The Schuylkill Canal

by Karen Rodemich Roman

Overview

In 1825, the Schuylkill Navigation Company completed a waterway of 108 miles, linking Port Carbon to Philadelphia. The waterway, known as the Schuylkill Navigation but commonly referred to today as the Schuylkill Canal, consisted of a system of interconnected canals (often called reaches), locks, and slack-water pools to transport anthracite coal. Before that time, Philadelphia depended on the import of coal from Europe. The Schuylkill Canal was operational until 1931, around the time of the collapse of commercial traffic in the navigation. Only two watered stretches of the canal remain today: the approximately 2.5 miles of the original 3.5 miles of Oakes Reach between Oaks and Mont Clare and the one-mile reach in Manayunk. While these areas are no longer used for navigation, they are enjoyed recreationally by many in the surrounding communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467123440
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	06/15/2015
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,044,796
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Initially a volunteer with the Schuylkill Canal Association (SCA), Karen Rodemich Roman now serves on the association's board of directors. Professionally, she is an editor/writer for the health care industry. She has compiled the photographs for this book from the SCA's photographic archives, as well as other local sources, in an effort to convey the history and importance of the Schuylkill Canal.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 The Early Years of Canal Transportation 9

2 Prime Time on the Schuylkill Canal 29

3 A Time to Rebuild 67

4 That Was Then 81

About the Schuylkill Canal Association 127