In 1995, I bicycled the C & O Canal from Cumberland Maryland to Washington
D.C. . I have been hooked ever since. It was like a 187 mile long ghost town. Since than I have researched many more canals.
I found that we live in a hot spot for canal transportation, early railroads and trolley lines. Most of these are gone. Some
are still in use. You look at them every day, but you don’t realize what they are or once where. However some things
are still there. Tucked away and forgotten some for well over 100 years. This is mostly what I am interested in. The lost,
the forgotten, the over grown and neglected. Modern day ruins.
On this page we will be looking at old canal systems. Even though I have
explored many sites I have never really organized them into something I could share.
1831 is considered the beginning of the canal era. Even though there were
small privately owned canal systems in operation prier to this. 1831 is considered the beginning of state-operated canals.
This is the year when the Western Division of the “Main Line Canal” opened to traffic. The Susquehanna Division
Canal. Followed by the Delaware Canal in 1832. In 1834 the Columbia Philadelphia Railroad began operation and the Allegany
Portage Railroads also began operation. These two lines were both critical to the Main Line Canal as they completed their
journey at Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. 
