Friends of the Delaware Canal
145 South Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938
Phone: 215.862.2021
Michael Ginder, Executive Director
Woody’s Camelback Bridge is Restored, Thank You!
Twas the week before Christmas when contractor Randy Myer of R-Shell Exteriors arrived at the Woody’s Camelback Bridge work site south of Easton. Almost single-handedly, Randy assembled the cribbing to support the bridge structure, dismantled the deteriorated parts, and then undertook the carpentry and metal work necessary for the restoration. He worked while frigid winds blew and the ground was snow-covered all to accomplish his goal of having the job done by mid-February.
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 and the weather is warmer.
The restoration of this historic camelback bridge would not have been possible without the financial support of those Friends who made contributions specifically for this project during the Year-end Appeal. Our organization was able to pay for the labor costs solely using new contributions designated for Woody’s. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources paid for the materials.
The Friends gratefully thank the 37 supporters of Woody’s Bridge, of whom the following made major donations:
The Goodfellow Fund
William Farkas
Robin and Jeff Connell
Judy and Joe Franlin
Carole and Fred Mebus
Barbara and Peter Sperry
Anonymous
AND thanks to the unprecedented generosity of all of our Year-End contributors, the Canal Improvement Fund now has a balance that beckons another project.
A historic, picturesque, and useful camelback bridge has been preserved and funds are available to tackle another improvement initiative. May the coming year continue on this positive track.
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At the Board Table
Board member Bill West left the Board in February because of his extended out-of-state time commitments. Always enthusiastic about Friends’ fund-raising events, Bill was a key player in making them happen. He was also tuned into what was happening along Canal because of his frequent and far-reaching walks along the towpath. Bill, we’ll miss you!
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All the members of the Board of Directors welcome your assistance questions, and advice. If you are interested in learning more about becoming involved in a Friends’ committee or becoming a member of the Board, please contact President Brett Webber at bw@bwadesign.com
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Park Manager’s Report
Well, I thought we were going to have an early spring this year, but Mother Nature proved me wrong. Nothing like a blizzard to test the endurance of our park maintenance crew.
The Lower Limeport Bridge replacement project in Solebury Township is progressing, but the contractor ran into a problem with the east bridge abutment. It was found that the abutment was built on top of rubble and loose soil instead of a concrete foundation. The contractor has demolished the old abutment and will be building a new concrete abutment with a concrete foundation to remedy the issue.
Design work still continues for the Phillips’ Mill bridge project, also in Solebury Township. The design consultant is still working with PennDOT to work through some issues and obtain a Highway Occupancy Permit.
Since my last Park Manager’s Report, we have had another stone wall collapse in New Hope by the Waterworks Condominium Association property. This collapse was a little larger than some of our previous wall repairs, but the Park was able to hire a contractor and make the repairs within a few weeks.
The Woody’s Camelback Bridge restoration and repair work has been completed. Thank you to the Friends of Delaware Canal for all of your help and fundraising efforts to make this project happen.
Finally, we have several sinkholes in the northern section of the canal that need to be repaired before we can start filling the Canal from the Lehigh River. The sinkholes are located by the Easton Sewage Treatment Plant, by the Blue Moon in Raubsville, between bridges 2 & 3 in Smithtown, and one just south of the Virginia Forrest Recreation Area. Our plan is to begin these repairs as soon as weather permits, and the towpath is in suitable condition to operate heavy equipment. We will then start adding water from north to south as we complete repairs.
Enjoy the Canal. Josh Swartley
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Oh Where, Oh Where Could that Little Egg Be
On April 9th one dozen eggs will be hidden along the Canal from Easton to Bristol. Find one and your prize will be a Friends of the Delaware Canal t-shirt. Just follow the instructions inside the egg. Happy Hunting!
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Welcome, New Friends
Michele Becci
Elizabeth Bennett
Lou Bristol
Neal Carson
Barbara Dalglish
William R. Krisak
Tamara Lesh
Jean McBryar
Kent Nash
Peggy Navitski
Suzanne Stahl
Inge and Christoph Stannik
Dave Sutton
New Signs with Improved Maps
The PA/NJ Canal Loop Trail system is marked with 12 signs located near to where the towpaths and the river bridges intersect. The signs have been providing information to park visitors for more than 13 years. Age has caught up with the fiberglass imbedment panels, and most now are deteriorated to the point that they cannot be read.
A grant from the Bucks County Conference and Visitors Bureau (Visit Bucks County) has enabled the Friends to have new panels fabricated and to purchase a sign base to replace one that was damaged by a truck. The new panels will feature a new and improved map that provides more information about distances and graphics that are easily understood.
The PA/NJ Canal Loop Trails are increasingly popular because of their convenience. We thank Visit Bucks County for helping us to keep canal visitors informed and entice them to return to discover even more intriguing places.
Sharing the Towpath Trail
With Spring comes the return of lots of visitors to the Delaware Canal towpath. Please be mindful of your fellow Park users.
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A Revelation from the North
By Susan Taylor
Date: Saturday, March 4
Place: Rochester, NY
Event: The Canal Society of New York State Winter Symposium
Outside the temperature was 13 degrees and the wind was shipping, but inside the community college conference center sat 100+ devotees of the Erie Canal – the canal that “changed America.” – the canal that spurred Pennsylvania legislators and entrepreneurs to jump into canal building whole hog – the canal that today is a tourism and economic development powerhouse.
At 9 a.m. those 100+ people were ready to view my presentation about the Delaware Canal. I showed the Canal at its best and worst during my “Commerce, Calamities and Conservation” PowerPoint with particular emphasis on how and why the waterway was preserved, the Canal’s comeback after the four recent floods, and how the Friends of the Delaware Canal have influenced the future of the Canal.
Why was I invited to speak? I was told that there were many small organizations under the Society’s umbrella that could learn from what the Friends have accomplished and that my program might be the inspiration for a field trip in 2018.
The presentation went well. There were ahhs when particularly beautiful photos of the Canal were projected, gasps at the extent of the flood damage, and questions at the end.
But what happened after I left the podium sparked a revelation. At least six people came up to me to say how lucky we were to still have a real canal — one that has many of its historic structures, has its same dimensions, and looks to a good extent as it did in the 1800’s. To my mind, these were people who were dealing with a very superior canal, but still they envied what we have on the Delaware Canal.
The experience drove home the ever-present need to evaluate and then vigilantly guard what makes the Delaware Canal so special. Change can be stealthy and manifest itself in tiny, virtually unnoticeable increments. Each time that the silt in the bottom of the Canal is simply pulled to the bank and not removed, the capacity of the water channel decreases. The action doesn’t seem like much at the moment, but over time ….. Dramatic change can come cloaked in “necessity,” “economic feasibility,” and “redevelopment.”
Change is unremitting and often comes with excellent results, but we must be mindful not to lose the attributes of the Delaware Canal that make it special, loved, and even envied.
Sharing Expertise
Pennsylvania is blessed with a wealth of parks, forests, and historic places. A visit to a Commonwealth-owned property will, in nearly every case, involve both an experience with nature and a contact with a historic place. For instance, the northern section of Washington Crossing Historic Park has within its boundaries the Thompson-Neely House and Soldiers’ Graves as well as picnic pavilions, a Boy Scout camping ground, not to mention the Delaware Canal running through it.
Good administration of Pennsylvania’s diverse resources takes a wide range of expertise. Knowledge about recreation, sustainability, preservation and maintenance practices need to be shared in order to best protect the State’s irreplaceable treasures.
Currently the protection of these treasures is the responsibility of two different State agencies. Under the structure of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is responsible for conserving and sustaining the State’s natural resources and the Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is responsible for collecting, conserving, and interpreting the State’s historic heritage.
This March an important step was taken to ensure that expertise is shared. DCN and PHMC are in the process of developing a formal consultation agreement that facilitates working more closely together on issues of management, conservation, and preservation of the historic resources under DCNR’s ownership.
John Hallas, Director of the PA Bureau of State Parks, lauds this step forward. “DCNR, as a significant steward of the Commonwealth’s cultural resources, is looking to make major improvements in our management practices for historic assets.” He added that another positive aspect of the enhanced DCNR/PHMC relationship is that DCNR is launching a first-ever cultural resource plan for Point State Park in Pittsburgh. PHMC consulting services and mitigation funding will be used to develop the plan, which will serve as an archetype for incorporation into DCNR’s park-specific planning documents.
In Working Order Again
The canal lock model at the Locktender’s House in New Hope provides the hands-on answer to the question “How does a lock work?” Built more than 15 years ago by a Palisades High School teacher and his students, the model features flowing water and a lock chamber in which a little boat can be raised and lowered. Best of all, it has never leaked.
Over the years the model lock gates and their wickets have been pulled and pushed tens of thousands of times by kids and adults. All that use wore out the gates, ad they were no longer able to hold water back making the demonstration of locking through impossible.
Several attempts were made to build new gates, but none worked properly. Then to the rescue came woodworker Josh Gradwohl. (You may recognize the name since Josh built the Locktender’s House garden fence, the front door, and replaced the mural plaza fascia boards.) Josh took all the old gates home, studied them, and devised a new gate design. The new gates are crafted from wood, which provides a more accurate depiction of real lock gates, and their miter joints are tight– all the better to illustrate the water levels inside and outside the lock chamber.
Josh once again shared his abilities as a fine craftsman with the Friends, and we are so grateful. This spring the lock model will be filled with water, and visitors will be able to lock a boat through all by themselves.
Water in the Canal but sinkholes still need to be filled
From Easton to New Hope, the snow melt has watered many areas of the Canal, but there are still sinkholes that need to be filled before Lehigh River water can be let into the Canal. The sinkholes are located near the Eastern Sewerage Treatment Plant, by the Blue Moon garage south of Easton, and between Bridges 2 and 3 in Smithtown. As soon as Bi-State Construction can get equipment down the towpath without totally ruining it, the work will begin. In fact, it was scheduled to start on the day of the snowstorm.
The Canal from New Hope south to Bristol is brimful.
Canal News – Winter 2017
Canal News – Winter 2017
Four Restored – One in Progress – One to Go
When the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania dug the 58.9-mile-long Delaware Canal between 1827 and 1831, it was responsible for connecting the private properties that the new ditch divided. Thus, more than 100 bridges were built, most of which were camelback bridges. A camelback bridge is a modified Queen Post Truss bridge, perfectly adapted for canal use since it has a hump in the middle, which allowed canal boats to more easily pass underneath.
Today the successors to the original camelback bridges are the Delaware Canal’s signature structures exemplifying the waterway’s history. Over the years, changes in vehicle types and traffic requirements have caused most of the bridge to be replaced with larger, hefty versions, but six authentic camelbacks still remain.
For over a decade, the Friends have been on a quest to ensure that these last six genuine pieces of history are restored. Not only are they vital factors to the Canal’s National Historic Landmark status, but their delicate design guides new construction. The Friends are directly responsible for the successful restoration of three of the camelbacks and were instrumental in the preservation of the fourth. Our volunteers perform continuing maintenance, such as painting and vegetation removal.
Two camelbacks are still in need of work – Woody’s Bridge south of Easton and Spahr’s Bridge in Bridgeton Township. This fall, the stars aligned in favor of Woody’s. It needed significant repairs so that it could continue to carry pedestrians, but was not so deteriorated that it needed a complete rebuild.
The Friends have partnered with the Delaware Canal State Park to get the job done now while the water is out of the Canal for other maintenance projects. Fundraising to cover the $31,800 labor cost is underway, and the Park has committed to pay for the materials. In the spirit of getting the job done this winter, Randy Myer of R-Shell Exteriors, Lancaster, PA is already at work. (Randy is a seasoned camelback restoration contractor having already completed the work on the Hazzard’s, Thompson-Neely, and Goat Farm bridges.)
So far, the Friends have raised $20,000 for this project thanks to generous contributors who want the Canal’s history preserved. Now we need your help to raise the balance of the needed funds. You may contribute on-line at www.fodc.org or send a check to Friends of the Delaware Canal, 145 South Main Street, New Hope, PA.
Please help restore Woody’s Bridge, the best example of how camelback bridges once were – delicate, graceful, utilitarian, and very beautiful.
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Get on the CAT List
The Friends’ Canal Action Team (CAT) has been tackling a wide variety of projects since it was formed in the winter of 2014. Everything from removing vegetation from stone walls to bridge painting to replacing interpretive signs to pulling out cattails is fair game.
As 2017 begins, we would like to reinvigorate our list of volunteers who are interested in working on the CAT.
WHO: Anyone who wants to and can be physically active. Especially needed are people who like to paint bridges and those who would like to lead a crew.
When: CAT projects can be undertaken both on weekdays and weekends. Usually they take no longer than 3-4 hours.
Where: Work sites are determined by the urgency of the job and the location and number of available volunteers.
The Plan: If you want to be part of CAT, please call 215-862-2021 or e-mail friends@fodc.org and give us your contact info and your preferred work locations (north, central, south). When a work day is developed, an e-mail notice containing the job details is sent to all the prospective volunteers about two weeks prior. Those who can help on a particular project just respond to the e-mail and show up on the appointed day.
Be part of CAT! Get things done along the Canal and enjoy working with your fellow Friends.
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Park Manager’s Report
My first seven months at the Canal have been exciting and full of challenges and successes. We wrapped up 2016 with several wall repair projects. During the maintenance drawdown in October we hired several contractors to make repairs to multiple walls that failed and collapsed along the Canal. Wall repairs have been completed at Lock 5 in Yardley, along Mile Post 21 in the Bowman’s Hill area, adjacent to Lock 22/23 in the Teddy Roosevelt Recreation Area, and at Woody’s Bridge in the Raubsville area. Also during the drawdown, Park and engineering staff were able to inspect several areas of the Canal and develop plans for future projects and maintenance work. Park maintenance crews were also busy repointing walls and waste gates, dredging, fixing additional sink holes ,and working on many other preventative maintenance projects. To close out 2016, the river/weather finally cooperated with us by providing enough rain and higher river levels to start re-watering the southern end of the canal during the middle of December.
2017 will bring its challenges and successes as well. We will be starting the New Year with several projects already in progress. First, in partnership with the Friends, an experienced contractor has been hired to make repairs to Woody’s Bridge in the Raubsville area. We have had another wall collapse in the Kintnersville area by Lehnenberg Road. A contractor has already been mobilized, and repairs to this wall have begun. Finally, the Park has discovered two new sinkholes in the northern section of the Park – one in Smithtown between Bridges 2 and 3 and the second in Williams Township just north of the Easton sewage treatment plant. Repairs to these sinkholes will be forthcoming once the weather decides to cooperate with us.
Also, work on the Lower Limeport Bridge in Solebury Township has begun and is expected to continue through April. We have another bridge project on the horizon as well. The final design work and permitting is being done for the Phillips’ Mill Bridge. We are expecting this project to go out to bid late this winter and to be ready for construction later this spring. Enjoy the Canal!
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At the Annual Meeting
Our members just kept coming through the doors of the David Library of the American Revolution on November 15. The Rose Gallery, where the covered dish dinner was held, was filled with people and great food; and everyone was thankful for the spacious seating and high quality audio visual equipment upstairs in Stone Hall where our presentations were held. We are so appreciative of the Library’s willingness to share their facilities with the Friends.
We were pleased to have a wonderful turnout from the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. With us were:
John Hallas, Director of the Bureau of State Parks, who gave a summary of DCNR’s accomplishments and plans
Jason Zimmerman, Manager of Park Region 4
Josh Swartley, Delaware Canal State Park Manager
Bethany Hare, Delaware Canal State Park Assistant Manager
Gene Gelfand, Engineer with DCNR’s Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, who was honored for his dedication to the preservation and improvement of the Canal and its historic structures, particularly its camelback bridges
David Kemmerer, retired Director of the Bureau of State Parks
The after-dinner presentation included some Friends’ Board of Directors business. Retiring Board member Stephanie Garomon was thanked for all her efforts on behalf of our organization, especially in terms of organizing fundraising events. Pam Can, Judy Franlin, Joan Fullerton, Lynn Vogel, and David Scheaffer were all elected to additional Board terms.
The Annual Meeting is always a great time to get together with old and new friends, take stock of the year’s activities, and gear up for the coming year. And that’s just what we did.
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At its January meeting, the Friends’ Board of Directors elected its officers for 2017. Serving will be:
Brett Webber – President
Pam Can – Vice-President
Lynn Vogel – Secretary
Peter Sperry – Treasurer
As always, the Board welcomes your participation and input.
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A Link to the Canal’s Past
Movies taken of the Delaware Canal during the first half of the 20th century and interviews with men and women who worked on the Canal are now available for you to see and hear on your computer, iPad, or phone. These treasures are easily accessible thanks to the efforts of the Solebury Township Historical Society and the cooperation of the National Canal Museum in Easton.
Two members of the Society, who are also dedicated members of the Friends of the Delaware Canal, collaborated with the National Canal Museum to preserve the Museum’s cassette and film collection. Robert McEwan, Society Vice President and archivist, and Elizabeth Carrick, the Society’s web consultant have devoted a tremendous number of hours to evaluating the collection and publishing the best of it on the Solebury Township Historical Society website www.soleburyhistory.org.
To share these valuable pieces of history with more canallers, the Society has very generously invited the Friends to place a link to the material on our website www.fodc.org. The movies and the interviews can be found here.
So, if you’ve wondered what the Delaware Canal was like when mule teams pulled coal-laden boats to market, you can now find out by just clicking.
Towpath Closed at Lower Limeport Bridge in Solebury Township
**TRAIL CLOSURE** A portion of the towpath will be closed due to construction surrounding a bridge replacement project at Lower Limeport Bridge. The closed portion is in Solebury Township between Upper Limeport Bridge and Phillips Mill Bridge, approximately 0.25 miles north of Phillips Mill. Please heed the barricades and avoid this area, or find alternate routes. Do not trespass on private property to bypass this area. For bicyclists, this section can easily be bypassed by following River Road (Route 32) for a short distance by exiting and/or entering the towpath at Upper Limeport Bridge and Canal Park in Solebury Township. Please DO NOT enter the construction zone AT ANY TIME, regardless of whether it is active or not, for your safety and that of the workers and equipment. Park officials expect the tow path to re-open by the end of April 2017.
If you have any questions or need additional information about the trail closure please feel free to contact the park office.
PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Delaware Canal and Ralph Stover State Parks
11 Lodi Hill Road, Upper Black Eddy, PA 18972
Phone: 610.982.5560 | Fax: 610.982.0160
E-mail: nrspdela@pa.gov
www.dcnr.state.pa.us