Stanhope in Sussex County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Morris Canal 1824-1924
The Morris Canal Greenway
The Morris Canal was an engineering marvel of its time. A system of 23 lift locks and 23 inclined planes enabled the canal to overcome more elevation change than any other transportation canal ever built. Large changes in elevation were overcome using the canal’s famous inclined planes which were short, water-powered marine railways on which canal boats were pulled up or let down hillsides. The locks operated like water elevators, overcoming smaller changes in elevation. Mules were the power source that pulled the boats across the state in five days.
The Morris Canal was critical to the economy and development of northern New Jersey from the time of the waterway’s construction until after the Civil War. Running from Phillipsburg to Jersey City, the canal linked the anthracite coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania with northern New Jersey’s iron industry, major industrial cities, and the New York area markets. Open from 1831 to 1924, the canal carried anthracite coal, iron ore, timber, limestone, and agricultural products.
The Morris Canal overcame 1,674 feet of elevation change, more than any other transportation canal in the world!
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Morris Canal Greenway
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Morris Canal series list.
Location. 40° 54.852′ N, 74° 45.309′ W. Marker is in Stanhope, New Jersey, in Sussex County. Marker can be reached from Waterloo Valley Road, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located in Historic Waterloo Village. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stanhope NJ 07874, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Canal Features at Waterloo (within shouting distance of this marker); Let This Tablet Honor Them and All Who Live For the Good of the Community (within shouting distance of this marker); Waterloo: A Transportation Crossroads (within shouting distance of this marker); Waterloo, A Canal Town (within shouting distance of this marker); Morris Canal (within shouting distance of this marker); The Morris Canal Inclined Planes (within shouting distance of this marker); Sussex Branch Trail (approx. one mile away); Christopher Columbus Memorial Highway (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stanhope.
More about this marker. A map of New Jersey on the right side of the marker shows the routes of the Delaware & Raritan Canal and the Morris Canal, with a closeup of the Summit Region of the Morris Canal.
A photograph at the lower right of the marker depicts “Two mules towing a Morris Canal boat in Dover.”
An illustration at the bottom of the marker has a caption of “This ‘profile’ shows the changes in elevation as boats traveled through locks and over inclined planes on their route from the Delaware River to the Hudson River.”
Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 22, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 319 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 22, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.