How a Lock Works
Canals are long flat waterways that do not follow the slope of the land, as do rivers and streams. To travel uphill or downhill, canal boats were raised or lowered in a lock. When a canal boat approached a lock, the captain would blow a horn (sometimes a conch shell) alerting the lockkeeper, whose job was to open and close the lock gate.
Once inside the lock, a crewmember would jump ashore and wrap a rope around a snubbing post, stopping the boat. Then the lockkeeper closed the gate and either raised or lowered the water, depending upon where the boat was headed. When the water in the lock equaled the next level, the gates were opened and the canal boat continued its journey.
[Left side photo/illustration caption reads]
Boats traveling upstream on the canal would enter locks like these, then the water level would raise them about 6 feet to the next level.
Pennsylvania Canal Packet Boat
Muncy Historical Society volunteers reconstructed an authentic 1860s Canal Packet Boat after salvaging the cabin.
The Packet Boat is a traveling educational exhibit. In 2004, Muncy Historical Society received recognition from both the American Association of State & Local History and the PA Federation of Museums and Historic Organizations for preserving the Packet Boat.
Boat builders, in the photograph at
this page online
Erected by Muncy Historical Society and Museum of History, PA DCNR, Susquehanna Greenway, et al.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 2004.
Location. 41° 11.54′ N, 76° 48.178′ W. Marker is in Muncy, Pennsylvania, in Lycoming County. Marker is at the Muncy Heritage Park and Nature Trail, off Pepper Street, and along the gated road running along the west side of the park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Muncy PA 17756, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Drinking Well (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Port Penn (within shouting distance of this marker); The Lock-tender and His House (within shouting distance of this marker); Nature's Highway (within shouting distance of this marker); Canal Boat Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Canal Boats (about 300 feet away); Fisher Pond (about 500 feet away); Old Walton Cemetery (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Muncy.
Also see . . .
1. Muncy Historical Society PA. (Submitted on July 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Locks on the Erie Canal. (Submitted on July 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. How A Lock Works. (Submitted on July 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. How A Canal Lock Works at YouTube. (Submitted on July 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2018. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 160 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
