Schuylkill Canal
| Schuylkill Navigation | |
|---|---|
Lock 60 at Oakes Reach in Mont Clare, Pennsylvania | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 90 miles (140 km) (originally 108 mi or 174 km) |
| Maximum boat length | 110 ft 0 in (33.53 m) |
| Maximum boat beam | 18 ft 0 in (5.49 m) (originally 13 ft 0 in or 3.96 m) (Size of Lock 60) |
| Locks | 44 (originally 72) |
| Maximum height above sea level | 618.75 ft (188.60 m) (above mid tide of Delaware River) |
| Status | Mostly infilled |
Schuylkill Navigation Canal, Oakes Reach Section | |
| Nearest city | Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 40°07′57″N 75°30′09.5″W / 40.13250°N 75.502639°W |
| Area | 155.3 acres (62.8 ha) |
| Built | 1821 |
| Architect | Thomas Oakes |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000462 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 6, 1988 |
| Designated PHMC | September 4, 1994 |
| History | |
| Principal engineer | Thomas Oakes |
| Construction began | 1815 |
| Date completed | 1827 |
| Date closed | 1947 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | 40°34′42″N 76°01′35″W / 40.57833°N 76.02639°W (originally 40°41′37″N 76°09′52″W / 40.69361°N 76.16444°W) (18 miles (29 km) above Port Clinton abandoned by December 1887) |
| End point | 39°58′02″N 75°11′16″W / 39.96722°N 75.18778°W |
The Schuylkill Canal, or Schuylkill Navigation, was a system of interconnected canals and slack-water pools along the Schuylkill River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, built as a commercial waterway in the early 19th-century. Chartered in 1815, the navigation opened in 1825, to provide transportation and water power.
At the time, the Schuylkill River was the least expensive and most efficient method of transporting bulk cargo, and cities on the U.S. East Coast were experiencing an energy crisis. It fostered the mining of anthracite coal as the major source of industry between Pottsville and eastern markets. Along the tow-paths, mules pulled barges of coal from Port Carbon through the water gaps to Pottsville; locally to the port and markets of Philadelphia; and some then by ship or through additional New Jersey waterways, to New York City markets.
The Schuylkill Canal was in operation until 1931 and was almost completely filled in the 1950s. Some remaining watered reaches are now used for recreation.