The Morris Canal with Tim Roth of the Canal Society of NJ

On Thursday, June 10th, 2021 we hosted Tim Roth of the Canal Society of New Jersey as he took a look at one of NJ’s great works, The Morris Canal.
In 1824 the Morris Canal & Banking Company (MC&BC) was chartered to build a canal that would carry coal, mined in Pennsylvania, to developing markets along the eastern seaboard. The canal would pass through the heart of New Jersey’s iron district and provide the long-needed transportation system that would create new commercial activity. The completed canal extended 102 miles and opened for business in 1831. In 1836 it was expended from Newark to New York Harbor at Jersey City, crossing the rugged highlands of New Jersey.
Engineers designed a system of 23 lift locks and 23 inclined planes to overcome the impressive elevation change of 1,674 feet. The canal’s famous water-powered inclined planes were an engineering marvel. Mule-drawn canal boats transported cargo during the heyday of the canal, and hundreds of boats carried everything from coal and iron ore to agricultural products. The canal was New Jersey’s first industrial transportation system. It promoted commerce and shaped the economic development. By the early 1900s, the canal became obsolete. However, it took until 1924 to adopt a plan to close and dismantle the canal. The ownership of the canal’s vast water resources, including Lake Hopatcong, Lake Musconetcong, and Greenwood Lake, passed to the state of New Jersey. Today, the Morris Canal Greenway, a partnership between local communities and the Canal Society of New Jersey, seeks to preserve the surviving historic remains of the canal, interpret canal sites, and offer recreational opportunities to the public.
This program was offered for free and was open to the public.
Donations are graciously accepted by the Friends of Schoharie Crossing:
the-friends-of-schoharie-crossing.square.site
Canal Society of New Jersey:
www.canalsocietynj.org
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site:
www.parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/schohariecrossing
Referenced during program:
-The 2021 World Canals Conference: wcc2021.org/wo... at Hagerstown, Maryland, USA
-The Arkell Museum at Canajoharie - Perennial In Frame: Picturesque History with the Arkell Museum and Schoharie Crossing • Perennial In Frame: Pi...
The Arkell Museum is a World Class Art Museum in a small Mohawk Valley community along the Erie Canal.
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