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Pennsylvania Canal (North Branch Division)
Encyclopedia
The North Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal was an historic waterway that ran 169 miles (272 km) along the North Branch Susquehanna River
between southern New York
and north-central Pennsylvania
in the United States. At its southern end, the canal connected with the West Branch Canal
and the Susquehanna Division Canal
at Northumberland
, while on the north it connected with the Junction Canal
and the New York canal system. Built between 1828 and 1856, the North Branch Canal was part of a large transportation network that included Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works
.
. In 1834, a project called the Wyoming
Extension increased the canal's length by 17 miles (27 km) past Wilkes-Barre
to Pittston
. A final extension of 97 miles (156 km) from Pittston to the New York state line was started in 1836 and finished in 1856.
The complete canal had a total of 43 locks
that overcame 334 feet (102 m) of elevation between its end points. The southern end was 420 feet (128 m) above sea level, and the northern end was at 754 feet (229.8 m).
The privately-built Junction Canal
of 18 miles (29 km) linked the North Branch Canal to Elmira
. There the Junction Canal connected with the Chemung Canal
, which led north to Seneca Lake and the Erie Canal
. Through these connections, boats using the Pennsylvania Canal
system were able to travel as far as Buffalo
and Lake Champlain
.
In 1858, the canal from Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre to the state line was sold to the North Branch Canal Company, which in turn sold it to the Lehigh Valley Railroad
in 1865. The railroad laid tracks along portions of the canal towpath and operated both until 1872, when it was authorized by the state legislature to close the canal.
}|| 21.7 miles (34.9 km) || Rupert
|--
|| 4 || 5.51 feet (1.7 m)|| 23.1 miles (37.2 km) || Bloomsburg
|--
|| 5 || 9.63 feet (2.9 m) || 30 miles (48.3 km) || Stoneytown
|--
|| 6 || 8.48 feet (2.6 m) || 36.2 miles (58.3 km) || Berwick
|--
|| 7 || 8.92 feet (2.7 m) || 39.3 mi || Beach Haven
|--
|| 8 || 1.93 foot (0.588264 m) ||55.8 miles (89.8 km) || Guard lock at Nanticoke
|--
|}
authorized construction of another canal, the Chenango Canal
Extension, meant to run about 40 miles (64.4 km) along the North Branch Susquehanna River from Binghamton, New York
, to the Pennsylvania – New York border. The plans called for construction of an east–west crosscut canal linking the Chenango Canal Extension to the North Branch Canal, which followed the Chemung River
rather than the North Branch Susquehanna River north of Athens. Cost overruns, waning enthusiasm for canals, and funding delays led to abandonment of the project in 1872, after most of the work on the northern 30 miles (48.3 km) of the line had been completed. Beyond planning, no work had been done on the southernmost 10 miles (16.1 km) when the project ended.
Lock No. 1 and a section of the original North Branch Canal in Northumberland were intact in 1986 as was Lock No. 2 below Bloomsburg
. Occasional sections of canal bed remained between Shickshinny
and West Nanticoke, and the West Nanticoke guard lock was intact. Canal bed was visible from the Lackawanna River
toward Ransom
and largely intact above Vosburg between Lackawanna Campground and Horse Race Falls. At Laceyville
a museum known as the Oldest House was once a lockkeeper's house. Other remnants such as crib work
, canal embankment
s, iron spikes, and timbers could be found here and there along the full length of the canal.
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
between southern New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and north-central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States. At its southern end, the canal connected with the West Branch Canal
Pennsylvania Canal (West Branch Division)
The West Branch Division of the Pennsylvania Canal ran from the canal basin at Northumberland, Pennsylvania, at the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River with the main stem of the Susquehanna River, north through Muncy, then west through Williamsport, Jersey Shore, and Lock Haven to its...
and the Susquehanna Division Canal
Pennsylvania Canal (Susquehanna Division)
The only canal of the Susquehanna Division of the Pennsylvania Canal ran along the west bank of the main stem of the Susquehanna River between a lock near the mouth of the Juniata River and the canal basin at Northumberland...
at Northumberland
Northumberland, Pennsylvania
Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the...
, while on the north it connected with the Junction Canal
Junction Canal
The Junction Canal was a canal in the states of New York and Pennsylvania in the United States. The canal was also called the Arnot Canal, after the name of its principal stockholder, John Arnot of Elmira, New York. The canal was built and operated by a private stock company. The canal was partly...
and the New York canal system. Built between 1828 and 1856, the North Branch Canal was part of a large transportation network that included Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works
Main Line of Public Works
The Main Line of Public Works was a railroad and canal system built by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the 19th century. It ran from Philadelphia west through Harrisburg and across the state to Pittsburgh and connected with other divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal...
.
History
The first segment of 55 miles (89 km) was begun in 1828 and completed in 1831 to Nanticoke FallsNanticoke, Pennsylvania
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,465 at the 2010 census.-History:The name Nanticoke was derived from Nantego, the Indian tidewater people who moved here when their Maryland lands were spoiled for hunting by the colonial settlement in...
. In 1834, a project called the Wyoming
Wyoming, Pennsylvania
Wyoming is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States five miles north of Wilkes Barre, on the Susquehanna River. Formerly, coal mining was the chief industry. In 1900, 1,909 people resided in Wyoming. There were 3,010 residents in 1910...
Extension increased the canal's length by 17 miles (27 km) past Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
to Pittston
Pittston, Pennsylvania
Pittston is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. It gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an active anthracite coal mining city, drawing a large portion of its labor force from European immigrants. The population was...
. A final extension of 97 miles (156 km) from Pittston to the New York state line was started in 1836 and finished in 1856.
The complete canal had a total of 43 locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
that overcame 334 feet (102 m) of elevation between its end points. The southern end was 420 feet (128 m) above sea level, and the northern end was at 754 feet (229.8 m).
The privately-built Junction Canal
Junction Canal
The Junction Canal was a canal in the states of New York and Pennsylvania in the United States. The canal was also called the Arnot Canal, after the name of its principal stockholder, John Arnot of Elmira, New York. The canal was built and operated by a private stock company. The canal was partly...
of 18 miles (29 km) linked the North Branch Canal to Elmira
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
. There the Junction Canal connected with the Chemung Canal
Chemung Canal
The Chemung Canal is a former canal in New York, USA. The canal connected Seneca Lake at Watkins Glen to the Chemung River at Elmira, New York. Its larger significance was to connect New York's Erie Canal system with Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River watershed....
, which led north to Seneca Lake and the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
. Through these connections, boats using the Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal refers generally to a complex system of canals, dams, locks, tow paths, aqueducts, and other infrastructure including, in some cases, railroads in Pennsylvania...
system were able to travel as far as Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
.
In 1858, the canal from Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre to the state line was sold to the North Branch Canal Company, which in turn sold it to the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Lehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
in 1865. The railroad laid tracks along portions of the canal towpath and operated both until 1872, when it was authorized by the state legislature to close the canal.
Locks (first segment)
| No. | Lift | Canal mile River mile In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer... (km) |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 miles 0.0 km |
Northumberland Northumberland, Pennsylvania Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the... Canal Basin |
||
| 1 | 11.49 feet (3.5 m) | 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | |
| 2 | 11.21 feet (3.4 m) | 14.2 miles (22.9 km) | 2 miles (3.2 km) above Danville Danville, Pennsylvania Danville is a borough in Montour County, Pennsylvania, USA, of which it is the county seat, on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. Danville was home to 8,042 people in 1900, 7,517 people in 1910, and 7,122 people in 1940. The population was 4,897 at the 2000 census... |
| 3 |
Rupert, Pennsylvania
Rupert is a census-designated place in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 174 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Bloomsburg–Berwick Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
|--
|| 4 || 5.51 feet (1.7 m)|| 23.1 miles (37.2 km) || Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre along the Susquehanna River. In 1900, the population of Bloomsburg stood at 6,170; in 1910, 7,413; in 1940, 9,799, and in 1990, 12,439. The population was 14,855 at the 2010 census...
|--
|| 5 || 9.63 feet (2.9 m) || 30 miles (48.3 km) || Stoneytown
|--
|| 6 || 8.48 feet (2.6 m) || 36.2 miles (58.3 km) || Berwick
Berwick, Pennsylvania
Berwick is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 22.6 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre. Berwick is one of two principal cities of the Bloomsburg–Berwick Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Columbia and Montour counties and had a combined population of 82,387...
|--
|| 7 || 8.92 feet (2.7 m) || 39.3 mi || Beach Haven
|--
|| 8 || 1.93 foot (0.588264 m) ||55.8 miles (89.8 km) || Guard lock at Nanticoke
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania
Nanticoke is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,465 at the 2010 census.-History:The name Nanticoke was derived from Nantego, the Indian tidewater people who moved here when their Maryland lands were spoiled for hunting by the colonial settlement in...
|--
|}
Chenango Extension
In 1863, the New York LegislatureNew York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
authorized construction of another canal, the Chenango Canal
Chenango Canal
The Chenango Canal was a towpath canal that was built and operated in the mid-19th century in Upstate New York in the United States. It was 97 miles long and for much of its course followed the Chenango River, from Binghamton on the south end to Utica on the north end...
Extension, meant to run about 40 miles (64.4 km) along the North Branch Susquehanna River from Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, to the Pennsylvania – New York border. The plans called for construction of an east–west crosscut canal linking the Chenango Canal Extension to the North Branch Canal, which followed the Chemung River
Chemung River
The Chemung River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long, in south central New York and northern Pennsylvania in the United States. It drains a mountainous region of the northern Allegheny Plateau in the Southern Tier of New York...
rather than the North Branch Susquehanna River north of Athens. Cost overruns, waning enthusiasm for canals, and funding delays led to abandonment of the project in 1872, after most of the work on the northern 30 miles (48.3 km) of the line had been completed. Beyond planning, no work had been done on the southernmost 10 miles (16.1 km) when the project ended.
Remnants
Susquehanna Riverlands in Salem Township, 8 miles (13 km) south of Wilkes-Barre, has 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) of river walking path and filled canal owned and managed by Pennsylvania Power and Light Company.Lock No. 1 and a section of the original North Branch Canal in Northumberland were intact in 1986 as was Lock No. 2 below Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre along the Susquehanna River. In 1900, the population of Bloomsburg stood at 6,170; in 1910, 7,413; in 1940, 9,799, and in 1990, 12,439. The population was 14,855 at the 2010 census...
. Occasional sections of canal bed remained between Shickshinny
Shickshinny, Pennsylvania
Shickshinny is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 959 at the 2000 census, and declined to 896 in the 2007 Economic Census....
and West Nanticoke, and the West Nanticoke guard lock was intact. Canal bed was visible from the Lackawanna River
Lackawanna River
The Lackawanna River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in northeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. It flows through a region of the northern Pocono Mountains that was once a center of anthracite coal mining in the United States...
toward Ransom
Ransom Township, Pennsylvania
Ransom Township is a township in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,420 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 18.0 square miles , of which, 17.6 square miles of it is land and...
and largely intact above Vosburg between Lackawanna Campground and Horse Race Falls. At Laceyville
Laceyville, Pennsylvania
Laceyville is a borough in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 396 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Laceyville is located at ....
a museum known as the Oldest House was once a lockkeeper's house. Other remnants such as crib work
Crib pier
A crib pier is a type of pier built with the supporting columns made of 'cribs'. Typically a crib is made from wood, but it could be made from any long cylindrical material...
, canal embankment
Embankment (transportation)
To keep a road or railway line straight or flat, and where the comparative cost or practicality of alternate solutions is prohibitive, the land over which the road or rail line will travel is built up to form an embankment. An embankment is therefore in some sense the opposite of a cutting, and...
s, iron spikes, and timbers could be found here and there along the full length of the canal.
Points of interest
| Feature | Coordinates | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Athens Athens, Pennsylvania Athens is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, two miles south of the N. Y. State line on the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers. Population in 1900, 3,749; and in 1910, 3,796. The population was 3,415 at the 2000 census... |
41°57′26"N 76°31′05"W | Town near the northern terminus |
| Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census... |
41°14′34"N 75°52′50"W | City near the mid-point of the canal |
| Northumberland Northumberland, Pennsylvania Northumberland is a borough in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,714 at the 2000 census.-History:Northumberland was founded in 1772. The land that became Northumberland was purchased from the Iroquois in the first Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1768, and the... |
40°53′30"N 76°47′51"W | Town at the southern terminus |
Works cited
- Petrillo, F. Charles (1986). Anthracite and Slackwater: The North Branch Canal 1828–1901. Easton, Pennsylvania: Center for Canal History and Technology. ISBN 0-930973-04-6.
- Shank, William H. (1986). The Amazing Pennsylvania Canals, 150th Anniversary Edition. York, Pennsylvania: American Canal and Transportation Center. ISBN 0-933788-37-1.
- Whitford, Nobel E., and Beal, Minnie M. (1906). History of the Canal System of the State of New York Together with Brief Histories of the Canals of the United States and Canada, "Chapter 18: The Chenango Canal Extension". Albany, New York: Brandow Printing Company. . Retrieved March 21, 2010.