Havre de Grace in Harford County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
How A Lock Works
Instead of following the slope of the land like rivers and streams, a canal periodically takes a vertical step between long stretches of flat water. Locks were constructed at each vertical step to accomplish moving barges up and down each of the long stretches of flat waterway. The vertical step at this lock is 8 feet. While the lock's hand-operated mitered gates were simple in concept, they required close attention and experience to operate.
As a boatman approached a lock, he would sound an alarm half to a quarter of a mile away, alerting the locktender. Entering the lock was the most demanding part of canalling. Canal boats were usually designed to fill the lock as much as possible. Thus, a boat would enter the lock with only inches to spare. If the helmsman allowed the boat to hit the lock walls, he could damage the lock walls or sink the boat. Nevertheless, the boat had to be moving fast enough to go all the way into the lock, yet it still had to before hitting the gate at the other end of the lock. Crashes of this sort were a major cause of damage to the canal, as boatmen would often race each other to get to
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As the boat entered the lock, a crew member jumped ashore and wrapped a rope around a snubbing post anchored next to the lock. Working the snubbing post took a steady hand. If the rope was too tight, the boat would crash into the side of the lock, or the post would snap, sending the boat into the gate at the far end. Too loose and the boat crashed into the gate as well.
Once the boat was snubbed into the lock, the locking process could begin. Generally, the whole process of locking a boat through the gates took about 10 minutes.
[Sidebar:]
Locking Through Southbound
Sluice valves or wickets on the upper gate are opened and water in the lock is raised to that of the level of the upstream canal. The upper gates are opened and a boat enters the lock ❶. The upper gates and their sluice valves are closed. Sluice valves in the lower gates are opened, allowing water to empty from the lock ❷. The boat is lowered slowly as the water in the lock drops to the level of the downstream canal. At this point the lower gate is opened and the boat proceeds forward joining the lower level of the canal ❸.
Erected by Lock
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 39° 33.367′ N, 76° 5.589′ W. Marker is in Havre de Grace, Maryland, in Harford County. It is on Charles Montgomery Way east of Conesteo Street when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 817 Conesteo St, Havre de Grace MD 21078, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Central Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in the Chesapeake Bay Region, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: You Are Standing On A Pivot (Or Swing) Bridge (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); The Lafayette Trail (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Lock House (about 300 feet away); This Wye Oak (about 300 feet away); a different marker also named This Wye Oak (about 400 feet away); Harford County - Related U.S.C.T. Civil War Soldiers (approx. ¼ mile away); Sergeant Alfred B. Hilton Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Havre de Grace.
Other markers no longer nearby. How a Lock Works (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Nineteenth Century Travel (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Under Attack (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 206 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
