Friends of the Delaware Canal

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You are here: Home / Breaking News & Updates / Current Newsletter / Newsletter Archives

Canal News – Spring 2025

MESSAGE FROM BRETT WEBBER Brett Webber, Board President President of the FODC Board With spring finally upon us, many of us are drawn once more to explore the Delaware Canal Towpath’s 58.9 miles from Easton to Bristol. Along the canal we observe the si …

Mini-newsletter: The Uhlerstown Covered Bridge Jigsaw Puzzle

We are pleased to introduce our limited edition jigsaw puzzle featuring an iconic Delaware Canal bridge. Photo Credit: Carole Mebus The Uhlerstown Covered Bridge is the only covered bridge found along the canal. This bridge, built circa 1865, features …

Canal News – Winter 2025

LOOKING FORWARD TO 2025 During our recent Annual Friends Membership Meeting, the focus was on the future, one filled with opportunities to improve and expand the park experience and the Friends’ role in making that happen. In 2024, there was a great de …

Canal News – Summer 2024

BUILDING BRIDGES Tebola Beans Bridge The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) Twelve Bridge project, a comprehensive infrastructure investment, was initiated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) in 2019. The DGS i …

Canal News – Spring 2024

Chart showing the most popular events held by the Friends of the Delaware Canal

Survey Says?

Early this year, we asked our members for input on our programs and events. We wanted to know not only what people liked in the past but what they would like to see more of in the future. Happily, we had over 160 respondents who provided useful input that will help us develop and expand some of the things you like the most.

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Canal News – Late Winter 2024

Map of the village of Coffeetown

Family-Friendly Towpath Adventures

We’re highlighting a few of our favorite things to explore along the canal. We like them because they have nearby parking, some have restrooms or a portable toilet, and all provide an interactive experience where the whole family can investigate remnants of our past.

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Canal News – Fall 2023

A Locktender's Life

When you work in a Locktender’s House, you are constantly reminded of the people who once lived here and worked the lock so many years ago. We know from first-person accounts that lock tending was a demanding, low-wage job.

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Canal News – Summer 2023

Riegelsville Inn

Delaware Canal - The Inn Place to Be

Hotels and inns began to flourish after the Canal opened in 1832. Many of the historic inns remain, most for public use, while some are private homes. Starting in the north, we revisit some of the inns and provisioners that have been around for centuries.

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Canal News – Spring 2023

Mules pulling a canal boat

The Magnificent Mule

Few people who lived and worked along the Canal could imagine building a life without the mule. Mules, it is said, were the engines of the Canal. Or put another way, the workhorses moving coal from Mauch Chunk (present-day Jim Thorpe) to Bristol.

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Canal News – Winter 2023

Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle

Photographic Inspiration Along the Canal

The Canal inspires artists of every kind who capture the beauty of this landscape. Two outstanding photographers generously share their talent with us weekly – Carole Mebus and Judy Greger. Hats off to Carole and Judy for their skill, artistry and willingness to share with all of us.

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Canal News – Fall 2022

Pennsylvania 2022 Trail of the Year

The Friends of the Delaware Canal received the Trail of the Year Award from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The timing for this recognition is perfect. It coincides with the Friends’ 40th anniversary.

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Canal News – Summer 2022

Betty Orlemann with Mule

The People Who Made It Happen

“Something has to be done!” Many notable people have made significant contributions to the Canal over the years. And, while we can’t mention them all, we can honor those that left a unique legacy for future generations.

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Canal News – Spring 2022

A camelback bridge receives some tlc

Celebrating 40 Years

The Friends of the Delaware Canal are celebrating their 40-year anniversary. Since 1982, we have accomplished many things! We are so grateful to the many volunteers and supporters who have helped protect and preserve the Delaware Canal for generations to come.

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Canal News – Fall 2021

Susan Taylor, Former Executive Director of the Friends of the Delaware Canal

A Season of Change

As the seasons change, the Friends are changing as well. We said farewell to our beloved Executive Director, Susan Taylor, who retired in July. Her fierce advocacy and tireless devotion to the Friends of the Delaware Canal and the waterway we serve spanned three decades.

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Canal News – Spring 2021

yellow warbler

Sharing Stories Virtually

Zoom meetings, webinars, a YouTube channel. The Friends have been changing their storytelling game since March 2020 when we held our last in-person public program. Want to help? We could use someone who is relatively experienced and enthusiastic about making “informal” videos.

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Canal News – Fall 2020

New walkway on the Tinicum Aqueduct

Construction Countdown Done

After delays and a number of issues, repairs to the Tinicum Aqueduct, its walls and banks are complete. Rewatering the Canal is a complicated task requiring an understanding of past and present conditions, skill, timing, and more than a little bit of luck.

Canal News – Summer 2020

Camelback Bridge Preserved

Extensive repair work on the historic Thompson-Neely Camelback Bridge that crosses the Delaware Canal in the northern section of Washington Crossing Historic Park has been completed. It’s one of six camelback bridges along the Canal that retain their authentic structure.

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Canal News – Winter 2020

randy myers

Moving Right Along

Contributions flew in after the Friends’ Annual Appeal letter you to help fund repair of the historic Thompson-Neely Camelback Bridge. The $5,000 matching challenge was met in a flash. To date, just over half of the $78,000 cost of the bridge project has been raised.

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Canal News – Fall 2019

Ccan view South from Tinicum Aqueduct

From ‘Let It Flow’ to ‘No Flow’

In spite of repair and maintenance work, Lehigh River water made it to Centre Bridge by late September, just three miles short of the Lock 11 goal. Late summer news about the Canal from New Hope south to Bristol Borough hasn’t been as good.

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Canal News – Summer 2019

Lehigh River begins to fill the canal in Lumberville

Let It Flow

The major repair to the stone wall at Lock 20 south of Kintnersville has been completed, sinkholes have been filled, the Park maintenance staff has done some prism clearing, and there are no impediments to having the Lehigh River water flow down the Canal. Knock on wood!

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Canal News – Spring 2019

Good Riddance

Thanks to generous year-end contributions from our members, the Friends have been able to contract with T&T Tree Service for the removal of some of the most problematic trees along the Canal.

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Canal News – Winter 2019

Endings at the Beginning of 2019

Three projects that have been on the books or in progress throughout 2018 will be complete before the first daffodils start to bloom this spring: a pedestrian passageway south of Morrisville, a new bridge over the Canal at Phillips’ Mill and the Centre Bridge Pump.

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Canal News – Fall 2018

Lazy Summer Days - Not on the Canal

The summer of 2018 will be remembered for its seemingly unrelenting heat and its abundant rainfall that came down in torrents or tropical showers. The rain both helped and hurt the Canal.

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Canal News – Summer 2018

Progress, Setbacks and Roadblocks

The Delaware Canal can be “challenging”, and, for the most part, 2018 has been a good illustration. Some projects, like the complicated Phillips’ Mill Bridge replacement, are making headway, yet the Canal is plagued by issues created by the season’s heavy storms.

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Canal News – Spring 2018

The Time Has Come

The red argillite stone surface of the Canal towpath is showing its age, deteriorating to dust leaving behind an earthen surface punctuated with holes, ruts, and humps. On a sunny day, walking and bicycling require watchfulness. On a rainy day, be prepared for mud and deep puddles.

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Canal News – Winter 2018

The Canal Gets Signs

Thanks to help from our Friends, four interpretive sign projects will move forward this year. Two involve replacement of sign panels that are the worse for wear after more than 20 years. The other two will create new signs so visitors can better understand what took place at special sites.

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Canal News – Fall 2017

It’s Confounding

One can never say that dealing with the Delaware Canal is dull – especially this summer. As always, the Friends carry on – planning, implementing and helping, as friends do.

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Canal News – Summer 2017

Park Manager's Report

All of the sinkholes in the northern section of the park were plugged and repaired. We began re-watering the upper section of the Canal at the end of April, and by mid-May the Canal was watered from Easton to New Hope. This is the first time in years that this section has been completely watered.

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Canal News – Spring 2017

Woody’s Camelback Bridge is Restored

Woody’s Camelback Bridge is now the fifth of the six authentic camelback bridges to be restored. Randy did a masterful job! The work has been inspected and approved by the State engineers, and all that remains to be done is to stain the wood when it has aged a bit.

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Canal News – Winter 2017

Four Restored – One in Progress – One to Go

For over a decade, the Friends have been on a quest to ensure the last six camelback bridges are restored. Two of these genuine pieces of history are still in need of work – Woody’s Bridge south of Easton and Spahr’s Bridge in Bridgeton Township.

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Canal News – Fall 2016

Working Through It

What a summer! It’s been hot, hot, hot, but that hasn’t stopped the action along the Delaware Canal. As always, from sinkholes and sidewalks to wall repairs, pumps and low water levels, the Friends endeavor to meet the Canal’s challenges – in a multitude of ways. One major milestone is the nearly complete reconstruction of the Redfield Bridge just north of Centre Bridge.

Canal News – Summer 2016

Trying Times

The days of May were glorious along the Delaware Canal. In Easton, the abundant water being fed from the Lehigh River filled the Canal all the way south to the Virginia Forrest Recreation Area.

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Canal News – Spring 2016

In the Continuing Saga

Endings, beginnings, and continuations are all part of this spring’s Delaware Canal news. Fortunately, there is much to report regarding project completions thanks to our generally temperate winter.

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Canal News – Winter 2016

High Falls Creek Culver

The State of the Canal

Several projects are underway and nearing completion including the High Falls Creek Culvert replacement, the Centre Bridge Pump, the Airport Road Culvert replacement. The Friends are expressing opposition to the current development plans for the site where Odette’s now stands.

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Canal News – Fall 2015

cuttalossa creek culvert

Chalking Them Off the List

Cantankerous would be a good adjective to describe the Delaware Canal this summer, but the arrival of September has brought welcome improvement and progress. From a towpath bank collapse in the north to low water levels in the south, here is the Canal’s story.

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Canal News – Summer 2015

canal walkers stop for lunch

We Carry On

We carry on as two structures fail – the stone arch culvert that carries High Falls Creek under the Canal collapsed, and a section of berm-side stone wall gave way near the David Library of the American Revolution in Washington Crossing.

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Canal News – Spring 2015

Bald Eagle on Lynn Island

What’s Next?

Shake off the last of the cold and grey of winter past. Get back out on the Canal – walk, bike, run, bird watch, fish, whatever you please… You can also get the satisfaction of making the Canal a safer, more pleasant place to visit. The Friends have three ways that you can help.

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Canal News – Winter 2015

timber sill repair by Bi-State masons at loclks 15/16 in Smithtown

Thank You So Much!

The New Year is off to a great start thanks to all of you who so generously responded to the Friends’ Year-End Appeal. We asked you to help us do more in 2015, and you did just that. Your contributions have certainly helped to replenish the Canal Improvement Fund.

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Canal News – Fall 2014

Riding the Canal Rewatering Roller Coaster

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Canal News – Summer 2014

The Water is Flowing – The Work is Ongoing

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Canal News – Spring 2014

The Pieces are Falling Into Place

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Canal News – Winter 2014

Sprucing Up the Neighborhood and the Canal

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Contact Us

Contact Us

Friends of the Delaware Canal
145 South Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938
Phone: 215.862.2021
Michael Ginder, Executive Director

Help the Canal

Help the Canal

Helping on Canal Clean-up Day is just one way you can get involved and help to restore, preserve and improve the Delaware Canal. Big or small, the perfect job for you awaits – all you need to do is get involved! FIND OUT MORE

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