Bibliography
In 1953 the Lehigh River Restoration Association was formed to dredge and clean portions of the canal and to rebuild the towpath. Sections were rewatered and used for recreation. Although the work was hampered by floods and insufficient funds, the association's efforts were rewarded in the mid 1950's with the restoration of portions of the canal in Weissport, Walnutport and Freemansburg.
In 1964 the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company offered the remaining canal properties for sale, and a number of municipalities were forward thinking enough to purchase sections within their jurisdicition. The cities of Easton, Freemansburg, Bethlehem Township and Allentown developed parks along the canal making areas available for hiking, biking, boating and picnicking. Hugh Moore Park in Easton was created and provides a historical interpretation of the canal. The officers and elected officials of six small municipalities in Carbon County followed the lead of the cities to the south and joined together to purchase an eight-mile section of the canal running through their communities. These towns which range in population from 500 to 5,000, established the Lehigh Canal Recreation Commission. This commission coordinates each town's contributions, volunteer labor and minicipal equipment to keep the canal watered and the towpath maintained as a walking and bicycling trail. It should also be noted that the Tri-Boro Sportsmen's Club in Northampton maintains 1.2 miles of the canal and towpath which includes locks 32 and 33. All of the efforts to maintain the canal have been hampered by problems with breaches in the dams affecting the water supply of the canal. Flooding has also presented many problems over the years.
In 1979 the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Interior implemented a project to examine the canal and its resources, to make recommendations to regenerate recreational users of the canal, to link community efforts, and to act as a catalyst for revitalization of communities along the canal.
The study area consisted of the Lower Division of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company Canal, a 46-mile slackwater navigation system parralelling the Lehigh River from Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) to Easton in Carbon, Lehigh and Northampton counties.
Two-thirds of the 46-mile trail along the canal is publicly owned and the remaining third is privately held. In June 1979 segnebts totaling 31.37 miles were designated a National Recreation Trail by the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service (HCRS). Approximately 21-miles have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The HRCS study divided the canal into sections and made specific recommendations as to steps that should be taken to enhance each section.>/b>
The study noted that despite a half century of decay following the Lehigh Canal's closing, traces of almost all engineering structures, dams, locks, acqueducts, and culverts were still visible. It further noted that the condition of the structures varies from ruins, washed out dams, and piles of rubble that once formed locks to the restored locks in Hugh Moore Park.
The study stipulated that many structures require stabilizing treatments to prevent further deterioration. This did not mean that the entire canal should be restored. It acknowledged that there is a very real difference between stabilization and restoration. While restoration seeks to recreate an image of the past, stabilization aims to preserve as much of the historic fabric as possible in a way that will arrest further deterioration and collapse.
The study noted that the locks on the Lehigh Canal are 100 feet long and 22 feet wide, and had lifts from 4 to 12 feet. While all have masonry chambers, they display a variety of materials (depending on location); rough fieldstone, rubble, slate slabs and blocks, dressed limestone, and sandstone. Most were originally lined with wood to prevent damage to boats and lock walls.
The report proceeded to provide specific guidelines for stabilizing the locks without changing the character of the lock. It also points out that restoration of any of the existing locks would be an expensive proposition and that extensive restoration is unlikely.
In January 1993 the Delaware & Lehigh Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission and the State Heritage Parks Program produced a Management Action Plan to address the needs of the canal from the standpoint of conservation and preservation for recreational and educational purposes. This plan was an impressive and volumunous entreaty. The study outlined specific actions that needed to be implemented to preserve the corridor. The plan, as presented, was an action plan that would extend over a ten year period. With emphasis on consevation and preservation, the committee called their action plan"...a call to action, our guide to creating the corridor. It identifies the outstanding resources and attractions that have made the valleys important for centuries. It explores precisely how residents, local governments and civic organizations, and the state and federal governments can act in partnership to conserve our heritage, to tell our part in the great American story, and develop our economic base for present and future generations&mdas;in short, how to continue enhancing the quality of life we enjoy here."
"The plan presents a vision that will be fulfilled only if we all see it, believe it and work for it. It is a call to collective action for every citizen, municipality and government agency with a stake in the corridor." So said the commission.
Although the plan was a ten-year plan, it had no start or end date per se. It was for others to pick up the plan and implement it. But, as with all things, the plan had a price tag attached to it. The plan called for an investment of $157 million over the ten years.
From my perspective, while the plan contained many worthwhile and forward thinking segments, the size of the investment insured that the plan would never be implemented. Those communities and volunteer associations that have made efforts to manintain portions of the canal continued to do so within their limited means. But, unfortunately, the ravages of age, weather and the passage of time are taking their toll on what little remains of the canal. And while the creation of the "Delaware & Lehigh Canal National Heritage Corridor" was and is a good move, it is unlikely that sufficient funds will be committed to the project to make it effective. But I will leave it to others that have toured portions of the canal corridor to ascertain whether recent efforts to conserve and preserve the canal have been effective. I would like to think that this virtual tour of the Lehigh Canal might, in some small way, call attention to the canal and spur an interest in maintaining the canal. But at this point, it may be too little, too late.
My advise to all that have come this way—Enjoy the canal while you can, it may not be there for future generations to appreciate.
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