Dealware City - C&D Canal

Finally opened in 1829 with a length of 13-5/8 miles the four locks located at Delaware City and St. Georges in Delaware and Chesapeake City in Maryland were used to raise and lower the shipping traffic to the elevations of the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay ends of the waterway.

Soon mules were pulling barges of coal and lumber through town each week. By 1854 it became important that the locks be enlarged to accommodate additional traffic. The 22-foot wide lock that remains at Delaware City dates from this time period.

Excursion boats were designed with a special screw-type propulsion engine to enable them to navigate the Canal's locks. The Ericsson Line carried passengers on the Lord Baltimore and William Penn between Philadelphia and Baltimore each day and freight was hauled by the steamers through the Canal each night.

At Delaware City the Canal had a swing gate at its River end and a drop gate at the other end. Often the wickets that allowed water to flow into the lock became blocked with debris and required repair. The Diving Bell that now stands in the center of Battery Park was used for this purpose; two men would descend in it and clear the wickets of the debris. This method continued to be used until the end of the 19th Century when the diving suit was invented.

The Canal began to lose its importance with the construction of nearby railroad lines and the private Canal Company encountered financial difficulties. It was not until 1919 though that the United States Government purchased the Canal Company with plans to convert the Canal to a sea-level waterway. Work was completed in 1927 with the eastern entrance of the Canal moved two miles south of Delaware City to the Reedy Point area. The original Canal was converted to a branch channel that remains open to pleasure craft.

	The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal lock, the diving bell and the branch channel remind residents and viewers alike of the rich heritage of canal shipping in our nation's history.
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	C&D Canal: As early as the mid 17th century a route across the Delmarva Peninsula was sought to shorten the distance between Philadelphia and Baltimore, two important shipping markets in the early days of our nation's development. It was not until 1802 that the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company was incorporated and construction on the chosen route began in 1804. The eastern terminus would be at the area of Newbolds Landing on the Delaware River, the location where the Newbolds laid out their town of Delaware City.