Hocking Canal Lock 19 (1829-1890)

The Hocking Canal provided a faster, more efficient way of getting goods and raw material resources (coal, iron ore, salt, brick) from the Hocking Valley to the state’s main canal system, the Ohio & Erie Canal, running from Cleveland down to Portsmouth. The canal systems throughout Ohio was the State’s first major public works project.

Construction of the Hocking Canal started in 1829 at Carroll and then flowing south to Lancaster, the “Lancaster Lateral” was completed in 1838. Following alongside the mouth of the Hocking River at Lancaster the canal then followed the waters of the Hocking all the way to Athens and the entire canal, from Carroll to Athens, was completed in 1843, with most of the canal being open by 1841.

The canal efforts were short lived. Though they were able to carry salt, coal, pork, timber, and iron out of the Valley in a more efficient manner, the cold winter months made the canal obsolete in the winter as the water was prone to freezing and traffic on the canal was slow due to the narrow width. As railroad came through the Valley in 1867, this would signal the end of the Hocking Canal. 

This is how Canal Street gets its name, and was located where the canal once stood. If structures from the 19th century remained, one would see that they faced the location of the canal instead of the street which was constructed much later.

Our Town- Nelsonville . Shaw, Evan . United States . WOUB , 2016. WOUB PBS .