The Canal

The Canal. . , The Pennsylvania Canal was a boon to travel and shipping. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania funded its construction starting in 1828. Before the canal, travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh took seven days. Canal travel reduced the time to three days. This monumental building project encouraged westward expansion. The canal was so new and fascinating that famous people took trips as tourists., Charles Dickens remarked upon the Fort Hunter area during his trip. "As night came on, and we drew in sight of the first range of hills, which are the outposts of the Allegheny Mountain, the scenery, which has been uninteresting hitherto, became more bold and striking. The wet ground reeked and smoked after the heavy fall of rain, and the croaking of frogs (whose noise in these parts is almost incredible) sounded as though a million of fairy teams with bells were traveling through the air and keeping pace with us.", The canal was quickly superseded by more practical railroads., The remains of the Pennsylvania Canal and towpath are located at Fort Hunter along the length of the eastern border of the park. This section of the canal remained active from its opening in 1833 until about 1900., The History of Transportation at Fort Hunter , Because the river and the mountains create a corridor, travelers have always passed through Fort Hunter. Etched on these lands is the history of transportation in the United States.