Pennsylvania Canal (Susquehanna Division)

Susquehanna Division, Pennsylvania Canal

A network of east-west canals and connecting railroads spanned Pennsylvania from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. North-south canals connecting with this east-west canal ran between West Virginia and Lake Erie on the west, Maryland and New York in the center, and along the border with Delaware and New Jersey on the east. Many shorter canals connected cities such as York, Port Carbon, and Franklin to the larger network.

Map of historic Pennsylvania canals
Specifications
Locks 12
Status Historic, abandoned
History
Original owner Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Construction began 1827
Date completed 1831
Geography
Start point Northumberland
End point Duncan's Island at the mouth of the Juniata River
Branch of Pennsylvania Canal
Connects to North Branch Division, West Branch Division, Juniata Division Canal, Eastern Division Canal, Wiconisco Canal

The only canal of the Susquehanna Division of the Pennsylvania Canal ran 41 miles (66 km) along the west bank of the main stem of the Susquehanna River between a lock near the mouth of the Juniata River and the canal basin at Northumberland. Meeting the West Branch Canal and the North Branch Canal at Northumberland, it formed a link between the public and private canals upriver and the east–west Pennsylvania Canal and rail route known as the Main Line of Public Works. Construction of the Susquehanna Division Canal, which employed 12 locks overcoming a total of 86 feet (26 m), began in 1827 and was finished in 1831.[1]

Engineers faced complications at the southern end of the Susquehanna Division Canal, where it met the Juniata Division Canal and the Eastern Division Canal at Duncan's Island. Boats had to cross from one side of the Susquehanna River to the other between either the Susquehanna Division or the Juniata Division on the west side and the Eastern Division on the east side. They solved the problem by building a dam 1,998 feet (609 m) long and 8.5 feet (2.6 m) high between the lower end of Duncan's Island and the east bank of the Susquehanna. This formed a pool across which boats could be pulled from a wooden, two-tier towpath bridge at Clark's Ferry. Two Duncan's Island lift locks raised or lowered the boats traveling between the dam pool and the other canals.[2]

Points of interest

Feature Coordinates Description
Northumberland 40°53′30″N 76°47′51″W / 40.89167°N 76.79750°W / 40.89167; -76.79750 (Northumberland, Pennsylvania)[3] Town at the northern terminus
Duncan's Island 40°25′02″N 77°00′33″W / 40.41722°N 77.00917°W / 40.41722; -77.00917 (Duncan's Island)Coordinates: 40°25′02″N 77°00′33″W / 40.41722°N 77.00917°W / 40.41722; -77.00917 (Duncan's Island).[4] Island at the southern terminus

See also

References

  1. ↑ Shank, William H. (1986). The Amazing Pennsylvania Canals, 150th Anniversary Edition. York, Pennsylvania: American Canal and Transportation Center. pp. 49–51. ISBN 0-933788-37-1.
  2. ↑ Shank, William H. (1986). The Amazing Pennsylvania Canals, 150th Anniversary Edition. York, Pennsylvania: American Canal and Transportation Center. pp. 17–18. ISBN 0-933788-37-1.
  3. ↑ "Northumberland". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1979. Retrieved March 19, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Duncan Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. August 2, 1979. Retrieved March 20, 2009.

External links

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