coalcracker.net

I was doing a search for furniture stores in the area, and for some reason Google decided that a Wikipedia article on Mahantongo was a valid first result.  Curious, I had to click and read on  (it’s a Lenape Indian word for ‘good hunting grounds’, if you were interested).  A few clicks more led me to an article on the Schuylkill Canal which is a fascinating piece of local history.  I had certainly heard of the canal before, since Schuylkill Haven was built as a stop along it, but I never realized just how incredible it was.  The canal spanned 109 miles from Port Carbon to Philadelphia.  Of the 108 locks in the canal, 27 were located in Schuylkill County.  Today, only five of those locks are still standing, hidden in deep brush or farm fields in Port Clinton, Auburn, and elsewhere.  Even more impressive is that the first transportation tunnel in the United States was part of this system and is also located in Auburn. 

The coolest part to me about all this is the online library of old drawings, maps, and diagrams I found on the Reading Area Community College website.  This kind of stuff fascinates me… some of these old drawings are so intricate that they are like art.  Look at the lettering on the map on the left here… it looks as if the person who drew this spent as much time on the calligraphy as they did on the actual map features themselves.  The site has dozens of drawings like this for each of the “reaches” or sections of the canal, from the Delaware River all the way to Port Clinton.

The sad part is that this piece of history has almost been forgotten completely.  Aside from the five locks still standing in this county, there are very few places where you can see the remains of the canal.  There are only two watered sections of the canal itself still standing… a one mile stretch in Manayunk and a two-and-a-half mile stretch between Oaks and Mont Clare.  In Mont Clare, the Schuylkill Canal Association has restored old Lock #60 and a locktender’s house to near original condition.  This is probably the best place to see how the canal used to be, and I definitely plan on making a stop there next time I’m passing through.