Restoration

 

Restoration Information

Information on projects that have been done and hopefully, in the future, by whom. It is hoped that this page will aid those starting new projects.  Additional input is desired. The American Canal Society does not endorse any vendor, but provides this listing to help others begin their research.

1) The Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio (Ohio & Erie Canal), National Park Service, Rebuild of Lock 38 north at the Park Visitors’ Center

2) Delaware Canal State Park in PA, Rebuild of Lock 11 at New Hope, PA, Rebuild of Lock 22/23.

3) Schuylkill Canal Association, Restoration to operation of Lock 60, Oakes Canal, Mont Claire, PA

4) Hugh Moore Park, Easton, PA, rebuilt three locks on Section 8 of the Lehigh Canal

5) New Brunswick, NJ restored the two lock chambers on the Delaware & Raritan Canal at New Brunswick

6) Lockport, NY,  the north set of 5 combined locks on the Erie Canal at  are being restored to full operation by the city.

Engineers: Bergman & Associates and McMullan & Associates www.mcmse.com

7) Restoration work has been done by The Lowell National Park, Lowell, MA on Swamp Locks on the Pawtucket Canal. The upper lock at the Francis Gate and the two Lower Locks are also operational.

8) Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park, Restoration of Locks in Georgetown and Lock 44 at Williamsport, MD

Engineers on Lock 44: McMullan & Associates, Inc. 8321 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 350, Vienna, VA 22182  www.mcmse.com

9) In Ohio, the city of New Bremen has just completed rebuilding of Miami & Erie Canal Lock 1 north, which is in the center of the village. They have also recreated the lock house at this lock for use as offices and a visitors’ center.

10) In Wisconsin, the state is proceeding with the restoration of the locks on the lower Fox River (between Lake Winnebago & Green Bay). They have restored the four Appleton locks in 2007 and the three locks at Little Chute and Combined Locks in 2008 and are working on others. The site to begin with here is www.friendsofthefox.org   Don’t go to www.friendsofthefoxriver.org as that is a different Fox River in Illinois. (These are larger, hand operated, historic locks for barges.)  See page 7 of the Friends of the Fox Spring 2009 newsletter.

Owner: Fox River Navigational System Authority
Engineers: Mead and Hunt, Inc; 6501 Watts Road; Madison, WI 53719-2700; 608-273-6380 www.meadhunt.com
Contractor: CR Meyer & Sons Company; 895 W. 20th Ave.; Oshkosh, WI 54903-2157 WI 920.235.3350 www.crmeyer.com
Historical Consultant: Cornerstone Preservation, 2326 Center St.; P.O. Box 248; Cross Plains, WI 53528; 608-798-0188  www.conerstonepreservation.com

11) In Ohio, the Muskingum River State Park is gradually restoring the locks (#2 through #9) of the river. These are steamboat sized locks, but of masonry construction with hand operation.

12) In Canada, Parks Canada a few years ago restored the locks of the LaChine Canal on the north side of the St. Lawrence at Montreal. This is a pre Seaway canal that was made obsolete by the Seaway. But, it is now open to pleasure boats that are low enough to clear the bridges (8 feet). Parks Canada is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of Canada’s historic canals. These are, the Chambly, the Rideau, and the Trent Severn Waterway.

13) In Ohio, Providence Metroparks has an operating canal section complete with a restored and operating lock and mule drawn boat ride on a piece of the Miami & Erie Canal south of Toledo.

14) In New York, many concrete locks of the state canal system have been rebuilt by the Canal Corporation

15) In Camillus, NY, the Camillus Erie Canal Park has rewatered three sections of the Enlarged Erie Canal and in 2009 completed restoring the Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct. Boats are now crossing the aqueduct.

16) In Maryland, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park has restored the Monocacy Creek Aqueduct and an effort is underway to rebuild the Catoctin Creek Aqueduct which collapsed in the floodwaters of Hurricane Agnes. Also, stabilization of the Conococheague Creek Aqueduct in Williamsport plus a restoration study of that aqueduct.

Engineers: McMullan & Associates www.mcmse.com

17) In Georgia, on the Augusta Canal, The stabilization of the walls for the 1845 locks and restoration of the 1876 locks, lock gates, head walls and gatehouse structure. The design was performed by McMullan & Associates, Inc.  www.mcmse.com and restored to operating condition by the Augusta Canal Authority.

18) Lockington, OH, The Lockington Locks on the Miami and Erie Canal for the Ohio Historical Society, feasibility study to stabilize the five historic Lockington Locks built in 1833.

Engineers: McMullan & Associates www.mcmse.com

19) Stabilization of the Schoharie Aqueduct remains on the Enlarged Erie Canal at Fort Hunter, NY, owned by the New York State Office of Parks.

Engineers: McMullan & Associates www.mcmse.com

20) Restoration of the Union Canal Tunnel west of Lebanon, PA. and the canal on each side allowing navigation through the tunnel. The oldest transportation tunnel in the United States.

Engineers: Derck & Edson Associates, Lititz, PA  www.derckandedson.com.

21) Restoration and park work at Columbia, PA, site of the basin and outlet lock at the east end of the Mainline Canal.

Engineers: Derck & Edson Associates, Lititz, PA  www.derckandedson.com

22) Replica Boats: Scarano Boat Building, Port of Albany, Albany, NY 12202 (P (518) 463-3401, F (518) 463-3403  info@scaranoboat.com has now designed and built four replica canal boats as pictured elsewhere on this site. They are the General Harrison of Piqua in Piqua, OH, the Charles F. Mercer at Great Falls on the C & O Canal in Maryland, The Volunteer at LaSalle, IL, and the Delphi at Delphi, IN.

23) In October, 2010, the Berlin Boat Club of Berlin, WI and others succeeded in dewatering and surveying the Eureka Lock, the first upriver on the upper Fox River above Lake Winnebago. In 2011, they replaced the lock gates and conducted other needed repairs. The lock was returned to operation for the summer of 2012.

24) Public Archeological Laboratory, 210 Lonsdale Avenue, Pawtucket, RI has conducted several archeological surveys and made reports on the Blackstone, Middlesex, and Morris Canals. Deborah C. Cox RPA, President, 401-288-6301 dcox@palinc.com

25) Recently, the Camillus (NY) Erie Canal Park purchased a new pontoon boat in kit form for use on their dinner cruises. The boat came from U-fabboats (u-fabboats.com) U-Fab Boats 459 Highway 29,  R.R. #4, Smiths Falls, Ontario, K7A 4S5. This company makes kits for all sorts of pontoon boats.

Revised 3/6/13