History of Lehigh Canal with current photographs

The Lehigh Canal

The Lehigh Canal
A Virtual Tour

Old print showing canal boats being loaded with anthracite coal at Mauch Chunk

 

Weigh Lock #2 south to Lock #5 Section 1

From the weigh lock and lock #2 the Lehigh river proceeds east for a short distance and then the river and the canal make a bend toward the south as the canal winds its way toward Packerton and Weissport. Today, this area of the canal is not watered until it reaches a section between lock #5 and lock #6. There is evidence of recent felling of trees and other efforts at clearing the canal bed just south of lock #5.

 


Lock #3 from the upstream or upper end of the lock looking downstream from the towpath. As can be seen, this lock is overgrown with trees and vegetation and it is difficult to discern the stone wall on the berm side of the lock. The towpath wall can be seen just to the right of the two small trees on the right. Lift was 8.3 feet.

 


View of Lock #3 looking upstream from the towpath.

 

Lock #3 from the interior of the canal bed looking back upstream.

 

The following photograph is of a railroad bridge that crosses the Lehigh River. The view is looking upriver or west from the towpath just south of lock #3. These railroad tracks were originally laid by the Lehigh & Susquehana Railroad, a railroad owned by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company in later years. At an even later time, the trackage rights were leased to the Pennsylvania division of the Central of New Jersey which went out of existence in 1973. Trackage rights on both sides of the Lehigh River then went to the Lehigh Valley Railroad until it's demise in April, 1976, then to Conrail and then lastly and most recently to the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

 

Lock #4 from the lock wall looking back north (upstream) through the lock.

 

This photograph, taken from the lock wall looking across the lock shows that a portion of the lock wall has crumbled. In the background is the stone foundation of the lock tender's house.

 

Lock #4 from the towpath a short way downstream. The overgrown weeds and small trees along the canal's edge makes it all but impossible to distinquish the lock wall. As with most locks, the gates are missing and the interior wall cribbing is gone. Lift was an astounding 9.0 feet.

 

This photograph of lock #5 was taken from dry bed of the canal looking downstream.

 


This is a view of lock #5 taken from the upper lock wall looking downstream. The lock gates are missing and the cribbing is missing from the walls. The bridge across the lower end of the lock is of new construction. It is in the proper position and allows access to the locktender's quarters. The improvements at this and other locks south of Jim Thorpe are the result of the canal being designated as a part of the Delaware & Lehigh Canal State Heritage Corridor.

 

The foundation of the lock tender's house can be seen in this photograph. The footbridge in the foreground crosses the flume. The flume, which was always on the berm side of a lock, carried canal water around the lock when the upstream lock gates were closed.

 

Lock #5 from the canal bed looking back upstream from the lower end of the lock. This lock had a lift of 7.2 feet. Although their is evidence of water at the lower end of this lock, it is caused by a small depression in which there is standing rain water.

 

    Continued

 

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Lehigh Canal & Navigation Company
History of the Lehigh Canal