National Canal Museum

The National Canal Museum is the Signature Program of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, located in Easton, Pennsylvania.

After a three-year transition during which the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor operated the canal museum under a management agreement, the two merged. The D&L is now responsible for the National Canal Museum, Hugh Moore Park, the Emrick Technology Center, the Locktender's House Museum and the canal boat, Josiah White II.

Officially known as Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museums, the National Canal Museum is located in Easton's Hugh Moore Park.

History[edit]

The National Canal Museum opened in 1970 as a joint cooperative effort between the City of Easton's Hugh Moore Park Commission and the Pennsylvania Canal Society.^[1] Sitting at the fork between the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, the museum was intended to highlight and operate within Hugh Moore Park.

The Josiah White, a functioning replica canal boat, debuted in 1978. Canal boat rides became a significant attraction for museum and park visitors.

In 1982, the museum's exhibits were redesigned. New exhibits highlighted the broader history of the towpath canal era and the industrial heritage of the Lehigh Valley.

During this period, the National Canal Museum began hosting several major events, including the annual Canal Festival and annual Canal History and Technology Symposium, the latter being held at Lafayette College. By 1985, the museum was realizing the ability for a complete collection and archival ability of important artifacts of both the canal era and the Industrial Revolution.

In 1996, the National Canal Museum moved to Two Rivers Landing in an effort to revitalize Easton’s downtown district. Today, Two Rivers Landing receives an average of 250,000 visitors each year. Beginning in 2002, the museum began a campaign to add hands-on activities to the existing exhibits. A proposal to the National Science Foundation(NSF) resulted in a grant of $1.4 million, later increased to $2 million, for the creation of exhibits based on the “science and technology of canals and inland waterways."

A new exhibit space was installed in March 2006, focusing on the history, science, and technology of canal construction and navigation.

In 2011, the museum’s 15-year lease period in Two Rivers Landing ended and was not renewed. On January 1, 2012, the museum was relocated, returning to Hugh Moore Park. The Emrick Technology Center was repurposed to act as the main exhibit and administrative space during the Crayola Factory shutdown.

In 2013, the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor began operating the National Canal Museum under a management agreement during the first Crayola Experience opening. This marked the beginning of a three-year transition in which the two organizations would merge. The transition allowed the D&L to integrate the management, finance, marketing, and development functions of the two organizations. The transition period ended in 2017. The museum, along with the other operations of Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museums, is now the Signature Program of the D&L.

Collections[edit]

The museum's collections reflect the material culture and document the history of America's canals and navigable rivers, as well as canal-related industries in the Lehigh Valley. The museum's holdings include 3,753 artifacts; 3,890 reels of film, video cassettes and oral history audio tapes; 52,782 slides, photographs and negative images; 31,824 engineering drawings; a library of more than 13,483 volumes; 736 linear feet of manuscript materials; and 261 rolls of microfilm. Among the museum's archival holdings are rare film footage of canal life, historic photographs, canal maps, captain's logs, a complete set of the Army Corps of Engineers' annual reports to Congress, and engineering plans for 15 towpath canals east of the Mississippi River.

The museum is responsible for maintaining and interpreting the historic structures and sites within the 260 acres that comprise Hugh Moore Park, a National Register Historic District. These include Section 8 of the Lehigh Canal and its three operating locks, a locktender's house, ruins from three 19th century industrial areas, and the remains of the Change Bridge, one of the first iron cable suspension bridges constructed in America.

Accreditations and affiliations[edit]

The National Canal Museum is accredited by American Alliance of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

Hugh Moore Park[edit]

Hugh Moore Park is a City of Easton park between the Lehigh River and the Lehigh Canal. It covers 520 acres (2.1 km²), including part of the Lehigh River and section 8 of the Lehigh Canal. The area now known as Hugh Moore Park was originally an industrial park, built due to the large amount of anthracite coal being brought down the Lehigh Canal from present day Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania

The park was purchased by the City of Easton in 1962, using money donated by Hugh Moore. This led to the formation of the Pennsylvania Canal Society in 1966 and the eventual creation of the National Canal Museum. Improvements to the park and its facilities have continually enhanced its visitor experience. These improvements include a biking and hiking trail, a boat launch, and pavilions. Additionally, the park has aided in the preservation of industrial ruins, including three locks, one of which is the only functioning lift lock in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, which has merged with The National Canal Museum, is responsible for maintaining and interpreting the historic structures and sites within the 260 acres (1.1 km²) that comprise Hugh Moore Park, a National Register Historic District. These include Section 8 of the Lehigh Canal and its three operating locks, a locktender's house, ruins from three 19th-century industrial areas, and the Change Bridge, one of the first iron cable suspension bridges constructed in America.

The Emrick Center[edit]

The Elaine and Peter Emrick Technology Center is a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m²), two-story brick building constructed to resemble a factory, the likes of which would have been seen throughout the park in the industrial era. The building holds a reception area, exhibit spaces, offices, and the Hugh Moore Park and Museums Archives.

The building opened in 2007. The inaugural exhibit, "From this Valley: Iron, Steel and the Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution," tells the story of the Lehigh Valley's critical role in the Industrial Revolution. In 2012, the National Canal Museum relocated from Two Rivers Landing to the Emrick Center, and transferred most of the exhibits and hands-on educational activity stations there. The relocated Museum, which is adjacent to the mule-drawn canal boat, the Josiah White II, opened on Memorial Day weekend, 2012. It came under operation of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor in 2013, completing its merger in 2017.

Archives[edit]

Also currently held in the Emrick Technology Center is the archives of the National Canal Museum. Since the inception of the institution and through all of its incarnations, and beginning with the first master plan, there have been provisions for the National Canal Museum to preserve the transportation and industrial history of the area. Since the acquisition of property for this purpose in 1985, the collection has undergone rapid growth, and is now the premier site for information concerning the technology of the Lehigh Valley and canal transportation in America.

The museum's collection reflects these areas, and document the history of America's canals and navigable rives, as well as the related industries in the Lehigh Valley. According to the museum website:

"The museum's holdings include: 3,753 artifacts; 3,890 reels of film, video cassettes [sic.], and audio (oral history) tapes; 52,782 slides, photographs and negative images; 31,824 engineering drawings; a library of more than 13,483 volumes; 736 linear feet of manuscript materials; and 261 rolls of microfilm.^[2]"

In addition to a large amount of historical artifacts and data, the museum also employs an in-house historian, available for lectures, researchers, and inquiries.

Locktender's House[edit]

The Locktender's House is a restored locktender's house nestled between the Lehigh River and Guard Lock 8 on the Lehigh Canal. A museum is located on its first floor. The Locktender's House displays the living and working conditions of people in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Locktender's House was built for the person with the responsibility of operating the lock. In order to ensure that lock was operated, the house was constructed as near to the lock as possible, so there was no reason for someone in the house to be unable to come out and operate the lock.

Opened in 1974, the museum is meant to provide a rough equivalent of what working on the canal would entail. Costumed guides provide background and information during a tour of the rooms of the house.

Josiah White II[edit]

The Josiah White II, the current boat used for the canal boat ride, is a steel-hulled boat built in 1993 by Bethlehem Steel at its former Sparrows Point Shipyard in Sparrow's Point, Maryland.

The original canal boat, named the Josiah White, served operationally during the summer from 1978 until 1993, when it was allowed to sink near the feeder gate for the canal. It currently serves as a visual aid for the canal boat ride.

The canal boat ride was developed to provide visitors with context and historical information, including information about building, living, and working on the canal. Pulled by two mules, named Hank and George, the ride intends to recreate the experience of moving down the canal during its operational period. Average rides are 40 minutes long, and discuss a multitude of topics, including mules, mule tending, and the history of the canal.

Timeline: Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museums[edit]

See also[edit]

• Canal
• Delaware Canal
• Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
• Lock (water transport)
• Lehigh Canal
• Canvass White

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• National Canal Museum Website
• Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor
• Smithsonian Affiliations Web Site

40°39′44″N 75°14′20″W / 40.66224°N 75.23900°W / 40.66224; -75.23900