Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Marie Harris, Ellen Hostetler and Nancy Farrier, in memory of their parents John David and Ruth Marie Hilderandt Rhine
John and Ruth were both lifetime residents of Carroll County. They loved this part of Indiana and its history. In 1961 they . . . — — Map (db m163347) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Before You Is a Kaleidoscope of Flavors and Scents
Early settlers maintained an herb garden for four reasons:
Medicine, flavor for food, to provide scents for soap and for
fresh flowers as well as dried flowers for year-long . . . — — Map (db m163307) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
The Bicentennial Garden was created in 2016 as a way for the Carroll
County Wabash & Erie Canal Association to celebrate the two
hundredth anniversary of the founding of the state of Indiana. With
a strong focus on blues and yellows, the . . . — — Map (db m163258) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Blacksmith Shop
A Blacksmith is one who works with iron at a furnace or forge where
"black” metal, heated and wrought is formed by beating and hammering
into a desired shape. A "whitesmith” worked with light metals. . . . — — Map (db m163333) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Broomcorn The Unique Plant
Broomcorn consists of a tall stately stalk (14-
18 feet) with a brush at the top and no ears.
Broomcorn is a member of the sorghum
family. The only part of the broomcorn that
is used is the brush. The process of . . . — — Map (db m163330) HM
On West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east on West North Washington Street.
Building A Home
Felhng 40 or so logs in the forest 15-26 inches in diameter for the sides and ends
the settler had only to add three or four shorter ones for the gables. Each end was
notched to both secure one log with the next and to . . . — — Map (db m163318) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
A Canal Boat That Will Not Float?
The Playground Boat is most like the freight boat in the
above illustration. But this one has been changed to make it
fun for young people's imagination. It won't float in the Canal
but it will carry . . . — — Map (db m163259) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
A Variety of Bridges Solve Many Problems
When the Wabash & Erie Canal cut through an Indiana
wilderness, its 40 feet wide channel of water created
challenges for those who wished to cross from one side to
the other. Pedestrians, . . . — — Map (db m163312) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Animals For Towing Canal Boats
During a time before motorized power, canal boats were
towed by horses or mules using heavy ropes of 100 feet or
more. On the Wabash & Erie Canal towpath, one animal or
more hitched in tandem, were led by a . . . — — Map (db m163350) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Creating a Life in the Wilderness
The Canal Village is comprised of buildings constructed
during the canal era. The water in back of you is the only
remaining accessible and recreational watered segment of
the Wabash & Erie Canal in . . . — — Map (db m163315) HM
On County Road N 700 W north of County Road W 675 N, on the right when traveling north.
90 lots platted in 1836 on both sides of Wabash - Erie Canal lock.
A Post office in 1838 - 39. The lock passed canal boats into the river on the pool of the Great Dam at Pittsburg five miles below. The mules carried the towline across the . . . — — Map (db m35413) HM
On West Main Street at South Washington Street, on the left when traveling east on West Main Street.
(Bronze Plaque - East Side):
Erected by Carroll County Indiana
In Memory of her Soldiers and Sailors
( Battles Listed on Upper Shaft ):
South Side -- Shiloh / Stone River
East Side -- Antietam / Gettysburg
North Side -- . . . — — Map (db m20798) WM
On Bicycle Bridge Road, 0.1 miles west of West Monroe Street (Indiana Route 18), on the right when traveling east.
The Wabash & Erie Canal ran 468 miles from Toledo, Ohio to Evansville, Indiana, thus providing
access to New York and the East Coast via the Erie Canal and access to New Orleans and the Gulf of
Mexico via the Ohio and Mississippi . . . — — Map (db m163354) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Surveying: A Canal could not proceed along the upper Wabash until title to Miami and Potawatomi lands were transferred to the State. At the 1826 Treaty of Paradise
Springs the title was conveyed.
A corps of U. S. engineers was sent to Fort . . . — — Map (db m163309) HM
Named and platted in 1828 by Gen. Samuel Milroy, on 100 acres donated by Wm. Wilson for the seat of Carroll Co., named for Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. Henry Robinson was the first settler. . . . — — Map (db m1154) HM
On South Washington Street south of West Franklin Street, on the right when traveling south.
The City Beautiful. Platted in 1828 by General Samuel Milroy
on land donated as the county seat by William Wilson, was an
industrial center during boom days of the Indiana Canal era. — — Map (db m161449) HM
On South Washington Street south of East Franklin Street, on the right when traveling north.
Delphi City Hall
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1865 — — Map (db m159804) HM
On West Main Street (U.S. 421) just east of South Washington Street, on the right when traveling west.
Delphi Courthouse Square Historic District
has been placed on the
National Register
of
Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
— — Map (db m161448) HM
On W. North Washington Street, on the right when traveling east.
How Would You Like To Sit On A Log Bench All Day?
The structure before you depicts a one room log school house of 1834. If you
were between the ages of 5 and 21 in rural Indiana in the 1830s you would have
attended a one room school very . . . — — Map (db m163328) HM
On West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east on West North Washington Street.
Kitchen Vegetable Garden
As European settlers arrived via the canal and by wagon this region was still
a wilderness in the 1830s. It was essential for their survival to bring seeds and
root cuttings to start their gardens in this forest . . . — — Map (db m163319) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
The Wabash & Erie Canal conference
and interpretive center before you
combines historic facades from 1850s
downtown Delphi.
J. H. Stewart Drugs, Callahan Boots and Lathrope
Bakery fill the middle of the block in this 1850s . . . — — Map (db m163275) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Logs were part of the railroad trestle at Pittsburgh removed in the 1930s. They became a lakeside cottage on Freeman Lake known as "The Oaks". Logs were donated by the families of: Grantham, Israel and Goyer in 2019 — — Map (db m163338) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Lewis T. Jones, a blacksmith, and his
wife Manerva arrived in Carroll County
in 1850, They disembarked from the Wabash
& Erie Canal at Lockport and two years later
settled in Jefferson Township. One of their
eight children who came with them . . . — — Map (db m163260) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
A New Spiritual Anchor at Canal Park
During the 1830s and 40s the Canal
transformed this region into a new cultural
and economic entity. This new era propelled
a now confident Delphi into the mid and late
19th century. It was now ready . . . — — Map (db m163314) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Weaving for the Canal Homestead
If the woodsman's axe and the long rifle were first
in importance to the pioneer, the spinning wheel
and the loom would rank second. In colonial
America many families wove cloth for clothing.
bedding, . . . — — Map (db m163324) HM
On Road N 700 W north of Road W 675 N, on the right when traveling north.
Carrollton on the Wabash
The Mentzer Tavern was built in 1840 at the north end of the Carrollton Towing Path Bridge that crossed the Wabash River. Erected by Ignatius Mentzer and George Friday, it opened as a cooper shop where barrels were made . . . — — Map (db m35438) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.
wishes to convey its appreciation for the
contribution and vision of our friend and
neighbor, Duke Energy Foundation. The
completion of the Mule Barn creates a
major historic site for Canal Park and . . . — — Map (db m163351) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Prairie plants like those featured here grew along the canal's towpath.
Look for the featured plants as you walk the towpath.
Can You Picture It?
The canal landscape has changed over time.
The Canal Width. The canal . . . — — Map (db m163261) HM
On West Monroe Street (State Road 39) near West S Road, on the left when traveling west.
In October 1818, Purchasing Commissioners Lewis Cass, Benjamin Parke and Governor Johnathan Jennings acquired Indian claims on the land shown on this marker. About one-third of modern Indiana was involved in this transaction. — — Map (db m1152) HM
Near Bicycle Bridge Road, 0.1 miles west of West Monroe Street (Route 16), on the left when traveling west.
Surrounded By Immense Water Power
Delphi Paper Mill: George Robertson came from Scotland and established a
small paper mill here in 1845. It was powered by Canal water leased by the
State and parallel to the Wabash River. Enoch Rinehart . . . — — Map (db m163361) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Before Canals
The Wabash River illustrates how wilderness streams
served as highways beginning with the early French
explorers. Before the canal, rivers brought settlers
to new adventures and opportunities cutting through
unknown . . . — — Map (db m163279) HM
Samuel Milroy was born 1780 in Pennsylvania and is a "Child of the American Revolution". His father served as a Patriot in the war for Independence. In 1826, at the age of 46, Samuel moved to Carroll County and built a cabin, which was located on . . . — — Map (db m213303) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
James H. Johnson was the first postmaster. I don't know if he was the only one, but I
believe he is the only one that is listed in Baker's Postal History of Indiana, 1976 (which
I've consulted at the Logansport Public Library and will look at . . . — — Map (db m163342) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Broomcorn consists of a tall stately stalk with a
brush at the top and no ears. Broomcorn is a
member of the sorghum family. The only part of
the broomcorn that is used is the brush. The process of tabling must be done because the broom-
corn . . . — — Map (db m163332) HM
On County Road N 700 W north of County Road W 675 N, on the right when traveling north.
Front
The Wabash & Erie Canal meets the Wabash River
Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal
Delphi, Indiana
See Photo #2:
1844 Timber Truss Bridge
The Wabash and Erie Canal authorities built the first bridge here in . . . — — Map (db m35445) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Cooper Shop: An Ancient Craft
The Cooper trade is an old one which came to America in
the 1600s and was a leader in developing and introducing
machines to replace the handmade methods. Before modern
plastics and cardboard materials were . . . — — Map (db m163326) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
A New Home For The Depot
This restored train depot was
originally used by the Erie Line
in Leiters Ford, Indiana. Built
in the 1880s it symbolized a
new mode of competition for
canal travel. By the 1860s the
Canal fell into decline . . . — — Map (db m163345) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Guard Lock Gates Keep The Canal Safe
Before you is a replica of a guard lock constructed of large cut
limestone blocks. Guard locks often had only one set of gates as
opposed to lift locks which always had two sets of lock gates.
The . . . — — Map (db m163339) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
A Small Construction Camp Shanty
This Canal worker's shanty is constructed of actual canal-era
timbers. Plain and simple, these temporary structures provided
for the workers - offering a place to sleep, argue, joke, gamble,
mediate and . . . — — Map (db m163337) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Papermaking developed in China around 100 AD. The process is based on using any plant
fiber or cellulose based material which has been processed (beaten) and mixed with water.
Cotton, hemp and linen are commonly used. The hand dipping process . . . — — Map (db m163316) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Along the Monon Tracks
This building originally served as the post
office in Sleeth, a rural community in
Carroll County about nine miles northwest
of Delphi. Sleeth was also known as
McCoy's Station on the Louisville, New
Albany, & . . . — — Map (db m163341) HM
On Road N 700 W north of Road W 675 N, on the left when traveling north.
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 . . . — — Map (db m35449) HM
On West Towpath Road west of North Meridian Road, on the left when traveling west.
Here at Chief Winamac's old village, about 900 Potawatomi Indians camped on their forced removal from Indiana to Kansas. A child and a man died here during the encampment. They also left behind 24 too sick to continue. — — Map (db m35399) HM
On Bicycle Bridge Road, 0.1 miles west of West Monroe Street (Indiana Route 18), on the right when traveling east.
Great Place to Visit
Enjoy yourself, take your time, bring your camera and
your fishing tackle, watch the clouds reflected on the
Wabash, experience the spirit of a nineteenth century
downtown square, walk a tree lined trail along the . . . — — Map (db m163356) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
The Wabash & Erie Canal ran 468 miles from Toledo, Ohio to Evansville, Indiana, thus providing
access to New York and the East Coast via the Erie Canal and access to New Orleans and the Gulf of
Mexico via the Ohio and Mississippi . . . — — Map (db m163281) HM
On Bicycle Bridge Road just west of West Monroe Street (Indiana Route 18), on the left when traveling west.
Constructed 1832-1853, canal was
nation's longest, connecting Lake
Erie at Toledo with Ohio River at
Evansville. Key portion in Carroll
County included Deer Creek Lake
Dam, constructed 1838-1840 (1 mile
west). Various canal structures . . . — — Map (db m163353) HM
Constructed 1832-1853, canal was nation's longest, connecting Lake Erie at Toledo with Ohio River at Evansville. Key portion in Carroll County included Deer Creek Lake Dam, constructed 1838-1840 (1 mile west). Various canal structures are still in . . . — — Map (db m7540) HM
Near West North Washington Street just east of North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc.
Founded in 1974, in Delphi, Indiana, Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc. is dedicated to the
preservation of the stretch of the Wabash & Erie Canal located in Delphi, Indiana. Approximately . . . — — Map (db m163280) HM
On Bicycle Bridge Road, 0.1 miles west of West Monroe Street (Indiana Route 18), on the right when traveling east.
Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc.
Founded in 1974, in Delphi, Indiana, Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc. is dedicated to the
preservation of the stretch of the Wabash & Erie Canal located in Delphi, Indiana. Approximately . . . — — Map (db m163355) HM
Near West North Washington Street at North Charles Street, on the right when traveling east.
Great Place to Visit
Enjoy yourself, take your time, bring your camera and
your fishing tackle, watch the clouds reflected on the
Wabash, experience the spirit of a nineteenth century
downtown square, walk a tree lined trail along the . . . — — Map (db m163306) HM