Lock 2 on the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal - Harrison, Ohio - Waterway Locks, Planes and Lifts on Waymarking.com

Lock 2 is a composite lock; a combination of stone and timber construction. Another remnant of the Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal is the incredible canal tunnel (see WMJG8F) nearby at Cleves, Ohio.

On September 13, 1836 State and local officials met in Brookville for an earth-turning ceremony for the Whitewater Canal. Actual construction started in October or November 1836, and by June 1839 the canal between Lawrenceburg and Brookville was finished and ready for business. The line between Brookville and the Laurel Feeder Dam (Dam 4) was open by October 1843. The Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal was completed in November of 1843. In June 1845 boats could travel to Connersville, and by October 1846 the canal was navigable to the National Road at Cambridge City. The eight mile Hagerstown Canal (Cambridge City to Hagerstown) opened for business in 1847.

The details above were culled from an excellent resource, the Whitewater Canal Historical Corridor Guide. Authored by Don Burden for his master’s thesis at Ball State University, the ‘Guide’ is directed toward the history of the Whitewater Canal between West Harrison and Brookville. In order to tell this story, a general overview is given about the other sections of the canal.

Additional details about the Cincinnati & Whitewater Canal can be found at the web sites of the Canal Society of Ohio and the American Canal Society (also listed below). Wikipedia contains a good summary of the canal's history.

Another organization that is seeking to preserve the canal has actually established walking trails along the old towpath between Brookville and Metamora. The goal of the Whitewater Canal Trail, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit corporation, is to foster activities along the Whitewater Canal corridor that focus on historical preservation and interpretation, outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation while promoting sustainable development and improved quality of life in connected communities.

Waterway Name: Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Connected Points: Links Cincinnati, Ohio to Harrison, Ohio and the Whitewater Canal to Hagerstown, Indiana and Lawrenceburg, Indiana Type: Lock Date Opened: 11/08/1843 Date Closed (if applicable): 07/01/1855 Elevation Difference (meters): 2.00 Site Status: Remnants Web Site: [Web Link]

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