Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal
Map of historic Pennsylvania canals and connecting railroads
Specifications
Locks	29
Status	Abandoned except for recreation and historic interest
History
Original owner	Susquehanna Canal Company and Tidewater Canal Company
Construction began	1836
Date completed	1840
Date closed	1894
Geography
Start point	Wrightsville, Pennsylvania
End point	Havre de Grace, Maryland
Branch(es)	Conestoga Navigation, Codorus Navigation
Connects to	Eastern Division Canal, Chesapeake Bay

The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal was a waterway built between 1836 and 1840. It connected Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, to Havre de Grace, Maryland. This city is located at the top of the Chesapeake Bay.

The canal offered a new way to ship goods between states. It was an easier path than the tricky lower Susquehanna River. The canal ran for about 43 miles (69 km) along the west side of the river. About 30 miles (48 km) were in Pennsylvania, and 13 miles (21 km) were in Maryland.

Building this canal helped both Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Baltimore, Maryland. It brought more coal and other raw materials from inside Pennsylvania to these big cities. However, new railroads caused the canal to decline after 1855. Today, parts of the canal, like a lock keeper's house, are still preserved.

History of the Canal

Why the Canal Was Built

In the 1820s, people in Baltimore wanted to build a canal. They hoped it would connect the Chesapeake Bay to Pennsylvania's Main Line of Public Works at Columbia, Pennsylvania. This would help them get raw materials and trade with Pennsylvania.

However, Philadelphia was a rival city. People there worried they would lose trade to Baltimore. This disagreement caused delays in building the canal.

In 1829, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was finished. This canal cut across a narrow strip of land south of Philadelphia. It made the water trip from Havre de Grace to Philadelphia shorter. This meant the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal could help both cities.

So, in 1835, two private companies joined together. The Susquehanna Canal Company of Pennsylvania and the Tidewater Canal Company of Maryland funded the project. Construction started in 1836 and finished in 1840.

Money Troubles and Decline

The canal company faced money problems even though it collected tolls. Tolls are fees paid to use the canal. In its first year, the canal earned $42,000. By 1850, this amount had grown to about four times as much.

However, building the canal cost a lot of money, about $3.5 million. The company had to borrow heavily and struggled to pay its debts. After 1855, the money from tolls started to drop. Floods, competition from railroads, and the American Civil War made the decline happen faster.

In 1872, the canal company sold what it owned to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company. This railway used the canal to move coal to Baltimore until 1894. The Pennsylvania Railroad also opened a new railway across the river in 1877.

How the Canal Worked

The canal had 29 locks. Locks are special sections that help boats move up or down different water levels. These locks helped boats overcome a total change in height of 231 feet (70 meters).

At Wrightsville, the canal connected to the Pennsylvania Canal. This was part of the larger Main Line of Public Works. Boats on the canal carried goods like coal, lumber, grain, and iron. Many of these goods were going to Baltimore or Philadelphia.

Boats paid tolls at a special weigh lock in York Furnace. Teams of mules walked on paths next to the canal, called towpaths. They pulled the boats along the water. At the start of the canal near Columbia, a wooden bridge allowed mules going in different directions to cross the Susquehanna River at the same time.

When boats reached Havre de Grace, small boats called tugs pulled them to Baltimore or other places. Mules for the Baltimore boats would wait in Havre de Grace for the return trip. Boats going to Philadelphia took their mules with them for the next part of their journey.

Earlier Canal Attempts

Before the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal, there was an older attempt to build a canal. In 1783, Maryland gave permission to a company to build a canal called the Susquehanna Canal. This company, called the Proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal, finished a 9-mile (14 km) canal by 1802. It ran along the east bank of the river, from the Chesapeake Bay to the Pennsylvania border.

The owners hoped Pennsylvania would allow them to extend the canal. But Pennsylvania did not approve any canal below Columbia until after 1829. That's when the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal opened. This made a canal on the lower Susquehanna more appealing to Philadelphia.

However, the older Susquehanna Canal was expensive to build and didn't make much money. Its owners sold it in 1817, and it was completely abandoned in 1840. This happened when the new Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal opened on the other side of the river. This older canal was also known as the Port Deposit Canal or the Conowingo Canal.

What's Left Today

Southern end of a lock at the abandoned town of Lapidum, Maryland

You can still see parts of the canal today. Some remnants are in Susquehanna State Park (Maryland) in Harford County, Maryland. This is about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Havre de Grace. The Susquehanna Museum in Havre de Grace has even restored the lock house at the end of the canal.

In Pennsylvania, Lock #12 has been saved by PPL. It is located along Pennsylvania Route 372 near the Norman Wood Bridge. You can walk along a path from Lock 12 to the ruins of Lock 13. Lock 14 no longer exists. Lock 15 is also preserved and has signs explaining how the canal worked.

The Company Today

The company that owned the very first Susquehanna Canal, The Proprietors of the Susquehanna Canal, still exists as a business. It was bought by Philadelphia Electric Company, and now it's owned by Exelon. Because it was a Maryland company from 1783, it had the rights to build the Conowingo Dam.

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