The Delaware & Hudson Canal

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About The Delaware & Hudson Canal

The Delaware & Hudson Canal was built in the 1820's to bring Anthracite coal from the Pennsylvania mines to the New York market. It stretched from the mouth of the Rondout River at the Hudson River in Kingston to Port Jervis on the Delaware River, up the Delaware River to the Lackawaxen River and up the Lackawaxen River to Honesdale. Even that did not get them all the way to the coal fields, there was still a mountain range in the way. So they built a gravity railroad to bring the coal over the mountain to the canal. The whole project was built in 3 years at a cost of $2 million dollars. It covered 108 miles and had 108 locks.

It was abandoned at the turn of century having been rendered obsolete by the development of the railroads. Today only a few of the locks built of stone, the Roebling suspension aqueduct across the Delaware and a few isolated stretches still remain.

Links:

The History of the Delaware & Hudson Canal

National Park Service: History of the Delaware & Hudson Canal

National Park Service: Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct

Wikipedia: The Delaware & Hudson Canal

D & H Canal Historical Society and Museum

Minisink Valley Historical Society

Delaware & Hudson Canal Linear Park: Wurtsboro/Summitville/Phillipsport

Neversink Valley Area Museum

The Delaware & Hudson Canal Co.'s Gravity Railroad

North East Rails: D&H Gravity RR & Canal Photos

Maps

Delaware & Hudson Canal Map

D & H Canal Heritage Corridor Map