Weissport in Carbon County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Hub in its Heyday

Weissport Lehigh Canal

— 1829-1942 —

The Hub in it’s Heyday Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, August 2, 2015

1. The Hub in it’s Heyday Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

As long as the Lehigh Canal prospered, so did Weissport. When the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company located its primary boatyard here, it transformed both sides of the Canal into a bustling manufacturing complex.

Look around…imagine a planning mill, blacksmith shop and covered dry dock. A boiler house with a steam engine belching smoke. A mule-powered railway for hauling boats out of the water in its heyday. Weissport had storage sheds for metal and lumber. Mules, hundreds of mules, filled nearby stables.

Residents shopped at three general stores. Two coal yards sold the Canal’s most plentiful cargo. Nearby everyone in Weissport depended upon the Canal. And the Canal depended upon the town. More than 8 out of every 10 Canal employees (except for locktenders and boatmen) lived in or near Weissport.

“Weissport though small in size…was about the liveliest place in the Lehigh Valley”
“Dr. Clarence Weiss, 1942”

Erected by Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce

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• Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lehigh Canal series list.

Location. 40° 49.889′ N, 75° 42.044′ W. Marker is in Weissport, Pennsylvania, in Carbon County. Marker is on Main Road. The marker is located in Weissport Lehigh Canal Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lehighton PA 18235, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Exploring the Corridor (a few steps from this marker); Jacob Weiss Memorial (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fort Allen (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Allen Well (approx. 0.2 miles away); Betty Mullen Brey (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Allen (approx. ¼ mile away); American Maritime Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); War at Home Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Weissport.

The Hub in it’s Heyday Marker with the Pavilion in the background image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, August 2, 2015

2. The Hub in it’s Heyday Marker with the Pavilion in the background

Lehigh Canal image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, August 2, 2015

3. Lehigh Canal

Weissport Lehigh Canal Park-sign at the entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Don Morfe, August 2, 2015

4. Weissport Lehigh Canal Park-sign at the entrance

Credits. This page was last revised on May 17, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 9, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 281 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on May 16, 2019, by Laura Klotz of Northampton, Pennsylvania. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 9, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.