogether, the Ohio & Erie Canal lived 88 years. By its 30th birthday, it reached its peak and was growing old in structure and integrity and usage. Ohio didn’t want to deal with it any more, by then the state leaned towards the railroad. Alfred Kelly who was known as one of the leading fathers of the Ohio & Erie Canal from its conception, he jumped ship. As the times changed so did high ranking positions. Kelley by then was Ohio’s railroad commissioner who only lived a short time longer, dying in 1863 during the Civil War. To sum all this up, that lock as built during the original construction and was never one added in as you may have suggested, but was rebuilt in the Civil War era.
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-POSTAL ROUTES AND- PART ONE - In the early days of the postal service, not only throughout our country but here in Ohio, it was in complete disarray, brought on by many reasons – one of them being Ohio more than any of its neighboring states, was covered by a dense, thick forest in which the canopy above blocked out the sunlight. I know first-hand of this – it can be 3 o’clock in the afternoon and you would swear it was 9:30 at night and the sun was going down. The Post Master General in the last years of the eighteenth century (1700s), were desperately looking for new routes. Their intentions were not to use the primary established Indian trails for many reasons which I will reveal later. The postal service did use the military campaign trails used against the Indians in fighting battles. The most known trails throughout this wilderness were the Indian trails and Ohio had at least a dozen good, well-established trails blazed by the native Indians for centuries. Some of the trails extended from Fort Pitt to Sandusky, from Detroit to Portsmouth and Cleveland to Marietta. I wish to point out that the Ohio & Erie Canal followed a pre-designated trail made by the Indians. It wasn’t a scientific endeavor! Other trails were the Ohio River to the Upper Sandusky which is now in part, Rt. 104. Another great Indian trail was the Maumee and Great Miami trail which connected Lake Erie at Toledo to Cincinnati. These were the early routes of our postmaster here in Ohio. In the late 1790s, Zane’s Trace opened for use from a point in Virginia called Wheeling – now West Virginia. The state was divided up after the Civil War. A post road was to be free of any tolls for the postmaster and the same goes for ferry crossings at our major rivers. In many cases, the site of a ferry crossing was the end of one postal route to begin another. Up north, crossing the Western Reserve going west, was a route that ended up at the Tuscarawas and Cuyahoga Rivers. In southern Ohio, the Muskingum and Hocking Rivers were used as sections of the postal route. For instance, the three most well-known areas through central Ohio were divided by rivers. Marietta to Zanesville was one, with the Muskingum River dividing the next section which went as far as the Hocking River. From there, they followed a trail from Lancaster to Maysville, Kentucky, formerly Limestone, Kentucky. I wish to point out that Maysville, Kentucky was not on the Scioto River as other publications have portrayed it to be, but on the Ohio River instead. PART TWO WILL FOLLOW
PART TWO- PART TWO- The first post office to be established in Ohio was on the western bank of the Hocking River in Lancaster. The post master general was English descent whose name was Samuel Coates, Sr. the Scioto River was the division of the east and west of routes at Portsmouth. Portsmouth was there long before the state of Ohio was entered into the Union as a French trading post for which it has a little area there in town called Frenchtown, and its cemetery is filled with the French dating back to the 1700s. During the times of the early days of Ohio, undoubtedly there were hostile times and conflicts between the Indians and the white man. Because of this, many post carriers never returned. Ohio was a vast wilderness, nearly impassable. The postal carriers feared using the designated Indian trails and by not doing so, often got lost and lost their lives to the elements. For the many of those who did take the trails, the Indians would wait and slaughter them. This was a problem that existed all over our young country. The Pony Express ran from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California and was plagued by constant Indian attacks. Some say this is the reason the Pony Express failed but this is totally untrue. The Pony Express, if it had originated 20 years earlier, would have been a total success, but its untimely arrival was the same time as the trains arrived which put them out of business. Although the Pony Express failed, it lives on today under the new name of the long and everlasting Wells-Fargo. Did the canal boats carry mail? Yes, they did, from all the points north and south up and down the state. My information leads to me to believe that the state boats handled the mail back in the early days. Along the canal, not all mail needed postage which was another way of delivering mail, by simply putting the letter in the hands of a boat captain or a verbal message, which always seemed to get through. Needless to say, the verbal message might have changed a dozen times by the time it was relayed to the receiving party. For instance, that hog you may have wanted to purchase miles to the south, may have been relayed as hamster! The postal service fell into the same beliefs that a canal boat could leave Cleveland and 80 hours later be on the Ohio River. This speedy mode of transportation excited them and mail was hauled along the Ohio & Erie Canal. Also, stage coaches carried mail also, all of which once again were put out of business with the coming of the railroad. Neither the stage coaches nor the canal could operate on a timely, tight schedule as the railroad. I hope this answered your inquiry about the postal service.
273- The postal description above of our early years seems to be well in order. I've read every publication about the O & E and your book leans towards a story line, which in return, makes it interesting. I read in another publication, where it makes the claim Maysville Kentucky was situated along the Scioto River as the outer boundary of a postal route. Your posting brought that minor inaccuracy to life and you made a point of leaning on the sentence that involved the correction you obviously had caught. All books have problems, some more than others. When can we expect to find your next book?
--History, let’s keep it straight!
274- I read something of yours a while back about some town or village in central Ohio which had magical waters or something along those lines. Could you relay that passage again?
275-in response to 269. Many areas throughout the original path of the Ohio and Erie canal have changed so much, it's hard to visualize the former waterway was there. When you and your party were investigating along Sr. 36 from Port Washington to Newcomerstown chances would be you come up empty handed. The small village of Lock Seventeen was the former home of lock 17. Lock Seventeen was a busy area with its milling operation and mercantile store at its location, that lock was removed in 1949. State Route 36 can lay claim to several lock locations, only a few still exist. On 36 once sat locks 17, 18, 19,20,23,24 and 25. Locks 21 and 22 were in the Newcomerstown area. Out of that list only locks 18 and 25 are still on route 36, lock 22 has its northern wall intact as you're exiting Newcomerstown leaving Tuscarawas County going into Coshocton County. Bremer Lock 18 is on the southern side of the road miles to the west of Lock Seventeen. You'll pass the Glasgow Furnace works on the right using that sight as a landmark. Just as you're approaching the hill you've arrived at the area of lock 18, look for a historic marker on the left and backtrack slightly to the east, the lock is buried in next to the second driveway from the bottom of the hill going east. If you follow the canal or small stream it will eventually lead to the ruins of lock 19 which is nestled in the deep woods next to the Rt. 36 hill. To continue on foot will keep you and your party in the canal bed as it widens and heads west, to continue on the canal it passes below I-77 through 2 long concrete tubes which carry water. Beware; these tubes are loaded with life, home too many creatures. Passing I-77 you’ll pass McDonalds and a few other places making your way to the next lock placement. Lock 20 the Garfield lock sat below the Route 258 connection to 36 about 50 yards off of 36 to the western side of the intersection, it's gone without a trace. I hoped this will give a detailed picture of the lock placements along that stretch.
276-Hey canalwayman ,were you aware that Chillicothe is built over an Indian Mound and the town itself was built over an Indian village called Old Chillicothe?
277-I have a lot on Chillicothe and its earliest beginnings. Old town; an old Indian town was 12 miles northwestwardly from the Chillicothe as we know.
About the mound, I’ll forward a passage concerning it. This piece comes from a 1912 topographical map of Ohio. I won’t give the entire passage for it’s much too long.
In the midst of town on the south side of Paint St, lately stood a towering semi globular mound, stupendous remains of antiquity. By the owner or owners, preferring the pecuniary value of the ground for building lots, to a preservation of it as a curiosity, have it removed it, for the purpose of erecting buildings on its site.
It’s quite possible that the mound in question is an ancient burial ground that Chillicothe has erected a town over. I knew of this from reading the history on the area .Many areas were destroyed in the name of progress, they had no idea of the history they were destroying while doing so. Circleville could have covered and destroyed more than any other location throughout our state when the planners leveled the Circular Fort which no-one yet could actually explain its origin. With this piece of history gone we’ll never really understand what it actually was or who built it.
278-Nathaniel Massie was a surveyor and land developer who helped to organize the Virginia Military District in Ohio in the years after the American Revolution.
Massie was born in Goochland County, Virginia in 1763 and came to Kentucky to farm some land owned by his father in 1783. Trained as a surveyor, Massie was responsible for founding some of the earliest communities in the Virginia Military District in the Northwest Territory. In 1790, he surveyed the site of his first settlement, Massie's Station (now known as Manchester) along the Ohio River. He used this town as his base as he moved farther into the region. Commonly, Massie received a portion of the land he surveyed in payment for his work and, as a result, became a large landowner.
In 1796, Massie laid out a town on the Scioto River called Chillicothe. This community grew quickly and became a center of political life in the Northwest Territory. Massie chose to settle in Chillicothe, along with other influential men such as Thomas Worthington and Edward Tiffin. These three men became involved in territorial politics as members of the Democratic-Republican Party and served in the territorial legislature. Massie commonly opposed the policies of the territorial governor, Arthur St. Clair.
St. Clair's supporters wanted to divide the Northwest Territory so that it would have been much more difficult for Ohio to become a state. Massie, Worthington, and other Democratic-Republicans petitioned Congress to have the original provisions of the Northwest Ordinance stand. These men were successful and in early 1802, Congress voted against the division bill.
Ohio statehood was achieved. When the new government was organized in 1803, Massie became speaker of the Ohio Senate. In 1806, voters elected him to the House of Representatives. In 1807, Massie ran for governor against Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. Massie received fewer votes than Meigs, but Meigs was ineligible for the office. The General Assembly declared Massie the winner, but he refused the position. The president of the Ohio Senate, Thomas Kirker, became governor.
Following his campaign for governor, Massie withdrew from politics. He fought in the War of 1812 and led a detachment to the relief of Fort Meigs. Nathaniel Massie died of pneumonia on November 3, 1813.
279- I follow this site and over the last few days several entrees have popped up about Chillicothe and its mounds which were un-earthed and destroyed. Due north of town was the site of many mounds which met there fate when the canal come along, then were further more destroyed when the first world war built recruitment camps all over the nation. Camp Sherman sat north of the City which bordered the former Ohio & Erie Canal, both of them took there toll on the Indian mounds at Mound City.
Yoctangee Park ( 39°20′20″N, 82°59′04″W) is a public park in Chillicothe, Ohio adjacent to the Historic First Capital District. City Park was the official name of the park from its establishment in 1875 until it was changed to Yoctangee Park sometime in the 1890's by William H. Hunter.
The name Yoctangee is a Native American word for "paint", a reference to the skin and clothing pigments of the culture native to the area.
The park was once known as the "Old Bed" of the River, or the "Island", because the old Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad (now the Baltimore and Ohio) built an embankment to redirect the Scioto River, leaving a marshy river bed with an island left in the center where the river once flowed through the park. For twenty years afterwards Chillicotheans attributed the chills and fever and the shaking ague to the overgrowth in the park, and every epidemic of malaria was attributed to the area, considered a plague spot.
The "Old Bed" is a part of the original Ebenezer Zane Section. This man of history is the one who blazed the trail from Wheeling to Maysville, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, under a contract with the Government, that for his services in laying out the large highway, he was to receive, at the crossing of every navigable stream, a full section of land at Wheeling one near Lancaster, and one down on the Ohio River across from Maysville, he was given a patent right by the United States of America to a plot of ground, on February 14th, 1800, and surveyed the required area which ran Northwardly for the South bank of the old Scioto River, between what are now Bridge and Mill Streets, and Northwardly, almost up to Hopetown. Zanesville got its name from Ebenezer Zane, and Zane's Trace and Trail is to become a National Pike. After the Civil War, Chillicothe's newspapers regularly had communications from citizens and physicians, demanding that the great nuisance of the "Old Bed" had to be abated. There came a demand for the acquirement of this spot by the city, for the purpose of draining and cleaning up this pestilential and poisonous cesspool.
To finance the purchase of the property, Honorable John H. Putnam member of the Ohio Legislature from this city, had a special Act passed, whereby the municipality had a right to levy a tax for the purchase.
It appears that out of the virulence of the miasma and much shaking for ague, grew the demand for a clean-up of the unhealthy zone, and contemporaneously there happened to be an abnormal amount of unemployment, so that when the proposition was put to the Council to eradicate the evil, there were willing hands.
As you can see, the main stem of Paint Creek originates in London, Ohio located in Madison County. Eventually, the main stem of Paint Creek connects with Sugar Creek and Rattlesnake Creek before emptying into Paint Creek Lake near Greenfield, Ohio. Paint Creek then meanders west toward Chillicothe, Ohio where it empties into the Scioto River. The Scioto River flows southward toward Portsmouth, Ohio where it empties into the Ohio River. To be able to see a more complete view of the Paint Creek.
Chillicothe was the name of several historic towns in Ohio. The word is from the language of the Shawnee Indians. It was the name of one of their clans. The principal leader of the Shawnees could only come from the Chillicothe clan. When a village was called Chillicothe it meant that it was home to the principal leader. It was the capital city of the Shawnees until the death of that person. Then the capitol would move to the home village of the next person selected to lead. That village would then become Chillicothe.
One Chillicothe was located on the site of the modern city of Piqua. Another was on the Scioto River south of Circleville at, or near, modern-day Westfall. A third Chillicothe was approximately three miles north of Xenia. When the Shawnee Indians captured Simon Kenton in 1778, the Indians brought him to this town. A fourth Chillicothe was at Frankfort along Paint Creek in Ross County. A fifth Chillicothe was at Hopetown, three miles north of present-day Chillicothe.
Chillicothe was the name of several historic towns in Ohio. The word is from the language of the Shawnee Indians. It was the name of one of their clans. The principal leader of the Shawnees could only come from the Chillicothe clan. When a village was called Chillicothe it meant that it was home to the principal leader. It was the capital city of the Shawnees until the death of that person. Then the capitol would move to the home village of the next person selected to lead. That village would then become Chillicothe.
One Chillicothe was located on the site of the modern city of Piqua. Another was on the Scioto River south of Circleville at, or near, modern-day Westfall. A third Chillicothe was approximately three miles north of Xenia. When the Shawnee Indians captured Simon Kenton in 1778, the Indians brought him to this town. A fourth Chillicothe was at Frankfort along Paint Creek in Ross County. A fifth Chillicothe was at Hopetown, three miles north of present-day Chillicothe.
Modern Chillicothe was Ohio's first state capitol, but it was never the site of a former Shawnee town. In 1796, Nathaniel Massie laid out the town on the Scioto River. This community grew quickly, becoming a center of political influence within the Northwest Territory. Massie himself chose to settle in Chillicothe, along with other influential men in the territory, such as Thomas Worthington and Edward Tiffin. The town originally consisted of 456 lots. Massie promised to give away one hundred lots to the first settlers. By late 1796, several taverns, stores, and artisan shops had been built. In 1798, Ross County became incorporated with Chillicothe as the county seat. In 1800, the territorial capital moved to Chillicothe, and in 1802 as Ohio moved toward statehood, the city hosted the Ohio Constitutional Convention. Chillicothe became Ohio's first state capital. The reasons why Chillicothe played such an important role in early state government were its central location as well as the prominent men, like Tiffin and Worthington, who resided in the town. The city continued as Ohio's capital until 1810, when state government moved to Zanesville. The capital returned to Chillicothe two years later, only to move to Columbus, forty-five miles to the north, in 1816.
During the 1800s, Chillicothe became a busy economic center. While agriculture was the backbone of the local economy, other industries, especially papermaking, contributed to the town's prosperity. In 1831, the Ohio and Erie Canal connected Chillicothe more closely with other parts of the state, expanding the city's markets. Chillicothe entered the railroad age in 1852, when the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad entered the town. As the railroad acquired new owners, including the Cincinnati, Washington, and Baltimore Railroad Company and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, Chillicothe residents acquired even more markets for their goods. Usually, railroads quickly drove canal companies out of business. The principal reason for this was that railroads could transfer people and supplies at a much quicker rate and for a cheaper price than the canals. In the case of Chillicothe, however, the railroads and the canal peacefully coexisted. The railroads generally ran from the East to the West, while the canal handled business from the north to the south. The canal remained in operation until 1907, when a flood severely damaged it and forced it to close.
World War I contributed immensely to Chillicothe's growth. In 1917, the United States government established Camp Sherman on the outskirts of the city. Within a few months, more than two thousand buildings had been built. They housed soldiers in training for duty in World War I. The city's population swelled from sixteen thousand people to approximately sixty thousand people practically overnight. Today, Camp Sherman does not exist.
From about 200 BC to AD 500, the Ohio River Valley was a focal point of the prehistoric Hopewell culture. The term Hopewell (taken from an early farmer who owned the land where one of the mound complexes was located) describes a broad network of beliefs and practices among different Native American groups over a large portion of eastern North America. The culture is characterized by the construction of enclosures made of earthen walls, often built in geometric patterns, and mounds of various shapes. Visible remnants of Hopewell culture are concentrated in the Scioto River valley near present-day Chillicothe, Ohio. The most striking Hopewell sites contain earthworks in the form of squares, circles, and other geometric shapes. Many of these sites were built to a monumental scale, with earthen walls up to 12 feet high outlining geometric figures more than 1000 feet across. Conical and loaf-shaped earthen mounds up to 30 feet high are often found in association with the geometric earthworks.
Mound City, located on Ohio Highway 104 approximately four miles north of Chillicothe along the Scioto River, is a group of 23 earthen mounds constructed by the Hopewell culture. Each mound within the Mound City Group covered the remains of a charnel house. After the Hopewell people cremated the dead, as they burned the charnel house their practice was too construct a mound over the remains. They also placed artifacts, such as copper figures, mica, arrowheads, shells, and pipes in the mounds.
The site was first mapped in the 1840s, but much of it was destroyed during World War I when sprawling Camp Sherman, a military training base, was constructed on the site. In the early 1920s, the camp was razed and the mounds recreated. In 1923, the Mound City Group was declared a National Monument, administered by the Federal government. In 1992, Mound City Group became Hopewell Culture National Historic Park, along with the remnants of four other nearby earthwork and mound systems.
Two of the other Ross County sites with the overall park are also open to the public (within a few miles of Mound City). Seip Earthworks is located 17 miles west of Chillicothe on U.S. Route 50; it is administered by the Ohio Historical Society. Hopewell Mound Group is the site of the 1891 excavation on the land of Capt. Mordecai Hopewell (for whom the Hopewell culture is named). Two other local sites, High Bank Works and Hopeton Earthworks, are not open to visitors, but are maintained by the National Park Service. Another fifteen mound complexes in the county have been lost to agriculture or urban development and no longer exist. There are a number of other mound
280-I learned something interesting today on this site. In actuality the Hopewell Culture was a name given to an unknown tribe of people from who knows where. The property owner where the majority of the mounds were was named “Hopewell”, that’s because our historians are at a complete loss on this subject and was further more at a loss to name the people who lived and dwelled in that area . It would seem our historians are so comfortable they as a whole can make speculations while in the dark and be comfortable with them. Does anyone really know when and where the builders of these mounds originated? It's apparent that the later Indian tribes of the region would be just as much in the dark about the mound builders as we are. In the grand scale of things, these mounds may be thousands of years old dating back to Christ or even paralleling the Egyptians. After reading the rather extensive posting above it would be apparent for the big part much of it borders on pure speculation.
281-After reading posting 280,I feel as if we're dealing with a complete know-it-all who feels that posting 279 borders only on speculation. If we didn't have speculation in many circumstances we would be holdind nothing. Speculation can be the building blocks needed to get to the real facts. In many cases we can only speculate when it comes to the un-known.
282-As the canal grew and matured, certain aspects also began changing and the boats began loading their beast onboard rater than using the mules at the changing stations. Can you give anything on the stations or any of their locations?
283-When the canal was in its early stages, many canal boats had to rely on renting a team of mules at a switch station until they were financially able to afford a team of their own. Switch stations or livery stables were dotted along the towpath and in several instances were in the more major towns as well as in the most desolated outpost on the long stretches between locks. Renting mules proved to be as uncomfortable to the animals and crew as well. The rented mules were said sometimes to be quite troublesome and stubborn, as their reputation is so well known for. By eventually acquiring their own teams, the mules and horses and crew alike became accustomed to one another, thus making life a whole lot easier. The stations lasted about twenty years or better and then vanished because there was no further need for them with every canal boat having its own team by then. The state-operated boats used the switch stations which took care of the animals under state control. Not all switch stations were operated by the state, many were owned by different entrepreneurs along the way. The boat captains figured it was cost effective to have their own team and back up mules or horses rather than to rely on switch stations, which often didn’t have a fresh change and was expensive. The down side about keeping the team onboard was the ghastly smell and the bugs which came along with it. I understand the last of the stations were still around into the civil war in southern Ohio until about 1863. That’s when the telegraph made its way along the railroads and towpath in Scioto County. Route 104, formerly called “Warriors Path”, extends from Waverly to West Portsmouth and had a few known switch stations that were Cutlers Station owned by Phiney Cutler who still has living descendents. Rushtown was a switch station owned by Kerkandal and further south was the George Davis Station along the Galena Pike on the canal in West Portsmouth. In all of my experiences traveling the backwoods tracking the canal, I believe that only one station still remains in ruins, but there is enough there to visualize what it formerly was before time sat in. To find this site, you’ll find it in central Ohio just east of Newark. In Licking County east of Marne Road while staying on the canal, which is difficult to do in places, and west of the Bowling Green lock 13 once again for a short stretch, the canal will be watered. This was once a desolate area, but now a major highway and a railroad sits only feet to the north of this find. Looking around, a stable will appear along with some remnants of a structure and various foundations which I strongly believe was once a switch off station and even a part of a stable still stands there today. The canal in many areas followed previous and active stage coach routes. In Scioto County at Dry Run Road and Route 104 sits an old stage coach station and hotel, it’s in dilapidated condition.
283- The average time pulling was in the area of 12 hours, and then the teams were switched. That equates to about 50 miles give or take. On the Erie Canal System the changing stations were about 25 to 30 miles apart. The state boats frequented the stations more often than privately owned boats.
.284- My understanding would be as the canal was developing the state made low interest loans to those who could prove themselves as being sea-worthy and whom seemed responsible enough to carry out the job. Many ocean faring captains stepped up and took the job, not the same as the high seas but still on water. Not everyone qualified as a boat captain, the state proffered the ones whom had some experience. The last thing that Ohio wanted to be faced with was not enough boats or those to operate them when the big day finally came.
285- I read an article some time back which differs from the date you have given about the fall of the bridge over the Scioto River in 1915. The bridge lasted time built fell to the heavy burden of military vehicles in WWII.
286-Responding to the posting above which concerns the fallen bridges. I can’t think of a single structure which actually survived a river or stream crossing which dates back into the canal era. All of the spans except for one succumb to weather conditions flooding included. When I say span, I mean an aqueduct or a standard bridge passing over the canal or one built low and close to the water of a major river. I can’t speak for every bridge in Ohio, but along the Ohio & Erie Canal, I have a pretty good idea how they ended up. The only span that outlived the life of the Ohio & Erie Canal was the Circleville Aqueduct. The Circleville Aqueduct was destroyed by arson two years after the entire canal was finally closed in 1913. The canal closed in stages, with the southern end closing officially around 1907-09 and by then the streets in Chillicothe were being filled in. The lower end was nearly at a stand still by 1880 but was open in designated sections basically for water usage. Some industries still relied on the water power supplied by the canal and done so until the big flood of 1913. It’s a well known fact the railroads crippled the canal systems throughout the country; Ohio wasn’t alone when it come to the impact of the railways.
The bridge in question was near Andersonville. I have a short piece about it and hopefully it clears up the misunderstanding; as follows: There were a few covered bridges over that section of the canal, including the county bridge at Andersonville and a few farm bridges. The bridge which carried the pike over Deer Creek was built in 1880 according to the Ohio Department of Transportation, that’s was the one damaged by the military vehicles. As ODOT has it, the covered bridge was torn down in 1944 during the war. The replacement bridge came along 20 years later in 1964. I hope this clears up any confusion.
287-Pugh House, on Bickel Church Road. South lock, the first lock called lock O-Zero south of the reservoir (Buckeye Lake), was located at the second embankment south of the road. Here were wharfs and warehouses for handling canal freight. From there the canal continued south through Baltimore, Carroll, Canal Winchester, Groveport, etc all the way into Portsmouth on the Ohio River.
288-Kirkersville Feeder. A flow of natural drainage was insufficient to keep the reservoir full during the years the canal made heavy demands, the drought years. Therefore water was taken from the south fork of the Licking River leading into the reservoir. Just north of Kirkersville a dam was put in place to reserve an abundant water supply to assist the main reservoir for canal usage. From it a feeder was dug which connected to Buckeye Lake. Even today, years after the canal era remains can be found and some natural runoff is still collected by the feeder and is conducted into the lake.
289-Hebron. The two best transportation routes before the railroads were the canal and the National Road. Both were constructed in the same era, crossing at Hebron, now US 40. Hebron was considered to be an important commercial center in its day. The intersection played a major role in the area’s growth spurt in the 1830s into the late 1850s. A basin existed just north of the National Road, a place where there were many docks and wharfs to conduct business and a connection point to exchange goods. Hebron was well known for being the connection to Columbus and other points throughout southern Ohio. From there, a passenger had to make up his or her mind to either go by stage coach, a much faster way to travel, or continue on by boat or board a canal boat for all points north or south on the canal.
290-Deep Cut. There south of Monticello and Millersport the canal workers faced their worst obstacle they had ever encountered digging the Ohio and Erie Canal. The canal was cut through the low ridge that is the division between the water runoff of the Licking Valley and the drainage for the Little Walnut. Nearly a million tons of dirt and packed clay held up the final stages of the canals completion. Until removed, the southern end was blocked to any northern commerce, or visa versa. All of the canals construction to its south was finished awaiting the passage within the Deep Cut. The work required thousands of extra workers who dug out the canal by hand cutting down to 60 feet in some places. The present day Deep Cut Road is built on the western bank of the canal which was brought up during the excavation process.
291-South Fork Aqueduct. In that area of the canal it crossed the South Fork of the Licking River by use of an aqueduct. The aqueducts construction was a simple but effective design building abutments on opposing sides and having a trough to carry the water as the passage over the stream. Looking around the area in the drier months will still reveal some of the original construction.
292-Millersport. How did the area get its name? When the canal was being routed, it was destined to go directly through the property of Mathias Miller’s farm. Life accelerated soon after the canal opened and the area was quickly known as a “port”, Millersport. This place sprung into action and within no time at all, every conceivable business lined the shores of the reservoir and Millersport. Everything was centered on the canal and numerous taverns quickly sprung up along with hotels and many mercantile stores. Millersport mimicked any port on any coast throughout the world in that no matter where they sailed, be it oceans, lakes, rivers or canals, sailors will be sailors. With the new port came the drinking and rowdiness which runs hand–in-hand with any waterfront town. Shortly after the canal had opened, it became apparent the reservoir wasn’t large enough to fill the need of both the Hocking Valley Canal as it was getting ready to connect with the Ohio and Erie Canal in Carroll. To remedy this, 500 acres were added on, thus enlarging the reservoir. With that, came change on the western end of the reservoir and the old embankment remained in place and was then the new towpath splitting the two bodies of water.
293-Showman's Arch. A dam on Raccoon Creek provided the water supply for the Granville Feeder. The Granville Feeder ran along the north side of the creek at the point where the stream is now crossed by Cherry Valley Road. There the feeder crossed Raccoon Creek by a heavily built three arched stone culvert. Today this still serves as a bridge. Through the years and many repairs, its appearance has been altered some.
294-The Granville Feeder. Just barely south of the Taylor lock 1, in Heath on the northern end of the Licking Summit was the extension of Raccoon Creek which fed the Ohio and Erie Canal. The water was transferred by the use of the manmade ditch called the Granville Feeder filled by Raccoon Creek. Its water reached north by east down into the Blackhand Gorge as far as the Outlet Lock 15, in the Licking River Gorge. Flowing south, it once watered the entire Licking Summit assisted along with the Old Reservoir as far as the slackwater crossing at Walnut Creek. When the New Reservoir arrived, the water of the Granville Feeder supplied water as far as the low side of the Minthorn Lock, no further. The feeder had a rather large basin at the connection point to the main line of the Ohio and Erie Canal and was navigable.
295-Minthorn’s Tavern. This tavern was one of the first established at Buckeye Lake around the 1838 to 39 time frame. Many taverns quickly sprung into action when the canal opened. The first tavern to open was said to be in Tuscarawas County at the Jones Lock 12. Some of the original Minthorn House is still left. It was known as a famous stopping place along the total length of the towpath from Cleveland to Portsmouth, sort of a halfway point for most passengers. The real half way point was closer to Frazeysburg around mile 152. When the New Reservoir was added onto Buckeye Lake or the Old Reservoir, two new lift locks were added into the system, one on each end of the newly raised level of the reservoir and that’s where Minthorn smartly built his establishment. The Minthorn Lock raised the boats off of the lower level that once watered the entire Licking Summit until the New Reservoir was put into use.
296-Lockport Locks. There were four in total on the descent from the Licking Summit into Newark. Two locks shared the Newark level; they were Newark Town lock 9, and Lower Lockport lock number 8. Lower Lockport number 8 at mile 177, signified where the canal changed direction from an east-west heading coming across from Tuscarawas County at Lock Seventeen at mile 109. At Lower Lockport, the canal then turned south towards Buckeye Lake. Lockport was a very busy commercial area with milling centers and all sorts of canal-related businesses. Lockport consisted of four locks which were Lower Lockport 8, Second Lockport 7, Third Lockport 6 and Upper Lockport number 5. These locks were close to each other. Locks 8 and 7 were connected by only feet and locks 6 and 5 were in close proximity of one another. All locks were within 3/8 of a mile. One more area along the canal also shares the name of Lockport and it’s just across the Tuscarawas River from New Philadelphia which was the site of Blake’s Mills lock 13.
297- Canal Street in Newark. Newark was one of the few towns which existed before the canal arrived. Two of its main streets were given to the state for the canal passage. They were Market St. and previously Main Street (whose name changed to Canal St.) when the canal came through. The canal ran between the two of them. Lock 9 called Newark town, sat just east of First St. East of town, the canal crossed the North Fork of the Licking River on the North Fork Aqueduct. On the opposite side of the river has many remains of Whites Mill at lock 10 scattered in an open field. Newark was the headquarters for the southern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal. During the canal era, Newark was commonly known more as Newark town than its real name of Newark. Newark centered its commerce on the canal. Although having a single lock hindered it. The bulk of its industry and milling was in the Lockport area to the west of town. Newark was lined with docks and wharfs and several taverns and had the standard life of a waterfront town along the canal. Newark quickly acclimated to a waterfront town when the canal arrived. Beforehand, it was a peaceful central Ohio town.
298-Everyone is at a loss to identify the blockstones stacked near McDermont Pond Rd. I recently heard some talk that it was a scale house. Could this be true? Why would the canal system only have a single scale in the north?
299-The block stones which are still stacked at McDermott Pond Road are definitely questionable as to what they represent. I was also told once they were part of a weigh lock although that is pure speculation on their part. In the immediate area just to the north on the opposite side of Rt 104 sits some lower course blocks of a structure which by design dates into the canal era. I feel that a basin may have set in that area and among other things the area that’s in question. The blocks may represent a reconnection point back into the canal. It’s also possible it was an outlet or inlet for a mill race or a canal by-pass or part of a weir that shouldn’t be ruled out. For those who are not aware of the whereabouts of McDermott Pond Road, it sits in Scioto County between locks 48 and 49 and connects into Rt. 104. I strongly feel as if the possibility of it being a weigh lock is really slim. If in fact that was a weigh lock, it would have been well-known as one. I posted a piece about that perhaps being a weigh lock a while back, but nothing can substantiate it as fact. I went on the beliefs of others. Since then I have made several trips back there and even went door to door acquiring information. To my surprise, some of the people along that stretch of 104 had no idea a canal was once in their front yard. The local canal followers in Scioto County feel strongly it was certainly a weigh lock. Until I see proof, I’ll never believe it was a weigh lock.
300- Hey Canalwayman would you explain why the Lock on the North end of the Licking Summit at the Heath location namely lock 1, is also known as the 4 mile lock?
301-Canalwayman I have another concern, maybe you could shed some light on it. I understand that the northern summit was laid out much more efficiently than its southern counter part; often the Licking Summit went dry where the Portage Summit had plenty of free flowing water. Was this a poor design on the southern end?
302-The canal and its water supply. Without question, the northern summit had an abundance of available water in comparison to the southern summit by having several dammed up lakes. Many of the Portage lakes in comparison were as large in size as both the Old and New Reservoir combined on the Licking Summit. The Ohio and Erie Canal is made up of two summits which along with several rivers and streams by design are intended to keep the canal full. The northern summit was watered by the Muskingum water shed. The Licking Summit was divided between the watering abilities of the Licking Valley runoff and the Walnut runoff and further south, the Scioto River along with feeders and connection streams filled the canal. The Scioto River was the major player below Ashville all the way to the Ohio River but miles to the north it replenished the canal through the use of the Columbus Feeder. By design, the planners worked with what they had to work with on the Licking Summit by building miles of connector streams to reach its reservoir. The Portage Summit originally had only one major source on its level and it was the Tuscarawas River which was able to fill the canal alone. Along with the connection of the P&O Canal in 1839, the Little Cuyahoga River assisted the summit using the former Crosby Mill Race with an additional water supply using the newly built Iron Channel from Harrington Lake. The northern end had surely enough water to keep the canal full under nearly every circumstance. The Crosby Mill Race was converted into the P&O Canal on its final leg into Akron. The Tuscarawas River as part of the Muskingum water shed kept on replenishing the canal system from Summit County deep into Coshocton County at numerous feeder dams and slack water crossings beginning at the Portage Lakes Feeder. To its north below the summit, the Little and Big Cuyahoga rivers assisted by smaller streams supplied water all the way to Lake Erie. The Big Cuyahoga and the Tuscarawas run fairly well through the dry seasons, but did run low. Running low would be the reasons for all the feeder dams along our major rivers which by design assist the canal systems. The canal planners couldn’t have cared less if a single drop of water continued down the river as long as the canal was full. This actually played out often during the canal era where the Scioto River quit flowing all together when everything was diverted into the canal. 1843 was a really dry year for several southern Ohio stretches of the canal which was documented as having only inches of water and the rivers went dry. History reflects many occasions when canal traffic was stalled because of the lack of water.
303- in response to entry 300 concerning the 4 Mile Lock. It got its name because the lock was 4 miles from the center of Newark. The Four mile lock was the location that commemorates the start of the Ohio and Erie Canal. On the Licking Summit at a specific location is where the first shovel full of dirt was removed where lock 1 was planned to be. I have an interesting piece leading up too the events of that great day on the Licking Summit which will follow.
“If contracts at a fair price can be made,” the Newark Advocate announced in June, 1825, “the (Canal) Commission will be prepared to commence this work on the Licking Summit on the 4th, of July….”
This beginning of the Ohio and Erie Canal had been a long time in the making dating back to George, Washington who said a connection could be made from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The State of New York had turned the first earth for the Erie Canal back in 1817; as the work on the Albany-Buffalo link advanced. Ohio and other states had begun to explore their own possibilities for a speedier and cheaper transport by way of water. By the end of 1824, as New York’s Erie Canal neared completion, Ohio’s Canal Commission was already in full force with a canal proposal ready for submission to the legislation for approval.
So important to the progress of the canal was their submitted report to their Newark interest. This report was posted the request of the Canal Commission taking better than a whole month for the Newark Weekly Advocate to print in its entirety, thus angering the commission. Its contents read in short. “For too long, the rutted roads and hazardous inconsistent streams had been the commercial outlets to move goods throughout the state. The times and the peoples demand for change was at hand; a better route was needed” and all eyes were on New York’s Erie Canal. In January, 1825 the Ohio State Legislature overwhelmingly approved the commissions report based on the immediate success of the Erie Canal.
By way of the Newark Weekly Advocate, “it was proposed that the people of Granville were to meet those of Newark at a halfway point between the two towns if the canal proposal passed the House”. If indeed the canal bill passed the legislature the Granville cannon was to fire a salute in honor of those who worked so hard passing the Canal Bill. An article posted in the Advocate Weekly on the 27th of January went on to say “because of weather conditions, if the people of Newark cannot meet the people of Granville, then to light torches and illuminate their homes to be seen off in the distance so they know to alert the people of Granville by firing the cannon”.
By April 1825, the State of Ohio had raised $400,000 in the New York market to launch the undertaking; by May the surveys had began in preparation to awarding contracts on both the Licking Summit and the northern end alike. By mid June, the acting commissioner M.T.Williams had designated the northern termination of the seven mile contract from the deep cut on the summit ridge of the Licking Summit as the sight of the groundbreaking ceremony on the 4th of July 1825, that sight changed.
A committee was appointed in the Capital to oversee and make the arrangements met on June 7th at the home of Giles C.Harrington, in Newark. After an examination of the sight was gone over time and time again a change was made, to bring the ceremony closer to Newark at the proposed northern end of the Licking Summit on the Taylor Farm in Heath. It was a wonderful setting within a grove of trees, exactly four miles from the center of Newark, thus naming the area and lock, the 4 mile lock. The grove was off in the distance about 100 rods from where the shovel full of earth was removed, but was the area of the great celebration and festivities.
Several dignitaries’ showed up for this big event, although the Presidential hopeful Henry Clay from Kentucky declined his invite. From New York, Governor Dewitt Clinton as well as the Governor of Ohio Jeremiah Morrow was at hand for the groundbreaking. There at the celebration were several companies of the cavalry from Circleville and Chillicothe. Several big cannons came from the artillery brigades stationed in Columbus, Lancaster, Muskingum and Granville, Newark, Madison and Licking Township.
On that great day, July 4th 1825, a great concourse of people cheered the dignitaries’ who were arriving in a timely fashion to be honored individually. As they arrived and were announced, cannon fire was sounded as the soldiers saluted them leaving their carriages. The sound was so great it drowned out many speeches at hand. The noise from the Ohio volunteer Militia overwhelmed the speech of Thomas Ewing’s oration. It was all silenced when Ohio’s Governor made his speech as dead silence fell on the grove of trees and not a syllable was missed of his speech. At the proposed lock sight at the ceremony, Ohio’s Governor lifted the first spade of dirt accompanied by a drum role, trumpets and gun salutes. After the groundbreaking all the dignitaries’ and those of importance retired back to the grove, where caterer Steinman from Lancaster had laid out an elaborate and bountiful repast upon an astonishing built 1000 foot U-shaped table with the Governor at the center.
Time would prove that the very Summit selected to hold the groundbreaking ceremonies would be a troublesome spot during the life of the canal. As fate would have it, it often held up the passage along the canal due to the lack of water. On the opening day on the Licking Summit, thank goodness its ceremonies were changed to a northern spot between Akron and Cleveland. In Heath on that day the water supply was so low the boats would have been mudlarked.1825 proved to be a very hot and dry year, and because of that, the grand opening was rescheduled from taking place on the Licking Summit where it may prove to be a bit embarrassing for lack of water, to Cleveland where water was never a shortage.
THE ABOVE POSTINGS FINALIZE THE THIRD CHAPTER OF 100 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS. ALL CHAPTERS WILL CONTAIN 100 ENTRIES. THE ENTRIES WILL BE IN AN ARRANGEMENT FROM-A TO-Z. SOME QUESTIONS MAY HAVE THEIR ANSWERS WITHIN THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS. ANY POSTINGS ON THIS SECTION OF THE WWW.JOHNNYAPPLESEEDOFTHEOHIOERIECANAL.COM © IS PROTECTED AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED PUBLICATION
Aqueducts 213,214, 261, 265, 291
Akron 260
Alfred Kelley 262
Adena Culture 279
Black Hand Gorge 227, 229, 230,231,232, 294
Blickensderfer 263
Bolivar Aqueduct 265
Blacklick Park 270
Bremer Lock 275
Buckeye Lake 288
Chief Cornstalk 203
Crosby Mill Race 205
Canal diggers 208
Circleville basin 213,214
Canal Dover 217, 259, 263
Canton’s canal 233, 234
CSO 236
Cleveland 242, 245
Canal Winchester 254, 270
Culverts 261
Columbus Feeder 270
Civil War 272
Chillicothe 276, 278, 279
Circleville 277, 286
Camp Sherman 279
Changing stations 282, 283
Cutlers Station 283
Canal opening ceremonies 302
Clinton Dewitt 302
Canal Commission 303
Dailey Times 217, 218, 219, 220, 259
Dry dock 237, 238
Dresden Junction 239
Doyle Samuel Contractor 272
Deep Cut 290
Dry rivers 302
Elizabeth Park 260
Ethics 262
Ebenezer Zane 279
Feeders 206, 267, 268, 270, 294
Floating water wheel 224
Ferry crossing 227
Flood of 1913…260
Furnace Run 261
Fallen Bridge 286
Four mile lock 303
Gnadenhutten Massacre 203
Georges Creek 270
Group of Six 272
Granville Feeder 294
Hopocan Chief 201, 202, 203
Hopewell Indian Mounds 279, 280
Hebron 289
Hocking Valley Canal 292
INNA 260
Indian Mounds 276, 277
Indians 279, 280
Jones Lock 266
July 4th 1825…303
Kirkersville Feeder 288
Lock 32…212
Locks 212, 223, 240, 243,255, 266, 270, 275, 294
296, 300, 303
Lock 42…240, 243
Licking Summit 246, 300, 301
Lock 55… 255
Little Dublin 260
Lateral canal 263
Lockbourne 270
Lock Seventeen 296
Lockville Park 271, 272
Lancaster Lateral Canal 271
Lock 13…272
Lock zero (0) 287
Lockport 296
McKinley President 204, 211
Massillon 235
Morgan’s Raiders 252
Magical waters 274, 253
Massie Nathanial 278
Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad 279
Millersport 292
Minthorn 294, 295
McDermott Pond 298. 299
Morrow Jeremiah 302
Militia 303
Nashport Dike 249
New York’s canal system 256, 257, 258
New Philadelphia 263
Newcomerstown 275
Newark 297
North Fork Aqueduct 297
Newark Weekly Advocate 303
Oldest Canawlers 207, 226
Ohio and Erie Canal General information
216,221, 241, 242, 272, 284, 286
Old Coot 222
Old River Road 255
Old Chillicothe 276, 277, 279
Poison Ivy 209
Port Washington 215, 248, 269, 275
Petrified stream 253
Portsmouth 255, 283
Plaque 272
Postal Route 273
Paint Creek 279
Pugh House 287
Portage Summit 301
Railroads 262
Route 36…275
Ross County 278, 279
Rattlesnake Creek 279
Raccoon Creek 293
Rivers 301
Smart boys died 259
Shanty town 260
Sandy and Beaver canal 263, 265
Stillwater Creek 268
Statehood 278
Scioto River 286
Scioto River Bridge 285, 286
Speculation 281
South Fork Aqueduct 291
Showman’s Arch 293
Scioto County 299
Terminus lock 55…255
Trenton Feeder 267, 268
Tuscarawas River 268
Tiffin Edward 278
Taylor Farm 294
Uhrichsville 268
Virginia Military District 278
Waverly 250
Wilcox run 264
Waste weirs 266
Worthington Thomas 278
Warriors Path 283
Whites Mill 297
Weigh Lock 299
Yoctangee Park 279
Zane’s Trace 279
304-You have guts for sure. Last week a couple of us climbed up through the underground section of the canal below Akron. There is no doubt that you were below, we couldn't help but to see your signature all over. We got soaked going up the waterfall on the 5-6 level. We took a 40 foot ladder along it was still very scary coming up. I couldn't find the eyelet you have mentioned to tie off too. To sum it up, it was a hair rising experience.It's probably illegal to enter that tunnel. I surely wouldn't recommend going it alone.
305-Hello Canalwayman, would happen to know where the only waste weir exist which spilled water from the river back into the canal? It’s not listed.
306- It would be an oversight to pass on without giving proper credit to one Alfred Kelley in his part in the construction of the canal. This man gave up his private law practice to become the Canal Commissioner for eight years; he did it simply because he believed in the canals and what they would do for Ohio. He spent all of his time inspecting and testing construction, seeing if the contractors were living up to his expectations. Some accounts indicate he drove himself and pushed so hard it took a toll on his health. If any one man deserves the credit for the Ohio & Erie Canal it’s Alfred Kelley.
307-Contracts were let in sections for the construction of the canal and some were ridiculously small. Many of the farmers contracted to dig the canal which comes through their own land. By the fall of 1825 there were 3,000 men and 2,000 animals working on the canal ditch between Akron and Cleveland. In October of 1826 over 6,000 bids were opened at New Philadelphia on 110 sections south of the Portage Summit. The farmers soon started contracting what was known as canal fever, we know it as malaria. They had no idea as to what was causing the source of the "shakes," but one medical opinion was that it came from the damp foggy air from the river bottoms in the early mornings. At any rate, the job needed to be done, and they tried using Negro and Chinese labor without very good results... The tide changed when the best workforce of all moved in the area to do the job, the Irishmen. These men were well indoctrinated from recently finishing the Erie Canal of New York, and for many of them had no-idea what was in store for them, being fresh off the boat from Ireland. In Ireland these men were enticed to come to America and work. They would be under contract to work off the debt for there passage. These men were known as the "Wild Irish Bog Trotters,” As tough as they were, every mile of the Ohio and Erie Canal has one of these hard working men buried along side the towpath somewhere.
307---About Alfred Kelley. I read a bit about this man and there are some shady areas. I strongly feel he shouldn’t be lifted into sainthood. He was an appointed puppet who was on the take. His testing the infrastructure of the canal was a farce to cover his real motivation that was, conniving the state. What would or could he have known about construction being such a young fellow who never done a days work in his life, he studied law. He had no degrees in either architecture or building, and came to Ohio to simply rob it.
308-The "Father of the Ohio and Erie Canal" wasn't a good one. I read the bleeding heart posting of Alfred Kelley who should be commemorated for his achievements. Hum-Bug!!! He was a criminal!!!!!
309--By July 4th, 1827, the 37 mile section between Akron and Cleveland was completed and the first boats went through. By 1828, the canal was open to Massillon. Two years later the canal was open as far as Newark. By the following October of 1831, the canal reached Chillicothe. By the following January, after 7, years of backbreaking work all of the work on the lower Scioto section was completed along with the entire system and the Canal Commission reported to the state legislature the canal was ready for service except for lock 54, in Portsmouth but the basin was useable nearby.
310 responding to 306. Alfred Kelley’s life span was 1798 to 1859. He was the Canal Commissioner from 1823 until 1835. Kelley lived better than 25 years after surrendering his appointment as Canal Commissioner. He left office as the funds were drying up after the canal’s completion. By then, all the bidding had been done. On the horizon was a more lucrative scandal that was nearly ready for the picking. By then he polished and honed his skills on how to rob the state. He would carry out the same sort of practice he had done so well as Canal Commissioner, again, while heading up the railroads. History shows that Kelley never did entirely reopen his law practice; as he claimed to have given up helping the state to be acting commissioner. Why? He capitalized on the statement he gave so much up taking the position as Canal Commissioner. The person who posted in listing 306- that Kelley’s job as the commissioner may have taken a toll on his life, must not have known he lived a full life. Alfred Kelley willingly gave his law practice up to be involved in a more lucrative business along with many land speculators of the times who became millionaires. It was a perfect plan for the greedy bankers and land buyers by having someone at the very top, someone who had the complete trust of the Ohio legislature and could do no wrong in their eyes. Kelley was involved in many shady deals and he had the inside straight on all canal-related business and gave his closest business partners privileged information. His closest business partners were given the path of the canal and his closest associate Simon Perkins bought up properties and bank notes of who was in the path of the canal, foreclosing on many landowners. The big scam was to buy the property for pennies and sell it back to the state for a staggering price for canal usage. Included in these land purchases were tracts and sections given to war soldiers who had no idea their land may have held great value. Many farmers were on their land since the Harrison Land Act which was revised in 1804, buying land at $1.64 an acre. It may have looked as if Kelley was working for pennies, but he was rolling in land deals, making hard cash, displacing many people from their homes. People seem to forget that Kelley again, had a great and vast knowledge of the canal and its adjoining properties. He turned his knowledge and know-how towards the railways and against the canals after he quit his commission and later headed up Ohio’s railroads. The railways targeted the canal routes and smartly bought up everything along the towpath paralleling the canal going into every established canal town. While Kelley was in charge of the railways, he robbed Ohio out of millions by association, having the right friends to carry out his work. By then, he was the all powerful leader of Ohio’s transportation, almost a god. Kelley could make or break you. Two years after Kelley left his post as commissioner; he became involved with old time friend and Governor Seabury Ford and together and along side with others, pushed the Plunder Act of 1837. On March 4, 1837, the Ohio Legislature passed the Plunder Act where the state would provide 1/3 of a business loan if the other 2/3rds could be made. The problem was the 2/3rds was usually fraudulently made up. The recourse for using the money was no less than bankruptcy if the venture would fail. People flocked into Ohio to take advantage of such a reckless distribution of funds. At the top, loan officers were in on the whole deal, getting their cut. This act made men millionaires who were unscrupulous characters to say the least. Ironically, the money that was put up in holding for the loans covered by the Plunder Act initially was aimed to assist the canals of Ohio. Kelley, while holding the executive offices in several railroads at the same time became rich. He chartered so many railroads which never amounted to anything, using partners who were given the inside straight on how to rob Ohio blindly. Kelley’s circle was a well-oiled machine. Everyone from the state land purchaser down to the land buyers and sellers were on the take, lining each others pockets. That’s why Kelley left his practice which could have never matched the funds he accumulated as commissioner. Kelley wasn’t a fool, having a motive for everything he stood behind. How many of you know that the very thing that put the canals to rest, the railroads, were headed up by Alfred Kelley? As listing 306 had mentioned, Kelley should be given credit for bringing in the canal. While we’re doing that, let’s give him a big hand for destroying the canal and any future chance of expansion and bringing in the railroad. Kelley had nothing to gain by investing Ohio’s money back into the canal system as New York State was willing to do with theirs. In short, Kelley and his political clout assassinated the canals of Ohio.He found it necessary to do so in the name of railroad expansion.
311- There is one area which sticks out in my mind where a waste weir spilled back into the Ohio and Erie Canal from a major river and the remains of it are near New Philadelphia. When New Philadelphia dug their Lateral Canal, they had to dam the Tuscarawas River raising the water level nearly 15 feet to obtain a 4 foot canal depth for the canal inlet. A dam was built across the river spanning 200 feet or better. Today, the remains of it are still behind the Goodwill Store on Bluebell Dr. At the northern end of the strip mall indicates where this waste weir can be spotted from the opposite side of the river. A fire hydrant sits behind the building next to the river and directly across the river sits the weir up on an embankment made of block stone and cement. A rather high wall was built on both sides of the river during the Lateral Canal construction on an area of the rapids where the river falls about 15 feet within about 3/8th of a mile behind the dam. The weir was part of a water control project on the Tuscarawas River to keep the river from flooding the Lateral Canal after became operational. Maps which clearly show this spillway are kept on file at the Tuscarawas Historical Society. The weir spilled into a basin that was also used by the canal. Another weir sat at the basin which spilled the overflow back into the river below the dam. The weir is where the original diversionary river opening was during the dam’s construction. In the New Philadelphia area between I-77 and the river, the basin is still there and a visible opening can be seen which connected the basin back into the river. That opening was once within an earthen retaining wall at the southeast end of the basin with a weir built into it. A weir sat there once but time has washed it away. The mainline of the Ohio and Erie Canal was several hundred yards further west from that location. I’ve explored that area extensively and turned up so much interesting information. For instance, walking both sides of the river will turn up the lower blocks of the Baker dam and up stream you’ll find the blocks, possibly the guard lock. August and September reveal a boat load of information when the river is low. I can’t think of another area anywhere where the water flowed over a weir into the canal that’s not a feeder.
312-The first known person to envision a canal system in the territory was George Washington when he suggested an inland waterway linking Lake Erie with the Ohio River even before the Revolutionary War. However, the first effort at providing water transportation was in 1803 when the first state legislature authorized a lottery to raise money for the improvement of navigation on the Cuyahoga and Muskingum Rivers and the upper Tuscarawas. The plan fell through because of the sparsely settled condition of the land and the general lack of interest which lead to the lack of funding. The same result happened over and over as it was re-tried in the following years. Subsequent some good ideas were made. One of which was to dredge the rivers to work well in low water conditions making them navigable if the dry season provided the lack of water. Another idea was to put locks on our major rivers. The Muskingum received locks by 1817 on its section going inland from Marrietta.
313-In December of 1818, Governor Ethan Allen Brown, in his inaugural address, strongly urged the appropriation of funds become available to make a survey of the possibility of canal routes throughout Ohio. It wasn’t until 4, years later in 1822 that the money was finally appropriated by the legislature for a general survey and options outlining which route would be the most cost effective. Ohio, hired James Geddes, who was responsible for doing an outstanding and thorough job on New York’s canal survey to head up the job. Geddes was put in charge of this undertaking and set a course for the lands along the rivers of Ohio. During his eight month long survey, Geddes plotted five courses which had possibilities. After two years of bickering within the house, it came down to two routes. Within the legislation, many politicians argued and were steadfast hoping to bring the canal home into their districts as for many used the canal passage as a selling point during their nominations to office. The Sandusky route showed some promise but the terrain and the questionable water sources left the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas River route the best option. Alfred Kelley pushed to have the Cleveland location as the northern terminus, his hometown. The route has then been decided; all they were where waiting for was for the Canal Enabling Act to be approved in the legislature and did so in February of 1825.
314-To major canals were decided upon for the State of Ohio and the construction was gearing up to begin. The Miami and Erie Canal was to initially connect Cincinnati to Dayton with a northward extension up the Maumee River onto Toledo at the western end of Lake Erie. That was the plan, but its course also depended on if the land grants were issued through Indian Territory which comprised much of the land north of Dayton.
The Ohio and Erie Canal’s route was retraced and at 309 miles was to have its northern end at Cleveland near the shipping lanes of Lake Erie. The Canal was to follow the Cuyahoga up to the land portage then following the Tuscarawas River Valley into Coshocton. From Coshocton a branch of the mainline was to be dug into Dresden Junction and the Muskingum River was too canalized with locks into Marietta on the Ohio River. There was a time the route from Cleveland was going to be the extent of the canal covering the state into Dresden Junction only. The leaders and politicians argued that, that proposed route would only cater to the northern end of the state leaving out the farmers and all centralized business out of range to use the canal. From Dresden, the mainline was to run westward through Newark onto Lockbourne and meet a connector canal from Columbus. Columbus put up a great fight wanting the canal to run into the State Capital, but in the end the cost of digging the water supply to do so outweigh the hunger. From Lockbourne the canal followed the water supply of the Walnut River into the Scioto River Valley through Circleville and Chillicothe onward to the Ohio River at Portsmouth.
315- Dresden Junction from the beginning was the favored route for the extent of the Ohio and Erie Canal to the Ohio River by Marietta. Ironically in the early years of the 20th century the Ohio Legislature decided to pump life back into the canal and overhauled its northern end from Dresden Junction to Cleveland, renewing the original plan to use the Marietta route. By then the use of the canal to move freight through the state was barely a memory and there was no longer any canal boats. Plans were in the process to actually re-vamp the canal again a second time by widening it for larger boat and barge traffic. In Cleveland, a business was on standby who could build these craft. So much opposition surfaced from the railroad and there financial holders at the state level, the state house was considering dropping the whole idea. During the early years between 1904 and 1908 the northern end was rebuilt without any opposition from its competition, the railways. They felt as if the canal could no longer be a threat, and an opening date was scheduled for the fall of 1912. If things worked as planned the canal again would move freight from Cleveland to Dresden Junction using heavy barges on the Muskingum. But when the word got out that the Ohio and Erie Canal was being considered for barge and heavy boat traffic the railroad commission nearly fell out of the seats and stammered into the state house and caused plenty of commotion. The next spring ended all this stir and confusion when the canal was finally put to rest by the devastating flood of 1913. The state house found it easier to render the canal as a total loss then to rebuild into a barge canal, saving them a lot of trouble from the heads of the railways. The canal system quickly made repairs so that the water could still flow into several industries between Akron and Cleveland who depended on its water.
316- I was examining the lock sights on your website and when I looked over the Newcomerstown photos, I had to wonder, was that area always that wet and flooded over?
317- Newcomerstown was generally not submerged as the picture depicts it as so. I studied that photo endlessly and came up with this assumption; that picture was taken after the aftermath of the 1913 flood which caused so much damage through the state and the canal system. Newcomerstown is situated very close to the Tuscarawas River which nearly swings around the southwestern boarders of town. During the flood the water jumped out of the banks there and throughout every river in Ohio. The Tuscarawas is close to downtown, just a short distance due south by use of South River St. The picture was not taken while the canal was in service simply because no aircraft flew in that time period. I made inquiries about the picture, and the best I can do to explain it comes strictly as hearsay. What I come up with was this; after the flood the state sent up aircraft to make an assessment of the damage that’s been done to the canal and the towns situated along the major rivers. During the rainfall then even the smallest streams and creeks became major rivers that raged out of control, thus causing the most damage to the states interior. The bigger rivers which accompanied the canals destroyed most of the dams and feeders and crossings rendering the canal useless and crippling the transportation through the state at its major river crossings.
318-In Newcomerstown the majority of the water lied to the north of the canal. The canal use to run north of Canal RD. South River St. ran along the eastern end of a rather large basin which was at the same level as the upper side of lock 20-21 level. A smaller basin was below the lock on the 21-22 level also with its basin to the north. A weir spilled over into Buckhorn Creek leading back to the river. Buckhorn was a feeder and the canal passed above it on a culvert. Buckhorn Creek fed the upper basin and a weir continued the creek towards the river passing below the canal.
319- Were there any other disastrous floods that are documented leading up to the (grand finale) flood of 1913 which caused catastrophic destruction?
320-During the canal era the bulk of wheat wasn't transported via the Ohio and Erie or the Miami and Erie Canals from Ohio's interior. Where was it shipped from on the southern shore of Lake Erie?
321-The Milan Canal Basin was the nations leading wheat port situated 3 miles off the southern shore of Lake Erie on Ohio's north coast. Milan was the leading agricultural Great Lakes port after the completion of the 3 mile long canal in 1839. The center of activity was the Milan Basin where produce was brought from the local farmers and Ohio's central interior. From there the produce was shipped to world ports by use of swifter lake ships and schooners. In its heyday the canal was lined with ships ready to load. On a good day, 20 boats waited to load their cargo holds at the basin’s 14 warehouses. All of this activity came to stop with the flood of 1868 which caused an enormous amount of damage to the basin and canal. The Canal Commission declined repair. By 1868 the railways already had a stronghold on the region with the canal basin area experiencing a sharp decline overall in lake shipments. The tracks by then had made their connection to the same warehouses used by the Milan Canal.
322-In the year 1847, Milan had become second in the world to the Russian port of Odessa in the shipment of wheat. To answer posting 319, 1868, was a well known and documented year in which flooding caused a great amount of destruction to our canal systems and ended wheat trafficking in the Port of Milan.
323-During the Civil War, the Ohio and Erie Canal moved supplies for the Union Army on the canal from the Austin Powder Co. Cleveland's mills were in full swing making the uniforms worn by the northern army.
324-How many lakes made up the Portage Summit’s water supply on the initial canal plans? Was Mogadore Reservoir and Springfield Lake a vital part in the planning of the Ohio and Erie Canal?
325-Akron's first water system was formed in 1881 by the Akron Water Works Company, a private firm which was given a long-term franchise to supply the city's water in 1894. The company drew its water from wells and Summit Lake, but Akron's rapid growth soon made these sources inadequate.
This situation was made worse by increasing industrial pollution of the company 's water supplies.
In 1907 a movement began for the creation of a city-owned water system. After several years of indecision, the city decided to buy out the Akron Water Works Company. But, a controversial valuation of the company's worth and heavy lobbying by company owners, who wanted to preserve their franchise, caused the defeat of a needed bond issue in 1910. Mayor William T. Sawyer and the city council then pursued the possibility of creating a completely new system. An engineering team's survey report recommended that Akron buy land and build a reservoir on the upper Cuyahoga River at a site just north of Kent. This would serve as the city's main water source with large pipelines running from the reservoir to Akron.
A continuing deterioration in water quality spurred Akron officials to pursue this plan. After successfully lobbying the state legislature for permission to build the reservoir, city council brought another bond issue up for public approval. In December of 1911, Akron voters passed
The issue authorizing $815,000 and over the next four years approved issues total ling over $2,000,000. These monies were used for the purchase of land and water rights as well as construction costs for the dam, purification and pumping faci1iti s and pipe lines. The system became operable in August 1915 with additional feeder mains being added i n the late teen's and the twenties. Ironically, Mayor Sawyer lost some of the credit due him for the project's success when the new reservoir was named for his successor, Frank Rockwell, who had also supported the new system.
Over the years Akron's water quality has been a positive factor in the city's growth. The Water Department, under the leadership of Wendell R. LaDue, has gained a nationwide reputation for innovation and efficiency.
Sources: Grismer, Akron and Summit County
Knepper, Akron City at the Summit
Wendell R. LaDue Papers
Scope and Content:
The photographic files of the Akron City Water Department were donated to The University of Akron American History Research Center in 1981. The files contain several hundred 3x5 prints which record Water Department construction activities from c.1917 to c.1937. While most of the photographs are technical in content they also include views of streets, neighborhoods and working conditions in early twentieth century Akron.
The photographs i n this collection were intended to serve as records of various Water Department projects from c.1917 to c.1937. These include major additions to the water purification plant, extensive pipeline and water main surveys and construction, as well as new water towers, standpipes, and pumping stations. While the photographs are basically technical in nature, they also include a great deal of incidental detail concerning Akron's streets and neighborhoods in the early twentieth century.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged a1phabetically by subject and chronologically within each subject heading. Among the subject areas of particular interest are Streets, Machinery, and Employees. Streets are 1isted a1phabetically by name and include working class neighborhoods not often photographed, including views of houses, street conditions and local residents. The Employees group contains photographs of construction showing workers at their jobs. This series well illustrates working conditions from c. 1917 to c. 1931. The Machinery group includes detailed views of machines in operation. Most of the machines depicted are excavating machines, such as trenchers, or steam shovels. These photographs are arranged according to machine type and the date of the photograph.
In addition, there is a large group of photographs taken of construction projects which is arranged according to the type of construction and the date. The series shows' various stages of each project and details of construction techniques.
Other series include: photographs of the Cuyahoga River and its Watershed dams in the Akron area and Water Department, facilities such as pumping stations, standpipes and water towers. Finally, there is a group of negatives, arranged by subject, showing a number of activities not seen on the prints. The most notable of these is a series showing the construction of the Mogadore Dam taken in 1936.
326-In 1662, King Charles II of England granted Connecticut a charter, giving them title to land
across our country.
After the War of Independence, Connecticut gave up most of its land to the new United States
government. Connecticut kept three-and-one-half million acres along Lake Erie, known as the
Western Reserve. The present Village of Lakemore was just inside the southward boundary of
this territory, which was the forty-first parallel. (Forty-first parallel lies just five miles south of
what is now known as Pontius Road) The Western Reserve at this time was inhabited entirely by
American Indians.
By the latter half of the 19th century, the Indians had been driven further west by European
settlers. Part of the Reserve was purchased by the Connecticut Land Company and surveyed into
129, five-square-mile townships. In the center of one of these townships was a beautiful springfed
lake, which was appropriately, named Springfield. Large tracts of land were soon purchased
by settlers and speculators around the lake. The City of Akron by 1890 was rapidly becoming a
thriving industrial community. Workers from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and other nearby
states began moving to the area seeking new well-paying jobs.
Around 1914, Springfield Lake became a popular summer attraction with the establishment of
the Springfield Lake Amusement Park. The park was located on the Southeast shore and had two
roller coasters, a merry-go-round, swimming, boating, fishing, and more. Soon after the park
opened, a double decker steamboat was added which cruised the lake waters, complete with an
orchestra and dancing. The dance pavilion on shore also hosted the most famous big bands of the
era. The merry makers of the day were provided almost hourly transportation to the park by the
Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company. This inter-urban streetcar line, which ran between
Akron and Canton, made regular stops in Lakemore.
The popularity of the area encouraged construction of summer cottages around the amusement
park. Ice was cut from the lake in winter and stored in sawdust until summer, when it was
delivered door to door along with milk, by horse and wagon.
In 1914, the present Edwin Shaw Hospital began operating as the Springfield Lake Sanitarium.
At the same time developers began surveying allotments and laying out streets. By 1915,
electricity was made available and there were three telephones in the village.
In 1916, a one-room elementary school house was built on Sunnyside Ave., and later a two-room
addition was completed.
In August 1917, the Lakemore Civic League was formed by a small group of people who moved
into the summer cottages year round. The civic organization was active in taking care of streets
and keeping the peace, and purchased the communities first soda-pressured fire truck. The first
21
officers of the League were M. E. Cole; president; G. A. Faucett; vice president; H. C. Baker,
secretary; and Elmer E. Akers, treasurer. The first meetings were held at Lutz Grocery and Peggs
Pool Room. In 1921, the Village of Lakemore was formed and was incorporated.
The Village continued to grow and in 1924, Lakemore Elementary School was built on Wilson
Ave. By 1931, the first area high school was built on the corner of Canton Rd. and Sanitarium
Rd. This is known as the Central building at the high school.
When the depression hit in 1929, the Springfield Lake Amusement Park hit hard times.
However, the real demise of the park was due to an accident. In 1930, the Blue Streak, the largest
roller coaster in the park, crashed and eleven people were injured. The park was sued for
$40,000. In 1932, the Blue Streak was dismantled under a bankruptcy court order. The famed
Blue Streak roller coaster was sold for $100.00 and all other equipment for $2,000.00.
Even though the depression was not kind to the area, the Village continued to progress. Early in
the 1930s the first two story Lakemore Municipal Building was constructed to house the Village
government and the fire department. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) constructed
sewer lines in part of the Village, for which residents paid $60,000 with a $100,000 grant from
the federal government for the project. Due to engineering problems, the lines were not put into
service for several years. In 1948, the Village developed a plan for making the WPA sewers
workable and extending the sewers throughout the Village at a cost of $700,000. By the early
1970’s, the entire village had sewer service. Then, during this same time period, the Village
installed its own Municipal Water System, one of the few in the county, not dependent on Akron
or Cleveland.
327- Mogadore Reservoir and Springfield Lake weren’t a water supply initially used by the Ohio and Erie Canal. Both bodies of water have channels which merge together forming one just south of Market St. in Akron and slightly west of Massillon Rd. forming a single branch of the Little Cuyahoga River. The Little Cuyahoga was used as the water supply to operate the Crosby Mill Race in the hamlet of Cascade which later was called North Akron. When the waters of the mill race were converted into a canal with the coming of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, it was then that the Little Cuyahoga was a water source on the Portage Summit, assisting the Ohio and Erie Canal by ringing in the P & O Canal. To answer the posting asking if these two bodies of water were considered as part of the water supply on the summit, I would have to say no, not until the new canal connection in 1840. A make shift dam was incorporated at Mogadore years before the new dam construction in the early 20th century as a guaranteed supply to run the Crosby Mill Race miles away in Akron. Springfield Lake had a dam on their branch of the Little Cuyahoga which ran a mill. Its water supply along with the Little Cuyahoga were considered a part of the Muskingum Water Shed.
The lakes and reservoirs on the Portage Summit which were incorporated in the initial canal planning were: Turkey Foot, Rex and Mud Lakes which had the elevation of 969’ that included the West Reservoir. The East Reservoir, Koontz Lake and Cottage Grove Lake all shared the elevation of 986’. Long Lake was at 966’, just slightly above the elevation of the canal, where Nesmith Lake and Summit Lake were at canal elevation of 965’. With the P&O Canal came the Iron Channel and Harrington Lake we know as the lake at the Firestone Country Club that’s fed by the Tuscarawas River. The Tuscarawas River was the summits main water source. Through the years to follow many more reservoirs were added in as additional water supplies for Akron and Barberton and other communities to operate business throughout the Portage Lakes system and the surrounding area.
328-Springfield Lake has an exit that flows into the Tuscarawas as well as the Little Cuyahoga River. The branch which merges with the Little Cuyahoga flows below the Akron Fulton Airport through a long culvert that we as kids played inside.
329-Hey Canalwayman, would you give a detailed outline of the railways arrival into Ohio.
330-To my knowledge, in 1836, the first operational railroad was horse drawn and went under the name of the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad. This short line was built on oak rails which were converted into iron rails the next year by applying metal strips over the oak. This was necessary to handle the added weight of the steam engine which took over the job for the horses the following year. The railway ideas and conception came years earlier in 1830 when the state chartered the Ohio and Steubenville Railroad, that to my knowledge never developed into anything. Ohio pushed forward and in 1838 tracks were laid from Belleview to Sandusky under the chartered name of the Sandusky and Mad River Company. By 1860, Ohio had nearly 3000 miles of tracks which led into the backdoor of every factory and business displacing and interrupting canal service state wide. By 1860, the state legislation was hunting for ways to close the canal systems throughout and they let the system fall into complete disarray turning away from any funds towards the canals. The canal kept going because of the stubbornness of many of the canal boat captains and crews who knew of nothing else, or no other ways nor means of survival. The state legislature was able to unload the canal when they leased it away passing the responsibility on to others.
331- I heard of piracy along the Ohio and Erie Canal, are there any documetations which can substantiate that it was on-going?
332- The Little Cuyahoga River passed below ground thru another tunnel next to Goodyear Tire and Rubber on East Market St, in Akron.
333-I was reading a leading publication about Ohio in its earliest days and something stood out about the Ohio and Erie Canal which I personally disagree with as follows; “for five dollars a traveler could ride the Ohio and Erie at a stately four mile an hour, completing the 308 miles in 80 hours”. I feel as if that would be virtually impossible-would you explain as to why this couldn’t be pulled off.
334- The concept behind the Ohio and Erie and the other canals systems throughout Ohio wasn’t to race across the state at 4 mph getting from point A to B. Eighty hours from Lake Erie to Portsmouth covering 308 miles was no-more than an elaborate means of propaganda enhancing the mystic of the new Ohio and Erie Canal. By design, the canal locks would be areas of expansion, hopefully growing new towns and villages through time. If the boats were in a big hurry at the locks and no one got off and shopped and socialized, Ohio would have never expanded at such a great rate. We had scores of canal boats that basically were traveling a two lane highway which had to cross a one lane bridge in a sense when they arrived at a lock where the canal narrowed into one lane. Locking time is the time the boat is in the lock either ascending or descending. That process took on the average time of about a ½ hour unless the lock was already full of water as the boat was on its approach and the boat was descending, that would cut the time in half. On many occasions the boat may have sat in a lock for hours on end if no other boats were in the area. A boat ascending would have to go through the slow filling process, and if the lock was already full it would have to drain to receive it. The busy areas such as Akron could move the boats with ease but sometimes it was a bottle neck of confusion with so many boats waiting to re-enter the canal from its many side pools and basins or just passing through. Going up, the lock would have to fill in order to pass the boat through. To bring another boat up, the lock would have to drain and refill repeating the same as before. But if boats were waiting to pass from above and below a lock, 4, boats could have moved through the locks with the same amount of effort as 2 boats going the same direction. Let’s say we had to pass 150 locks taking 15 minutes each to transfer through, that’s probably a low number but we’ll use it for this demonstration. One hundred and fifty locks at a minimum passing time of 15 minutes equals 2.250 minutes. Divide that number by 60 minutes, we have 37.5 hours of the initial 80 hours already consumed, that’s nearly have the time of the advertised passage from Lake Erie to Portsmouth; that’s if no-one gets off for anything. We now have 42.5 left hours for traveling the 308 miles of the canal. To do this the canal boat would travel slightly over 7.3 mph. Now that’s the truth about the 80 hour passage!
335-The Ohio & Erie Canal only had 146 locks. Don't you think the Canal Commission tried the 308 miles beforehand before making the projected time of 80 hours.Where do you find 150 locks and who assigned you as a voice piece on any canal matters?
336- Your claim is that only 146 locks made up the Ohio and Erie Canal; let’s see if you’re correct. On the northern end of the canal starting at lock 1 going north into Cleveland ending at lock 44 at the Cuyahoga River, well that’s pretty explanatory.
Going south from lock 1 in Barberton to the Muskingum River at Dresden Junction has 33 locks listed. We now have 77 locks accounted for. On that section there was a few guard locks that the boats had to pass through, we won’t add them in.
Going up the northern end of the Licking Summit consist of 19 locks, a guard lock in the Black Hand Gorge to be considered simply because the boats had to pass through it and another lock sat at the Dresden Side Cut called lock 20. We now added 21 more locks to the number making it now 98 locks with plenty to go.
The southern slope of the Licking Summit had as many as 55 locks in operation at one time. Adding these on, we now have 153 locks. That’s a far cry from 146 as you claim, Wait!! there’s more. Two locks existed on the Licking Summit called lock- O-or zero the Minthorn and the Pugh locks. We’re now at 155 locks and we left out Portage landing and the lock at the southern end of the upper basin in Akron next to Diamond Match Co. The weigh lock changed location as well as lock 42 on the northern stretch.
337- I purchased a Canal Profile Map in Roscoe Village and it only shows 146 locks!!
Canal Planning and Profile Map Canalwayman said...
338- The Ohio and Erie Canal Planning and Profile Map which is widely sold, has some great information on it. That map is also bogged down with an enormous amount of incorrect information as well. For the novice onlooker or entry level canal historian, they may not catch the discrepancies on it. I'm not going to list any of them - you'll have to find them yourself. I have one of those attractive maps on display within my gallery even with its misleading information. That particular map shouldn’t be used as an information source. I would be more than happy to give you one of my maps which in comparison to the planning and profile map, is highly accurate. To receive one, contact me at Canalwayman@yahoo.com with your address.
July 30, 2008 3:59 AM
339- I do a fair amount of research along the Ohio and Erie and in doing so and exploring the Dresden Side Cut area reveals the remains of a basin at its connection and many block stones on either side of the road. The basin is still full of water at the intersection. It's apparent that some type of lock would have been in the immediate area even if it were a guard lock. There is documentation out there available which has a lock 20 at raiders and Bottoms Roads.
July 30, 2008 5:58 AM
340- Hey Canalwayman, I find it strange that the planning and profile map has been around since 1967 and up until now you're the only one who said it's riddled with holes. What! Is everyone stupid or, are u just loaded with wisdom and knowledge beyond all other researchers combined??
July 30, 2008 7:42 AM
341-Hello Dennis and I would like to inform you and everyone who uses this section of this website that it is supposed to be friendly. I'm going to keep my composure when people like you surface. Dennis, if you think the information on the map in question is accurate, and then goes with it. I do find it strange that throughout the long duration that particular map has been issued, that no-one caught the obvious mistakes, or if they did, they kept it to themselves not wanting to cause a stir. Believe me, I didn't want to cause one either. But if history is to be leaning towards being correct, that map should be re-done for the sake of history. As I said before, I’m not going to point out where it’s inaccurate. Dennis just so you know, I have found areas doing my investigation where no-one could find the pre-existing lock that was there once, one of them being Lower Webbsport lock 19, and the southern side of the chamber never went anywhere.
July 30, 2008 11:41 AM
342-Did you know that other canal systems drained their canals in the winter months for repairs.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal extends from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland Md. along the eastern bank of the Potomac River, a distance of 185 miles, with an ascent of 609 feet which is overcome by means of 75 locks. The canal varies in width at the surface from 55 to 65 feet and the bottom width of 35 to 42 feet and has a deeper depth than the Ohio and Erie overall by 2 feet. Its open season went 9 months stemming from March into December. During the winter the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was drained to prevent freeze damage.
July 30, 2008 4:06 PM
343-On March 3, 1861 the canal boat “Quaker Mills of Dover” was christened and put into service. Its owner was, E. Burnett of Canal Dover.
344- Where were the fans located which blew the oats up from the canal into the silos at Quaker Mills.
345-Contrary to belief, the oats and grain in Akron was never transferred from the canal boat to the silos through gigantic tubes with oats blown by fans which were driven by water wheels on the canal. That’s the way I was told it was done years ago in school, that a gigantic fan driven by water wheels blew the oats in from the canal into the warehouses inland, and others believed it was done that way also. In fact, the oats went towards the canal but not to canal boats, instead to the loading cars waiting on a set of railroad tracks that ran under the lower mill house of the Schumacher Mill. These tracks were located at the Schumacher Mill site and were laid between the Ohio and Erie Canal and Howard St. The oats were dispensed through the use of five 1,600 foot tubes measuring in size from two 10 inch, two 7 inch and one 8 inch diameter. The product moved by air pressure generated at the Broadway facility which stored millions of bushels of barley, oats and wheat to be used for breakfast cereal and beer. Akron was the leading manufacturer of cereal, among other products. From the Akron location, barley for brewing beer made its way into the Zoar Valley where it was used at their breweries along the Tuscarawas River and by the brew masters of the Society of the Separatists who started brewing in 1820. The oats also fed the Union Army and their mounts.
346-Would you or anyone happen to know what happened to lock 20 in Tuscarawas County at the Rt.36 and County Rd.258?
346-Garfield/Daughterty Lock 20 was at canal mile 117 on the western end of Tuscarawas County nearing Coshocton County. Lock 20, met the same fate as a few other locks on Sr.36 when they were removed for highway expansion. The actual lock existed until the spring of 1966 and is now buried below the intersection at Rts, 36 and 258, on the eastern boundary of Newcomerstown a good mile west of I-77 and the Morris Crossing shopping area where McDonalds and other businesses exist. Morris crossing goes back to the canal days by name as a cross point of an old stage coach route where it met the canal.
Until 1966, the Cy Young Park Hill was undisturbed by RT, 36 excavation. The stretch from Newcomerstown to West Lafayette was once a peaceful wilderness loaded with canal remains and a good towpath and adjacent canal roads. Newcomerstown’s Canal Str. ended at the Y formation. The right fork was Old Route 21, going into Cambridge. The left fork went past the base of Cy Young Hill, locks 20, and was on the other leg of RT, 36 going east to Port Washington. With the new I-77 construction and along with the new RT, 36 made drastic changes to the area of the Cy Young Park, and the destruction of lock 20.
347- Coshocton County had a lock 20 also that has disappeared. The Ohio and Erie Canal made a connection to Dresden on the Muskingum River by the use of a side cut canal which was 2.7 miles in length. At the connection of the main line, a lock and spillway was built to gain access to the side cut enabling passage. This lock was officially the bottom of the Licking Staircase in number following lock 19 Lower Webbsport in succession. Whether it was a guard locks to safeguard the canal or not, it was absolutely built out of necessity to separate both canals. Another safe guard was built further down the side cut at an aqueduct crossing the Wakatomika that separated Dresden on the opposite side. This once had a set of doors hanging on the northern side of the creek at a guard lock as part of the aqueducts structure. I have information showing lock 20 at the Dresden Side Cut was there up until 1917, that’s when Hi-way 60 was built. The new road wiped out some of lock 19, to the west of the side cut and the same for lock 17 in Frazeysburg and obliterated lock 20 at the side cut that was in the path of the new road as lock 17 was. At the side cut they left a good part of the spillway and a log cabin there for about 80 more years, until they were removed on February 14-15, 2002.
347Hello Canalwayman, it seems as if every lock 20 has vanished on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Lock 20 north of Akron is gone without a trace as well as Chaneys Mill in the Canal Winchester area.
August 4, 2008 1:07 PM
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348-(1)Which state in the union engraved itself as the frontier state establishing the first statewide railway system?
(2)Which state capitol was known as "HOGTOWN"?
349- Answering posting 348-Columbus, the state capital of Ohio picked up the name of “Hog town” because for some reason unknown, hogs were bred in town and roamed freely throughout, thus causing sanitary concerns and the smell was horrendous. This problem got out of hand, stemming from it the city prohibited live stock from being within city limits by passing an ordinance and an imposing fines for those who broke it.
Ohio was the nation’s leader when it came down to having a complete railway system. By the middle of the Civil War, tracks were laid throughout crisscrossing the state entirely.
350-In 1825 when construction started on the Ohio and Erie Canal, the Buckeye state was a backward poor area that one writer called the Appalachia of post revolutionary America. Ohio was blessed with great natural wealth; tens of thousands of acres of rich and fertile soil, great forest of ancient timbers, wild life with an abundance of game, and mineral resources to last centuries. Yet, with all just mentioned, Ohio was desperately poor.
The reasoning behind such poverty is simple enough to understand, but perhaps not so obvious to our generation today. The gifts of nature as wonderful as they were, were isolated Ohio from the eastern states because of terrain. The dense forest and a mountain of mineral resources, and our wide rivers that watered the fertile acres were the barriers that the 19th century road builders found nearly impossible to overcome. Living in such a land of wealth, Ohio’s earliest settlers could not deliver natures products by use of the old Indian trail and stagecoach roads and ferry crossing which were inconsistent with the rise and fall of our rivers.
The roads were so bad, that the typical farmer could not take his grain or farm products to market and the states natural barriers hindered advancement. The farmer could barely move within his own county. The local shopkeepers and merchants had to rely on the old trails with obstacles to import nearly all of the needs of the states interior. Goods were brought in using the rough trails crossing Pennsylvania and were brought by the Ohio River from Pennsylvania and up river from all ports between Ohio and Louisiana. As a result, if the farmer chose to ship his product by river it was a gamble were he seldom made out.
The states natural barriers and wilderness set the pace for poverty, keeping the Ohio farmer at bay, unable to pay the high prices for imported goods. Before the Completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, Ohio was a land of few internal improvements. After the completion, Ohio was a boom state with people pouring in by the droves. Within 30 years Ohio accelerated far beyond its wildest expectations and within 20 more years was the industrial leader throughout America. Who knows where Ohio would be today, if the Ohio and Erie and our other canals were never a part of Ohio’s early past.
351- YOU KNOW THIS SITE HAS TAGHT SO MANY OF US THE RICH HISTORY OF NOT ONLY THE OHIO AND ERIE CANAL BUT OUR STATE AS A THROWN IN BONUS.
I read an article quoted by a Canal Fulton man named Gainey who’s been involved as you have in the history of the Ohio and Erie Canal, I don’t really agree with some of his work, one thing he claims the canal was 325 miles in length. WHATS YOUR OPINION ON THAT QUOTE FRON A LOCAL NEWSPAPER DATED IN THE 1960S?
352- I wish to thank you for forwarding that news article from the Massillon Independent dated 1965. His name was Clyde E Gainey. Mr.Gainey poured his life into researching the Ohio and Erie Canal and fortunate enough for him, he lived in the only town left along the canal which still reflected the canal era. I read the article and his belief that the canal was 325 miles long differs from every other known measure of distance from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. Although different, doesn’t mean that his findings should be set aside, we don’t what he included in his measurement. This researcher may have added in the Columbus Feeder along with the Dresden Side Cut, Trenton Feeder, and Granville Feeder which were navigable waterways. The main channel of the Ohio and Erie was more in the distance of measurement of 309 miles and through time the canal was shrinking in length at both ends. I used a more modern way of measurement, to my surprise the canal was fairly accurate matching it with GPS readings which were taken constantly while doing my own investigations. The distance from Cleveland to Portsmouth by road is 233.75 miles by using direct routes and for the biggest part the road does not parallel the canal system. Using Sr.104 for a point of reference from Waverly to Portsmouth, the canal is accurate to the mile. Using the distance from Cleveland to Akron it varies slightly within a half mile, the error could be on my end. It’s my opinion, during its full operational era; the waterway was between 308-309 miles in length depending upon whether lock 54 or lock 55 in Portsmouth was the southern terminus.
353-The mile, though, is more the result of congenital British half-arsedness than conspiracy. It originated in the Roman mille passuum, a thousand paces, or more precisely, a thousand strides. Each pace consisted of five Roman feet, giving us a mile of 5,000 feet. Since the Roman foot (the pes) was smaller than today's foot, the Roman mile was about nine-tenths the length of our mile.
The English got the concept of the mile from the Romans, and though its actual length fluctuated over the centuries, up till the time of the Tudors the mile consisted of 5,000 feet. Unfortunately, the English also had the idea, for reasons we needn't go into here, that a mile consisted of eight furlongs. The furlong, short for "furrow-long," is said to have been the distance a horse could pull a plow before having to rest. Its length was a matter of confusion for quite a spell, but by the 16th century folks generally agreed that it consisted of 40 rods of 16-1/2 feet each, or 660 feet in all-- and of course eight furlongs was 5,280 feet.
Having bumbled along with this contradiction for quite a while, Parliament decided to settle matters once and for all in 1593. It would have simplified things for us if they'd decided to whittle the furlong down a bit so the mile could still be 5,000 feet, but no dice. Rods and furlongs were commonly used in surveying and changing them would have thrown land titles and such into confusion. Miles were used mainly to measure the distance between towns, a matter of no great consequence at the time, so what the hey, the Brits reasoned, who cares how long they are? Today furlongs are of interest only to horse racing buffs but 5,280 feet to a mile lives on.
As for the yard, no one is quite sure how it originated. One 12th-century historian said it was the length of Henry the First's outstretched arm as measured from the tip of his nose, a contention that causes most modern historians to roll their eyes. Others think it was a double cubit, originally a Roman measure used in surveying. Still others say it was the measurement of a man's waist. Whatever the case, the name has no relation to that place out back where the crabgrass grows but rather comes from Old English gierd, meaning wand or stick.
Cumbersome though the present English system of measures is, it's a miracle of simplicity compared to what it was a thousand years ago. One distance then was defined as 3 miles, 3 furlongs, 9 acres' breadths, 3 perches, 9 feet, 9 shaftments, 9 handsbreadths, and 9 barleycorns, which sounds more like the inventory of a chicken farm than a measurement. Give me a kilometer any day.
354-Measuring the mileage of the Ohio and Erie Canal was done through the joint effort of many parties involved. Using the known units of measurements, many teams were given sections of which they were responsible for accurately measuring the distance within. They had plenty of opportunities to check and re-correct their findings before the final tally was added up and that’s how the men involved were able to reach a mileage figure of 308 miles. Isaac Jerome had plenty of experienced help that accompanied him and with their help; they measured and planned the Ohio and Erie Canal. Jerome hailed from New York State where he previously mapped and measured the Erie Canal with tremendous accuracy using the English standard of measurement.
355- I’ve been active doing canal research for better than 50 years now. As a member of several canal societies, I can say with great confidence, which until Canalwayman-Mr. Maximovich arrived at the canal podium, he and his wife alone have done more photographical work and compiled the series of locks in order from terminus to terminus an actual fact which until then has never been done before. Canalwayman has such a vast amount of good information that he yet hasn’t tapped into. The scripps and stories that’s been donated from sources from every corner of our state will someday be shared with all he says. He just has to find the necessary time needed to organize so much information.
356-I wish to thank whoever posted the above. Since 2005, my wife and I have been out on the towpath for better than a solid year re-investigating and following leads. I have always made it a point to pound on doors and ask questions. Stemming from this, I have collected so much good information. I still get bundles of stuff that I quickly glance through for something that stands out. I feel fortunate for all the great help which has come forth, entrusting me to such precious items concerning the Ohio and Erie Canal. I have been working on another book; this one is factual also but in more detail and will have an extensive outline and times of the great canal along with a tremendous amount of our state’s history. I wish to thank all the people who watch this site and every bit of information is handled with care. As always, I return information which is on loan.
357- On the Ohio & Erie Canal the surveyors used a 660 foot measure, back-to-back and rods and chains as the units of measurement gathering the mileage. The rail did their measurement just a little different, but along the same principal. They used a standard 5 foot diameter wheel with a clicker device, every time it made a revolution, registered a higher number. Each turn of the wheel covered 15.7 feet nearly 16 feet. Before the clicker was invented a painted mark was applied to the wheel as a railroad man tried to keep an accurate count. Through time the wheels became smaller, but they still used revolutions to measure MPH and distance the same way we do in our cars today, calling this device, a speedometer.
358-The design of Ohio’s canal boats can be traced back to 15th century Europe. Canals in the old world were accepted means of transporting goods and by 1840, the boats used on the Ohio and Erie Canal had developed into specialized designs. The first American canal boat was built in Massachusetts in 1640; however neither any boats nor plans survived to show that our pioneer ancestors built them at all. The direct predecessor of Ohio’s canal boats were those used on New York’s Erie Canal. The Erie Canal had three basic types of boats, all which were copied and used on the Ohio and Erie Canal. Many boatyard owners on New York’s canal system uprooted and went west into Ohio-lands to open their trade on the Ohio and Erie. Line boats carried Passengers, their baggage and light freight. Riders paid 50 cents per day and provided their own meals, but for 25 cents more could eat onboard. Line boats were limited to no more that fifty miles a day, based on a 12 to 18 hour day. Most records show them running between towns and villages and accumulating no more than 25 miles on a single day. They were known more as a shuttle service and usually stayed close to home. Packets were a much faster passenger carrier which always provided meals but offered little comfort. They had somewhat of a passenger birth and could charge a fair up to 5 cents per mile. A fast packet was more of the hi-performance version with the same structural design but its engines were stronger by using strong stout horse’s verses slow and cumbersome mules. The horses pulled harder and swifter. It’s claimed they could put as many as 100, miles behind them in a single day, that would depend what part of the state they were traveling in. As crazy as this sounds many people stayed clear of the fast moving boats in fear for their lives. Their fears were this, at such a high rate of speed that the may be torn to pieces. Scows were freighters and of three basic designs; enclosed, two cabins and three cabins. Scows rarely moved passengers and only had quarters for the family and crew.
359-Captain John Malvin, an African American who plied the Ohio and Erie Canal on canal boat “Auburn” made his first appearance in Cleveland in 1831. His color hindered him at first but he became well known as being reliable, people overlooked the fact that he was a Negro; he was treated as fairly as the times would allow. The slave trackers from the south kept a close eye on Malvin, boarding his vessel often in search of runaway slaves. Ohio never interfered in matters of slave recovery or would give assistance to any blacks which were caught. To the contrary, it’s said that Captain John Malvin was protected by the same laws as any sea-going captain and could deny any one from boarding, and he often enforced the laws of an Ohio canal boat captain at gun point. Captain Malvin died in 1880. His gravesite sits in Cleveland, unmarked for 117 years until November of 1997. John Malvin was a free Negro who helped his Negro brothers.
360- John Malvin is buried at the Erie Cemetery near downtown Cleveland. His gravestone went unmarked until November 14, 1997.
361- Hello and a good day to you. It would seem as if the towpath and canal-lands were a great hindrance for the State of Ohio. Apparently they had very little concern for any of its future historic impact. Since its closing and so much of it has been covered, destroyed or what not, have any ruins been rediscovered worth any mention?
362-In August 1991, Ohio and Erie Canal remnants were unearthed at Buckeye Lake. When rediscovered, these components, identified as Minthorn Lock, were much more intact than were those of Indiana’s Gronauer Lock. Minthorn Lock’s stone wall components were, for a time, kept at the Hebron Fish Hatchery facilities. Some of these stones have been placed on the Ohio Historical Society grounds in Columbus. Minthorn Lock’s timbers were nearly intact. This represented a unique situation for preservationist and for posterity. The flooring and planking were pine. While the lowest timbers and lock gates were oak. Even the wicket and gate pivots were intact. Well preserved timbers of the parallel overflow gave historians a rare glimpse into canal construction in the 1830s. All Minthorn Lock timbers were moved into storage with-in a canal-era structure along Newark’s W Main St. It was assumed the Canal Society of Ohio and other historical organizations would reassemble the Minthorn Lock components at some future date and within a dry environment.
In early 1994, this bright prospect was suddenly threatened. The building in which the Minthorn Lock timbers were stored was condemned and tore down. Only the intervention of the Canal Society leadership prevented these 160-year-old timbers from being dumped into a landfill.
As an alternative, the wood was stacked along a desolated road within the Granville-Newark-Heath area of Licking County without any protection from the weather.
What is to become of these priceless artifacts? They are historic jewels, slowly and systematically rotting away. Doesn’t anyone care about their fate?
In this situation, it would seem we Buckeyes lack the preservation ethic of our Hoosier neighbors. It is inconceivable that Ohioans would turn their backs on such a vital historic link to our canal era.
This letter was taken from an article written in the New Philadelphia Times Reporter by Linn Loomis of Newcomerstown, who is a great canal historian in my opinion.
Jeff Maximovich, Canalwayman.
363- I have removed 3 postings which really don't fit the outline of this story section. This blog isn't going to end up as a battle ground between others or myself. I could see that the subject matter could easily escalate into bad and distasteful reading. I personally feel that the disgruntled postings are generated through association in one way or the other having something to do with thoughts or ideas or suggestions not being carried out, concerning the Minthorn Lock. The persons posting on the opposing ends of this matter are highly educated about the canal, but they will never see eye to eye.
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My feelings about the construction projects that are being carried out couldn’t be any better. I really enjoy the improvements which have taken place along the Corridor; it makes it easier to maneuver. I feel as if the work is being done at a steady pace and is going well. That crossover bridge in Bolivar was a great idea. The problem that goes along with extending the towpath into Southern Ohio has to really be looked at in a monetary aspect, will it be worth it or not? The northern end of the canal from Akron on up, basically sits within the range of the park service and the land isn’t owned by the private sector as is the case in the south. That alone paves the way for so many improvements alone up north. Some of the people I have spoken to in the lower end of the state who have the towpath running through their land are patiently waiting for someone to pound on their door offering to buy them out. Where’s all of this money supposed to come from? We should be happy we have so much of the canal and towpath intact and really quit bickering. I don’t have a problem with the CSO and they’re re-educating the people of our state along with many others just like me who really care about the Ohio and Erie Canal.
Please comply by numbering your listing or I will bleep it off, no matter what the contents/Canalwayman said...
366- This goes out to the individual who post without leaving a number in front of his listing. We would like to hear from you, but you have to do it by the rules, one of them is to number your entry. This is just a way you wish to be defiant and you’re doing so by willingly un-numbering. All others who use this site seem to number their posting without a problem. I will continue to bleep you off if you don't comply. You seem to know an awful lot about the CSO, so here’s your forum to straighten things out. But remember, Alfred Kelley worked for practically nothing either. Keep in mind, by posting you’ll open up an awful lot of controversy about the organization that you belong to. If you would like to re-post with a number, it will stay.
August 12, 2008 1:41 PM
Terry and Karen. P said...
367- Canalwayman, I wouldn't waste my time arguing with that guy from Cuyahoga Falls. We won't watch his site because of the terrible book review he posted about you. Every one knows one thing,, they watch your work. On another note, we was at the Eureka Hardware in Newcomerstown looking around it’s hard to believe that a canal went through there. We were unable to stay and look around. Do you have anything about this historic structure to share?
August 12, 2008 2:03 PM
D.Riggs Green Eyed Monster re-appeared said...
368- The green eyed monster reveled himself again on this sight. I and others have lost a tremendous amount of respect for the CSO and those other half dead old timer researchers that your arch enemy chummed up with a while back. You know, he really gets his panties in an uproar defending the CSO;. He didn't mind dragging you through the mud. Because of his caulis actions then and now, I will never ever look at his work. There is not an organization anywhere that can boast they run a tight ship; even within the Vatican there lies deception. I would be almost certain that plenty of palms get really lubricated at the hands of the CSO and their contractors. To the defender of the CSO, would you be as kind as to list the high and low bids of the ones who bid on all the construction projects on the towpath and adjacent structures. What are their holdings at this time? To the defender, are you one appointed to represent the CSO? Oh, yeah, who works for free these days? I suppose the upper members have no expense account either, who pays for the gas. No-one does anything for nothing, unless something’s in-it for their own gain.
August 12, 2008 8:59 PM
Eureka Hardware.From Newcomerstown News article/Canalwayman said...
369-Hardware in Newcomerstown has been booming business since the times of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Times change, but there have been few changes in the Eureka Hardware Store. A Eureka Hardware employee said the original customers in 1949 drove there in horse and buggy parked out back in 1979. Since the store is frequented by Amish.
One walks into the Eureka on the original wooden planks were feet shod in button-hook shoes, cobblers made farmers boots and modern tennis shoes have walked.
The large wooden structure was built on what is now the corner of Canal and River Streets. At that time, the structure housed a horse harness shop for the local residents and grain for shipping on canal boats.
From 1880 through 1912 the building was owned by John “Vanderbilt” Miskimen who made the store into hardware and mowing machine shop. The wide doors at the side of the building were necessary for moving machines which are still there today. Miskimen built two additions while he owned the store. One addition housed the horse harness shop, and the other was used to repair the binders.
In 1912, the Eureka Store Company bought the store and built a large addition for cement and lime. Mr. and Mrs. Cathan purchased the store in 1967. Cathan said one of his first customers remembers the store’s ladder, which is on rollers, as being there since 1911.
The original store owner, Ed Domin owned the store from 1950 until February of 1954. It was purchased by Doman’s employee, Clarence “Pappy” Watts at that time.
The store was originally in the location of Peoples Bank (Bank One). After purchasing it, Watt moved the store to its present location on Main St.
Three full time employees, Watts, Dan Loader (who is now a partner) and Dave Mason, work at the Western Auto. A part time employee is Billy Ludwig who is a high school student.
In May of 1978, Watt’s purchased the Bairs Furniture store next to the Western Auto and made a large expansion on-the-floor items.
Two major franchises, Western Auto and True Value, are included in the store.
Both stores are a hub of activity during any season since they carry such an amazing quantity of inventory.
Customers range from youngsters to farmers, housewives businessmen and merchants. At the Eureka and Western Auto Hardware
Stores, you can find small and large appliances, wood burning stoves, plumbing supplies, paint and sporting goods, mouse traps, light bulbs gardening supplies, fire place equipment, toys, flashlights, sporting equipment, canister set, cookie cutters, bird houses, and believe it or not…..hardware.
Although times change, styles change and people change, the need for stores where on can buy any hardware item for any hardware need, will never change.
August 13, 2008 4:55 AM
372-As a fellow researcher I don't agree with all of the negative rhetoric about the Canal Society of Ohio. As a member I can proudly say we are actively involved in bringing the rich history of the past canal era into the 21st century. I know Mr. Gieck and he's well aware that his publishing has errors. He feels as if this was done in publishing and he regrets that the corrections were not made. About Mr. Maximovich, I feel as if done some marvelous work and deserve recognition for his achievements, by us, and other associated organizations. He should become a member, to enlightening us about his findings. I can substantiate that Jeff alone has located Lower Webbsport 19, something we never could find. The Canal Society of Ohio was started on a dream and one mans love for the Ohio and Erie Canal, to be brought back to life, for all to enjoy.
373-I wish to make it known that I have never to date had one single bad dealing with the Canal Society of Ohio, or any other related associations. I can't prove that any postings were actually from their members as well. I was under attack at first, but we'll never really know who was behind these ordeals except for David H. If there is one thing I learned from all of this is this, people love to make trouble and love getting tough on a blog where they cannot be traced. I wish David would have thought it out before he re-acted against me, that was very cruel how he carried things out. All-in-all, I forgive him. I think the man is brilliant and is certainly a contribution to any organization he belongs to. He just needs to think things out a little; he should be ashamed of himself after knowing the other publication mentioned today has its problems. No-more ugly stuff from anyone.
August 13, 2008 5:01 PM
Dire Straights said...
374-Newcomerstown in dire straights Wednesday night. Alarming reports of rising water up the Tuscarawas valley. Columbus has estimated the 400 have drowned and 20,000 are homeless as a result of the flood that has submerged a large section of that city.
Dayton has estimated that more than 30,000 are homeless thus far, and loss of life cannot be estimated. Fire has been raging in various parts of the city. The Algonquin Hotel has eight feet of water on the first level.
Zanesville reports that the Third, Sixth, and Monroe street bridges have been swept away by the flood with has submerged over one/half of the city. Arrangements have been made this afternoon to dynamite the “Y” bridge on account of a huge amount of debris that has gathered at that point. It is feared that many are still not rescued are caught in their homes as the rapidly rising water swept over the city.
Appalling flood rushing down the Tuscarawas Valley. Fourteen persons reported to have lost their lives. There is no let up in the rain as reports continue to come in from Newcomerstown, Canal Dover and New Philadelphia.
From Newcomerstown it was learned that the waters were already two feet higher than the record mark of 1896 and were rising steadily. Two-thirds of the town was under water and the flood has reached business and houses on Main Street. Hundreds of people were being rescued from their homes in-boats-the volunteers were working frantically. No lives have been reported lost. Several houses have been swept away.
The water did not become threatening until about 1 p.m. After which the rise was so rapid that the entire town became panic stricken. At 9 p.m. it was feared the whole town would be under water before the crest of the flood is reached.
Jam holds at Morgan’s Run. Morgan Run is located about two miles west of West Lafayette where the Pennsylvania and Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroads cross. At 4 p.m. Wednesday, the operator of the Morgan Run Pennsy tower reported that driftwood and other debris in huge volumes gathering across the Tuscarawas River at this point and this, while holding back the water was flooding the lowlands in every direction to the east. He states, that he was compelled to leave his post at once as were other operators to the east.
The Bachman family which had four small children was rescued from a haystack at Canal Lewisville. Similar rescues have been made in the area. The Buckeye clothing company in Coshocton offers free clothing to all boys between the ages of four and fifteen that are rendered homeless by the flood. Arrangements have been made in Coshocton to deliver drinking and cooking water.
When did this take place? Read it in the Coshocton Morning Tribune. The date was Thursday morning, March27 1913. The price two cents. Most of the items used in this article were discovered in an old copy of the Tribune at our museum. On the second floor are numerous pictures of various sections of our town during the flood. Some may recall that the flood ended once and for all the canal and its boats (what few were left). I was told that there was one boat here in town at this time that collapsed as result of the flood.
Lois Graig related that from her home on East State Street (at the corner of Pilling) water covered the land from the hills to the north of the present brick plant to the hills south of Old Route 21. Water never got into her home, but it did get into the basement. She recalls her father did come to the school to get her because of the rising waters.
Lois also told me that an old iron kettle in their yard started to float away, but her father retrieved it with a cloth line prop and sunk it so it would not be lost. One of Lois’ uncles was an engineer on the Accommodations Train (local that stopped frequently to accommodate local passengers) that ran between Dennison and Columbus. On the return trip this day, high water caused the train to be stopped and abandoned near Trinway. The engineer then hiked over the hills for days to reach his home in Dennison. Of course, it was weeks all railroad tracks were repaired due to the flood.
The old C&M trestle south of town was constructed of wood at this time, and Clyde Barthalow informed me that part of it swept away at this time. It was later replaced with the steel trestle that once spanned the Ohio River at Steubenville.
This article was pulled from the Newcomerstown News
August 14, 2008 4:25 AM
Cascade Locks member said...
375-What’s your overall view of the book by Mr.Gieck? We know that you have obviously scrutinized it word for word. How would you rate that publication?
August 14, 2008 3:33 PM
Canalwayman on the publication of Jack Gieck said...
376- A Photo Album of Ohio’s Canal Era, 1825-1913, by Author Jack Gieck, is a book I really enjoy. I have it in front of me now. I feel the book is well done and is an extremely valuable tool for those who have the passion for our states canal era. The first time I picked it up, I never let go, until it, was read. I could have never pulled off my work without his book. I recommend that book to the people who take canal interest to heart.
August 14, 2008 5:07 PM
378-Which Ohio county had two canal systems operating?
379-Answering posting 378. Columbiana County had both the Sandy and Beaver and the Pennsylvania and Ohio canals.
Answering 377, I have been very active along the Sandy and Beaver system. For the biggest part the towpath has deteriorated along with a fair amount of structures. Out in the wilderness you can still get a good feeling about its past, where it’s untouched. I was out up and over the Dungannon Tunnels just last weekend snooping around. There is an awful lot to write about concerning what’s below, the airshafts and its demise. This will come later on, so keep watching.
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