1831 - 1932

"I remember one day, my dad grabbed both the driver and captain and threw them in the canal. My dog Buster, got one of the captains by the seat of the pants and really tore his pants off. He got his wife to steer while he went in the cabin to get on another pair of pants—just by acting fresh."
Flora Henry
Locktender
Boatbuilding
American canal boats met standards as unique as their canals. Here, the preferred boat met Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company's specifications of 87.5 feet long, 10.5 feet wide and 7.5 feet tall. The wooden "hinge" boats carried up to 100 tons of cargo.
Private boatyards built and repaired boats along the Delaware Canal at Uhlerstown, Erwinna, Upper Back Eddy, Point Pleasant, New Hope and Bristol. The major Company-owned boatyards operated in Weissport and Laury's Station on the Lehigh Navigation.
Hinge Boats
Boat captains liked the flexibility of the "hinge" boat. They separated the two sections easily by removing center connecting pins. This boat effortlessly turned in the narrow Delaware Canal and handily hauled two types of freight. The two sections traveled on the inclined planes of New Jersey's Morris Canal eliminating the need for load transfers.
Passing RulesIn 1833, rules established
by the Canal Commissioners allowed the "light" (unloaded) boat the right-of-way when two boats met. The loaded boat steered to the side opposite the towpath and stopped their mules. The tow line sank to the canal bottom. The lighter boat, traveling higher in the water, passed over the line. Both then continued on their way.
When boats approached each other, difficulties sometimes arose. Fights often began when a faster boat could not pass a slower boat. After all, they made money by the load...and time was money.
[Photo captions, from top to bottom, read]
· "Hinge" boats were popular because they were more flexible. You can see both sections side by side at the top of the photograph
· A canal boat passes through New Hope. This proud "Chunker" captain owns his own boat—[?] on this canal.
· This 1856 photograph shows an unidentified locktender enjoying a rare restful moment on a canal boat.

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Show me all markers in:  Easton, PA  |  Northampton County  |  18042  |  Pennsylvania  |  United States of America

From Mountain to Market
The Canaler's Life
It's a Short Commute
Lehigh Canal
Making Tracks
Easton & Nearby Heritage Attractions
Anthracite Tidewater Canals
From Waterways to Highways
Exploring The Corridor
Veterans Memorial, a War Memorial

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