Lock 1

Lock 1. The Canal's First and Last. , Over its 59-mile length, the Delaware Canal drops 165 feet from Easton to Bristol. To overcome this elevation change, 23 lift locks were built along the way. They allowed safe and reliable navigation for cargo-filled boats., A lift lock was a water elevator that allowed canal boats to be raised or lowered to different levels., The lock chamber consisted of a floor, two walls, and lock gates at either end. It was filled or emptied using openings in the lock gates called wickets., Lock 1 was located here. It used the power of water to lower canal boats 7 feet to the level of the holding basin and Delaware River. Boats on their trips north could be raised to the next canal level. Lock 1 was buried under the existing roadway in the 1950's. Today, pavers on the surface of the road show where it once was.