Near Delphi in Carroll County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Wabash & Erie Canal

Operating The Canal

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

1. The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker

(Click on any of these photos to see the details.)

Inscription.

The Wabash and Erie Canal. Operating The Canal. Front The Longest Canal in North America. Carroll County Wabash and Erie Canal Delphi, Indiana, The Wabash and Erie Canal extended 468 miles from Toledo, Ohio to Evansville, Indiana. On March 2, 1827, a Congressional land grant made possible a continuous waterway connecting the Eastern Seaboard through Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mexico. The grant provided for the construction of a 168 mile long canal from the mouth of Ohio’s Auglaize River on the Maumee River across a land portage over the watershed divide at Fort Wayne, Indiana, to the mouth of the Tippecanoe on the Wabash River., Construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal began in Fort Wayne on July 4, 1832 and was finished through Carroll County, to Delphi by 1840. Built by the hand of laborers and the brute strength of their animals, a waterway was slowly cleared through the Wabash Valley wilderness., With the addition of two land grants, the project extended 468 miles and by 1853 canal boats began navigating between Lake Erie at Toledo, Ohio and Evansville, Indiana on the Ohio River. Credited for helping develop Indiana and points west, the Wabash and Erie was ordered closed by court order in 1874 and sold in 1876., Obverse Side How Canal Boats Traveled across the Landscape. Welcome to Lock No.32. Canal boats moved on narrow stretches of level water contained within banks called a towpath and a berm bank. The towpath was located between the river and the canal. At either end of level stretches of water, a structure called a lock was installed to raise or lower boats to higher or lower changes in the land elevation., With a chamber measuring 90 feet long and 15 feet wide, the space Lock No.32 once occupied can be seen here in the present side ditch. A lockkeeper was stationed at the Meutzer Tavern that once stood on the east of the road., Two sets of large wooden gates with wickets were operated by hand that allowed water to enter into or to discharge from the lock. It took several minutes for a boat to make the 9 foot change in elevation and pass through the lock. Often a long line of canal boats waited to make passage from the level of the lake or the Canal as they made their way to and from Paragon. . This historical marker is Near Delphi in Carroll County Indiana

Front The Longest Canal in North America Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Delphi, Indiana

The Wabash & Erie Canal extended 468 miles
from Toledo, Ohio to Evansville, Indiana On March 2, 1827, a Congressional land grant made possible a continuous waterway connecting the Eastern Seaboard through Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mexico. The grant provided for the construction of a 168 mile long canal from the mouth of Ohio’s Auglaize River on the Maumee River across a land portage over the watershed divide at Fort Wayne, Indiana, to the mouth of the Tippecanoe on the Wabash River.

Construction of the Wabash & Erie Canal began in Fort Wayne on July 4, 1832 and was finished through Carroll County, to Delphi by 1840. Built by the hand of laborers and the brute strength of their animals, a waterway was slowly cleared through the Wabash Valley wilderness.

With the addition of two land grants, the project extended 468 miles and by 1853 canal boats began navigating between Lake Erie at Toledo, Ohio and Evansville, Indiana on the Ohio River. Credited for helping develop

Lower Section - - The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

2. Lower Section - - The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker

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Indiana and points west, the Wabash & Erie was ordered closed by court order in 1874 and sold in 1876.

Obverse Side How Canal Boats Traveled across the Landscape
Welcome to Lock No.32 Canal boats moved on narrow stretches of level water contained within banks called a towpath and a berm bank. The towpath was located between the river and the canal. At either end of level stretches of water, a structure called a lock was installed to raise or lower boats to higher or lower changes in the land elevation.

With a chamber measuring 90 feet long and 15 feet wide, the space Lock No.32 once occupied can be seen here in the present side ditch. A lockkeeper was stationed at the Meutzer Tavern that once stood on the east of the road.

Two sets of large wooden gates with wickets were operated by hand that allowed water to enter into or to discharge from the lock. It took several minutes for a boat to make the 9 foot change in elevation and pass through the lock. Often a long line of canal boats waited to make passage from the level of the lake or the Canal as they made their way to and from Paragon.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Roads & Vehicles

Maps - - The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

3. Maps - - The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker

• Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Wabash & Erie Canal series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1875.

Location. 40° 38.964′ N, 86° 39.45′ W. Marker is near Delphi, Indiana, in Carroll County. Marker is on Road N 700 W north of Road W 675 N, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Delphi IN 46923, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Carrollton Bridge (a few steps from this marker); Mentzer Tavern (a few steps from this marker); Carrollton on the Wabash (a few steps from this marker); Trail of Death (approx. 1.9 miles away); Site of Cabin Home Gen. Samuel Milroy (approx. 3.8 miles away); Loom House Weaver (approx. 4.1 miles away); The Paper Maker's Shop (approx. 4.1 miles away); Cabin Homestead 1830s (approx. 4.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Delphi.

More about this marker. Admittedly the sun and shade gave problems in taking the photos. The public is invited to re-photograph and/or replace any of the ones on this listing.
Also, if you have any old photos of the canal in operation or being built - they too would be very well welcomed. Please check your old family keep-sakes for old letters, journels, or other printed material about travel on Wabash & Erie Canal. Any and all of them are important and need to be attached!!

Also see . . .
1. "Wabash & Erie Canal Park" - Delphi, Indiana::. This organization has the greatest concentration and most of the known remains of the Wabash & Erie Canal in Indiana. The many links on this web site are very interesting and fun to work with. (Submitted on September 8, 2010, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana.)

2. "The men who dug the Canal" ::

Obverse Side - - "Operating The Canal" image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

4. Obverse Side - - "Operating The Canal"

. A light and lively song with many old photos of canal builders in the process of digging a canal. (Submitted on September 8, 2010, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana.)

3. "Angel of the Canal" ::. Many fell ill digging canals. In frontier days there were few doctors and medicine was scarce. In the Brecksville, Ohio area Mrs. Johnson became known as the "Angel of the Canal" for her care of the ill. (Submitted on September 8, 2010, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana.)

4. Wabash & Erie Canal Trail in Delphi Indiana (Courtesy of "Native Robin")::. (Submitted on January 18, 2012, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana.)

Upper Section - - Operating The Canal image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

5. Upper Section - - Operating The Canal

Welcome to Lock No.32 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

6. Welcome to Lock No.32

Lower Section - - Operating The Canal image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

7. Lower Section - - Operating The Canal

Looking South - - The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Courtesy:: Carly C. Kindig, September 6, 2010

8. Looking South - - The Wabash & Erie Canal Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 8, 2010, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana. This page has been viewed 1,546 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on September 8, 2010, by Al Wolf of Veedersburg, Indiana. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.