State Canal Historical Markers
It can be fun to drive along the back roads and happen across a historical marker highlighting an event or place. Some of these markers date back to the beginning of automobile tourism in the 1920s. Some of these markers are historical relics on their own! Most states maintain some type of listing, although they can be a challenge to work through. Here are the sites we found.
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has a funding program to help local municipalities and not-for-profits install new markers. The process is fairly extensive yet very accessible to everyone.
National
The Historical Marker Database covers all the states, and at the time of this post in 2020, it shows 129608 listings. It is a great place to start your search.
Ohio
Start with the Ohio History Connection, and then click on “Search Markers.” In the Keyword Search box on the right side, enter the keyword “canal”.
Indiana
Start with the Indiana Historical Bureau. Either do a search by way of the four options listed, or search under in the various categories listed, or chose Category, and then Transportation.
Michigan
Start with the Michigan History Center. Use the word “Transportation” in the search box, or use the filters to play around and see what you can find.
New York
Start with the New York State Museum to find information and the background history on the New York State roadside marker program. This page has links to the marker listings database that is maintained by the Association of Public Historians of New York State. In addition, the Canal Society of New York State has placed markers at several locations. These include:
1) The inlet lock of the Erie Canal on the west bank of the Hudson River just upstream of the swing railroad bridge in Albany, 2) Buffalo Harbor, 3) The junction of the Chenango Canal with the river in Binghamton, NY, 4) Champlain Canal – Fort Miller Lock – the site of the ground breaking for the barge canal system
Virginia
Start with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources / Historical Highway Markers. Use the Marker Online Database Search, click on the agree button and then enter a search term.
Pennsylvania
Start with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Scroll down and click on the Marker Search button. Enter canal in the keyword search box.
New Jersey
I could not find a database of markers in New Jersey. However there was a report titled; Assessment of State Historical Marker Programs. Use the Historical Marker Database to search for New Jersey markers.
Revised 4/7/2020