The Schuylkill Canal

The Schuylkill Canal correctly referred to as: “The Schuylkill Navigation Company” was first opened in July of 1824.  Work began on the waterway shortly after it was chartered in 1815.  A series of canals and slack water pools stretched 108 miles from Port Carbon in the north to the port of Philadelphia in the south.  At that time the primary purpose was the economical transportation of anthracite from the rich coal regions in the north to the big city in the south.

The navagation of the system was achieved with a series of canals and locks found on both sides of the river with dams used to make portions of the river high enough to accomodate the heavy canal barges.  For example the canal in Spring City was on the Chester County side of the river. Below Spring City one departed the canal and went back into the river.  The level of the river was kept high enough to travel by Black Rock Dam, an integral part of the canal system.

As you approached lock 60 (Mont Clare on the Montgomery side) you would have to get your mules over to the other side.  This was accomplished at the Blackrock bridge which had a separate walkway off to the side just for the mules.

There is no doubt the canal helped give rise to the town of Springville and the industry that soon followed.  In 1835 James Rogers purchased a tract of ground along the Schuylkill canal in Springville and built the first store in this community.  Houses were built along Main Street right next to the canal. The first major canal industry was the Spring City Stove Co. in the early 1840s followed by the Paper Company in 1847.  Both of these early industries used the canal to bring in raw materials and ship out their finished products to Philadelphia and beyond.

On an 1893 overview map you can clearly see the path of the old canal as it passes through the town of Spring City.  At the top right section on the map you can see the old paper mill.   Next to the mill the old canal bridge can be seen. This bridge would have been very close to the present day Turkey Hill Market. The small iron bridge just below the canal bridge is that of the PRR railroad. The railroad siding snaked its way up to the Bennett Glass Works shown at the top left side of the map.  The canal continues on past the industries on South Main Street and rejoins the river below Spring City at lock 59.

Mules were often used to pull the canal boat.  Most crews consisted of a captain, a Bowsman and a leadsman or driver who guided the team as they followed the towpath.  The canal was enlarged and improvements made in the early years and by the 1850’s there was 5 million tons of coal being shipped annually. It was during this time that the railroads started to have a major impact on the transportation markets.  The canal business peaked in the 1870’s.  Rail shipping was faster, cheaper and operated all year long.  The canal could not compete and eventually was leased to the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad.  Although the canal had become obsolete for commercial use it continued to operate until the 1920’s.  The section of the canal that came through Spring City continued to be used in the summer for boating and fishing and in the winter for ice-skating.  It's hard to believe that the canal froze over for several months during the winter.

In the 1940’s the remainder of the canal in Spring City was filled in, as the stagnant waters had become a breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  People in this area who are interested in learning more about the canal are extremely lucky since a small section of the canal still remains. Lock 60 and the lock keeper’s house along with a 2-½ mile stretch of the canal from Mont Clare to Port Providence are currently being cared for and restored under the watch of the Schuylkill Canal Association.  This section is on the Montgomery County side of the river just across from Phoenixville and a short trip indeed for any local canal fan.  For more information please refer to their website at www.schuylkillcanal.com