Union Canal
Posted by: 
Gosffo
N 40° 17.867 W 075° 55.559
18T E 421302 N 4461220
OOOphs, the sign at the above location does not match the State's Web Site!!
Waymark Code: WM6BP
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 01/21/2006
Views: 29
The sign for this marker and the web site do not match up! This is what the sign reads at the junction of Rte. 10 and Rte. 724:
In use, 1828-1884. It connected the Schuylkill at Reading with the Susquehanna at Middletown. About a mile east, at tip of Fritts Island, are remains of easternmost lock. It passed boats traveling to and from Philadelphia by way of Schuykill Navigation.
Union Canal Facts:
Date of operation 1828 - 1881
Length 75 miles long - ran from Reading, on the Schuykill River (the northern part) to Middletown on the Susquehanna (southern end) ( which confuses me cause it seems more east and west)
Rivertype - towpaths and lift locks
Width - 30 ft.
Depth - 4 ft.
Locks = 93 (75ft. long & 8 1/2ft. wide)
Enlarged 1841 - 1856
New locks - 90 ft long & 18 ft. wide
Cargo - anthracite coal & lumber
Chief engineers - Canvass White (orginal canal)
- Loami Baldwin Jr. (upgrade)
Construction started in 1792 with 2 companies. President George Washington shoveled the first dirt! When unable to raise enought money the 2 companies merged into the Union Canal Company. (1811)
The Union canal had a 22 mile feeder that began in Pine Grove, passed through the Swatara Creek Valley and joined the main canal. This feeder canal was a major source of income for the company, because it carried anthracite coal.
The average barge weight was 25 tons, after the enlargement, the barges held 75 - 80 tons. In 1862 a flood damaged the Pine Grove feeder and it never fully recovered. The canal closed in 1881.
So take a picture of the sign. I would recommend that you stay in the parking area and just take a picture from across the street. DO NOT CROSS THE HIGHWAY!!!!!! IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK!
Marker Name: Union Canal
County: Berks
Date Dedicated: 10/10/1950
Marker Type: Roadside
Location: Junction Pa. 10 & 724, 2 miles S of Reading
Category: Transportation, Canals, Navigation
Website: Not listed
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