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

INTERMITTENT TRAIL CLOSURE: The towpath may be closed in the area of I-95/I-295, Scudder Falls Bridge, intermittently through end of December 2019. Closures may occur between 6am-5pm Monday through Friday; the trail will be open on weekends. The Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) will be demolishing the existing bridge over the canal during these closures. For additional information please visit the DRJTBC website at www.drjtbc.org/project/
24/7 TRAIL CLOSURE: The towpath is closed in the area of I-95/I-295, Scudder Falls Bridge, beginning Wednesday November 6 and lasting roughly 2 weeks. Contractors for the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (DRJTBC) working on the interstate bridge will be demolishing the old span over the Canal, which will require day and night closure of the towpath below. This section WILL be closed over the weekend of November 9 and 10, and possibly November 16 and 17. We will update this closure notice once the work is complete and the trail is reopened. For additional information please visit the DRJTBC website at www.drjtbc.org/project/
In our last newsletter, we shared the State Park goal of having water from the Lehigh River flow south in the Canal from Easton to New Hope this summer. In spite of repair and maintenance work, the Lehigh River water did, indeed, make it all the way to Centre Bridge by late September, just three miles short of the Lock 11 goal. (In fact, the Canal looked more beautiful than it has in many a year during the Friends’ Canal Walks on September 28 and October 5.) This accomplishment did prove that the Canal can be watered in the northern end.
The late summer news about the Canal from New Hope south to Bristol Borough hasn’t been as good. The water levels in the Canal were fine through spring and mid-summer, but then the Delaware River dropped quickly. The river level dropped below the level of the New Hope inlet and continues to be down. Since the entire southern end of the Canal is supplied with Delaware River water through this inlet, the Canal is water starved. (This occurs when the reading at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gauge at Trenton is “9 feet” or below.)
Now we are faced with having the entire Canal dewatered for an extended period of time because of construction and repair projects. The Park staff began dewatering the Canal on October 7 because of restrictions related to the habits and habitat of the Eastern Red Belly Turtle, a Pennsylvania threatened species. Find out more about these turtles on page 7.
Loftus Construction has been given “notice to proceed” with the replacement of the Kleinhans (aka Fry’s Run) Aqueduct at a cost of $780,000. The aqueduct, located 6.8 miles south of Easton, failed after a local torrential downpour. Fortunately, it is the shortest aqueduct on the Delaware Canal, and many of the component parts are being pre-fabricated. The contract length is not to exceed 270 day after commencement.
The repair of the bank blowout and the steel trough of the Tinicum Aqueduct was put out to bid and is currently pending the award process. The estimated amount for this repair is between $1 and $1.4 million with the contract length not to exceed 270 days.
Another torrential rainfall caused the berm bank north of the aqueduct to collapse, dumping the Canal’s water into Tinicum Creek. The temporary solution to maintaining water flow has been to fabricate canal banks with highway Jersey barriers and lining the channel with pool liner. This project will also address the holes in the aqueduct steel trough and the leakage through the stone walls. Unfortunately, the replacement of the steel trough with a real aqueduct structure has been postponed into the future.
The towpath in the vicinity of both the Kleinhans Aqueduct and the Tinicum Aqueduct projects will be closed to the public during the construction period.
In addition to these two major construction projects, the Park staff will take advantage of the dewatered Canal by replacing the drop gate at Locks 22/23 at the Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area in Raubsville, undertaking a variety of repairs, and removing silt bars and trees.
The Canal from New Hope to Bristol Borough will remain in its low water state while several projects are completed. The canal prism will be relined in the vicinity of Airport Road in Bristol Township preventing canal water from infiltrating into adjoining properties. The Friends plan to repair the historic Thompson-Neely Camelback bridge this winter, and the Park will be dredging and removing trees.
With all this news comes the promise by the State Park that water will be restored as soon as it can possibly be.
And through it all, please keep the vision of the Canal at its fully watered best in your head because step by step we’re getting there.
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Cindy Adams Dunn, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary, announced the appointment of Devin Buzard as manager of the Delaware Canal State Park Complex on August 30. Jumping right into the partnering aspects of his new job, Devin introduced himself at the Friends of the Delaware Canal Board meeting on September 3.
Devin’s experience managing some of the Commonweath’s more heavily visited parks will serve him well as he takes on the task of dealing with not only the 58.9-mile-long canal, but also the 90-acre Giving Pond, eleven river islands, a stretch of the Nockamixon Cliffs, miles of river shoreline, and the Ralph Stover State Park.
“ I’m looking forward to continuing to build, sustain, and develop strong partnerships with those who know and appreciate these two parks, as well as the many community groups that support outdoor recreation and conservation in the area,” said Devin about his appointment.
Beginning his career with DCNR’s Bureau of State Parks in 2011, Devin worked as field training coordinator with the Park Operations and Maintenance Division in Harrisburg. In 2013, he was appointed manager of Beltzville State Park in Carbon County, overseeing a 2,972-acre park developed around the Beltzville Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control project.
He was named manager of the Tobyhanna State Park Complex in Monroe and Wayne counties in 2017. Three state parks – Tobyhanna, Gouldsboro, and Big Pocono – comprise that 9,550-acre complex. Most recently, Devin served as manager of the Gifford Pinchot State Park Complex , which included the Susquehannock and Sam Lewis state parks in York and Lancaster counties.
Before joining the Bureau of State Parks, Devin served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a military police officer, attaining the rank of corporal. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in recreation, park, and tourism management. Devin and his wife are parents to two children, ages 6 and 9.
We wish Devin all the best in his new and challenging endeavor!
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Four Canal paddling adventures are sponsored by the Friends each year in partnership with the Delaware Canal State Park educators. In addition, the educators guide many other public paddles in the Giving Pond and on the Delaware River and Canal. During each session, participants may use the Park’s twelve single and two tandem kayaks for a nominal fee. It’s a great opportunity to find out whether kayaking is a sport for you.
This year, the Park’s two tandems were looking particularly sad, and one was taking on water at a rate that led to its retirement. To replenish the Park’s fleet, the Friends of the Delaware Canal purchased a 14.5-foot Manatee Deluxe Tandem Kayak from L. L. Bean and donated it to the Park. This new kayak’s advantage is that it is a sit-in model that reduces the chances that its paddlers will get really wet. The new kayak has already been put to good use and christened with canal mud.
A second donation of a tandem kayak is happening this fall thanks to the generosity of Board member Judy Franlin and her husband Joe. Their downsizing means that the Park’s other sad tandem can be retired, too. Thanks, Judy and Joe!
Come next paddling season, these two tandems will be ready and waiting.
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It was commonly known that there were only two “bump” bridges along the Delaware Canal, and they were located in Bristol Borough by the Grundy Woolen Mill. Built between 1873 and 1876, the swing bridges served as canal crossings for the newly opened Jefferson Avenue and Washington Street.
What wasn’t known was what they looked like. Aerial views and photos taken from a distance were the only available documentation. One could make out triangular structural members, but that was about it. The opportunity to solve the bump bridge mystery presented itself with the Bristol Borough interpretive sign project.
A new panel at Jefferson Avenue about the unique bridges seemed in order, but what to put on it? An inquiry to canal authorities was sent over the internet, and a reply from Ohio promptly arrived in our Inbox. Terry Woods , past president of the Canal Society of Ohio and the American Society, maintains a forum for canallers. The bump bridge question intrigued him so he did some of his own research and put out the question to others. In came a response from Dave Neuhardt, another Ohio canaller, who knew about “ a bunch of them on the Miami & Erie Canal.” He provided a description of the mechanism, an account of how it worked, and, most importantly, a line drawing of a swing/bump bridge.
The Ohio description and the image fit what was known about the Bristol Borough bump bridges, so the information was used to create the drawing and text for the new interpretive sign.
Here is the description shown on the new Bristol Borough interpretive sign:
The advantage of a bump bridge was that it swung open while being gently bumped by an oncoming canal boat. The structure was counterbalanced so that it returned to its original position after the boat had passed. No additional power was need to operate the bridge. They could be used where the land was flat, avoiding the sloping approaches of a typical bridge.
When neighborhood children saw a canal boat coming, they would jump on the bump bridge for a ride. Too many “riders” made a canal boat captain angry because his mule team had to pull harder to make the bridge open, and it was nearly impossible for the bridge to swing closed on its own.
The two bump bridges were replaced by culvert pipes after the Canal closed for business in 1931.
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The Friends and our project partners marked the culmination of a two-year-long project to update content and replace twelve interpretive signs that tell the story of the Delaware Canal in Historic Bristol Borough. The signs dot the Canal’s route from the terminus at the Delaware River to the Lagoon at Jefferson Avenue.
The illustrated signs relate:
Where the Canal Met the River * Working with the Tide * In the Basin * Fueling the Economy * Lock 1 – The Canal’s First and Last * The Locktender’s House at Lock 1 * The Bend before the End * Lock 2 – In the Middle * Lock 3 – At the Heart of Commerce * An Industrial Zone of Its Time * Water and Land Marks * A Different Kind of Canal Bridge
We are so grateful to the Grundy Foundation, the Bucks Country Conference and Visitors Bureau, the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation, and Bristol Borough Council for helping to renew the Canal’s rich history.
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Eastern Red Belly Turtles were sighted in the southern end of the Canal over fifteen years ago. Soon thereafter, they were also noted in the northern end. Their existence has impacted the Canal ever since.
The Eastern Red Belly Turtle is a reptile species of special concern and has been listed as a threatened species by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Habitat destruction, poor water quality and competition with aggressive non-native turtle species led to the listing.
To protect the Red Belly Turtle population, special procedures must be followed when disturbance of their habitat is planned. In the case of the Delaware Canal, it is permissible to perform work in the Canal during the turtles’ active period from April to October when they are capable of moving away from construction activity. If work is undertaken during the turtles’ hibernation period between October 15 and April 15, the Canal must be de-watered no later than October 15, so that the turtles can find places to hibernate that are out of harm’s way..
The Delaware Canal State Park staff began to dewater the Canal on October 7 to comply with the Eastern Red Belly Turtle restrictions enforced by the Fish and Boat Commission. If the Canal’s water was drawn down after October 15, it is possible that cold-blooded turtles hibernating in the muddy bottom of the Canal would be exposed to freezing temperatures and die a slow and painful death. It is permissible to re-water the Canal during the hibernation period, so if projects are completed before April 15, water can be re-introduced.
The Eastern Red Belly Turtle is one of Pennsylvania’s largest native aquatic turtles. Found in the southeastern and southcentral regions of the Commonwealth, they live in slow rivers, reservoirs, ponds, marshes and ditches; and spend a lot of time basking. They are described as being shy or wary. Thus it’s understandable that they aren’t ones to show off their red bellies.
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The Locktender’s House at Lock 11 in New Hope is where the Friends do business and invite visitors in to learn about “Life at the Lock” on the Delaware Canal. It’s a circa 1830, three-story plus attic, stucco over stone house that has been used in different ways over the years.
In 1991, the Friends’ cajoled the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania into buying the house by promising to restore the building and open it to the public. Its location by the then-operating New Hope Mule Barge Ride was ideal.
The Friends raised the funds to restore the building (its interior was very 1950’s), and its doors have been open ever since. Of course, every old house needs maintenance and repairs, and the Friends, as good caretakers, have undertaken many.
This year it was clear that the time had come to take care of the exterior stucco damage caused by an unprecedented canal leak and paint the exterior walls, porch roof and floor. Masterfully, tackling the job have been Jason Butler of Premiere Plaster and Construction and Mark Malone of MCM Painting.
Soon the Locktender’s House will be back to showing off its unblemished, historically appropriate façade thanks to your support of our efforts.
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Only six camelback bridges that retain their authentic structure remain along the length of the Delaware Canal. To recognize their important places in the history of the Delaware Canal, small plaques, which display their names, significance, and mileage locations; have been affixed to the bridge abutments. Many thanks to Canal Action Team leader Josh Gradwohl for taking on the complicated fastening task!
Keep an eye out for the new signs.
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If you come upon one of the 59 granite mile markers along the Canal towpath and find it obscured by grass, weeds, or dirt, please clear it off, so that we all can count the miles. Thank you!
Mile Marker 1 is located by the Grundy Mill in Bristol Borough, and Mile Marker 58.9 is at the Forks of the Delaware in Easton.
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Our Solution to Unpredictable Weather
Dates, Times, Places TBD
For two years in a row, bad weather conditions have foiled our efforts to have winter activities along the Canal. Too cold, too warm, too muddy, too wintery mixy. But, the lures of ice skating, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, and brisk walking are still strong, so we’re going to endeavor to have Pop-up events – again.
When the forecasters agree that the skies will be sunny, the temperatures above frostbite, and the winds relatively calm OR when we have a perfect snowfall, we will send out a message letting you know what we’ll be doing and where/ when we’ll be doing it along the Canal’s length.
We will be waiting for the right opportunities and will notify you of the details in two ways:
Be on the lookout for winter fun along the Canal.
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Rachel Albright
Hillary Armitage
Mary Arndtsen
Laura Baird
Wayne Baldwin
Francis Collins
Daphne Daniel
Meg Del Prete
Donna Doan
Elissa Garofalo
Doreen Gramling
Susanne Greczylo
Karen and Michael Hrabowski
Kim and Tyler Jones
Lesley Larson
Cindy and Sean Legg
Marilyn Marquis
Tom Merchant
Matt Murray
Joshua Nay
John Nolan
Kris Reilly
Anne Sears
Kenneth Standig
Jacqueline Strigl
Cindy Wallace
Betsy Werley
Marilyn White
From the Delaware Canal State Park – Devin Buzard, Park Manager
Delaware Canal State Park is planning for a maintenance drawdown of the canal beginning on October 7, 2019. The canal will be drawn down in multiple sections of the park to perform preventive maintenance, inspections, and to complete several large repair projects.
Work associated with this drawdown will take place at Lock 22/23 (Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area) in Raubsville, Fry’s Run Aqueduct in Williams Township, Tinicum Aqueduct in Tinicum Township, Thompson Neely Historic Camelback Bridge in the Bowman’s Hill area, and Canal prisim repair near Airport Road in Bristol Towship.
Due to this drawdown and the low river levels in New Hope, large stretches of the canal will have low water levels until water can be reintroduced where possible as projects are completed. Sections of the canal from New Hope south are dependent on higher river levels for re-watering and may take longer to refill. Currently, water levels in the southern portion of the canal are extremely low, and, in some areas, non-existent due to the lack of water at the New Hope inlet.
Drawdown of the canal must take place between July 15 and October 15 due to the regulations established by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to protect the imperiled eastern redbelly turtle. During the drawdown period, park staff will be on site to remove and relocate any fish and other species of concern to a safe location should they become stranded in a section of canal with low water. Public assistance in locating stranded fish is appreciated.
If you have any questions or would like additional information about the planned drawdown of the canal, please contact the park office at 610-982-5560 for assistance.
Water Levels Low from New Hope South to Bristol
The level of the Delaware River has dropped below the level of the New Hope inlet, which is located near the developing River House at Odette’s site. When this happens the Canal is water starved, since the primary water supply for the entire southern end of the Canal is the New Hope inlet.
Canal News – Summer 2019At 8 a.m. on June 26, member Bill Getchell left a message on the Friends’ phone, “There’s a strange phenomenon happening here in Point Pleasant. The Canal is full of water, and it’s flowing nicely.”
No, aliens from a watery planet have not dumped their cargo into the Delaware Canal. The water that is now flowing southward is from the Lehigh River, just as it is meant to. 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!
The Park officials intend to let the Lehigh River water flow south as far as it can go this summer. Having it reach Lock 11 in New Hope would be extraordinary because the temporary fixes at Kleinhans Aqueduct south of Easton and at the Tinicum Aqueduct do restrict the volume of water that the Canal can carry. Let’s hope for the extraordinary and more.
All the rain that has been pouring down this summer has kept the Delaware River level well above the level of the New Hope inlet, so the Canal from the former Odette’s site to Bristol has been full, except for drawdowns to prevent the Canal from overtopping its banks during extended downpours. The electrical equipment to run a pump, which will augment the southern end water supply should the River level fall for an extended period of time, is here and ready to be installed when DCNR gives the go-ahead.
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Visitors are flowing more freely along the towpath, too. The official opening of the tunnel through the USX railroad embankment south of Morrisville took place on June 11 with DCNR Secretary
Cindy Adams Dunn and PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards doing the honors. The long-distance trail organizations – the D&L Trail, the Circuit Trail, and the East Coast Greenway – were there to celebrate as well as state, county and local officials, towpath users, and, of course, the Friends. The end of a nearly 20-year-long process to rid the Canal towpath of its most dangerous obstruction was enthusiastically lauded. The railroad lines in the vicinity put on a show at the same time with Septa, Amtrak, USX, and NJ Transit trains all passing by. It was a good demonstration of the need for the tunnel.
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Construction of the pedestrian walkway across the Scudder Falls Bridge on I-295 is underway. When complete the walkway will connect the Delaware Canal and Delaware and Raritan Canal towpaths and be the seventh connector in the PA/NJ Loop Trail system.
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A new interpretive sign stands by Locks 15/16 north of Point Pleasant. It tells the story of settler Joseph Smith, the industry-focused village that he developed, and how the Delaware Canal changed the area. It’s a great story, and the new sign allows it to be shared with the Canal’s many visitors.
A generous contribution from Margaret Copenhaver, in memory of her husband Tom, made the development and fabrication of the sign possible. It is a wonderful, thoughtful gift to the Canal, and we are most grateful. Here Marge describes why she chose the project.
“Tom loved the Canal and was a long-time member of the Friends of the Delaware Canal. When we bought a house between the Canal and Delaware River in Smithtown in 2000, it was a dream come true – a lovely retreat that we could easily visit on weekends, as we looked ahead to moving here permanently to spend our retirement years. One of our favorite things was walking on the towpath on a summer’s day, and rafting or tubing back home on the river. It didn’t get any better than that, with the possible exception of listening to the enchanting concert emanating from the Canal, provided by the always-unseen peepers, announcing that spring and summer were imminent.
Tom passed away in the spring of 2015. Working with Susan Taylor, many ideas were discussed as to what would be a nice tribute to Tom’s legacy, while also being of benefit to the Friends. I’m delighted with the sign and feel it was the perfect choice. I know that Tom would definitely approve.”
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The Friends helped out the Delaware Canal State Park maintenance crews by contracting with T&T Tree Service for the removal of some of the most problematic trees along the Canal. The initial $6,625 phase of the project went well, so the Friends also were able to fund the $3600 cost to remove two huge trees near the Locktender’s House at Locks 22/23.
Gone are:
As you can see from the photographs, the project was quite a production number.
Many thanks to you who contributed to the Friends’ Year-End Appeal. Its success made this Canal improvement project possible.
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Last year, the Friends experimented by purchasing a kayak stabilizing device called a KayaArm. Canal Action Team (CAT) volunteers installed the aluminum cradle and post on the north dock at Locks 22/23 in Raubsville, and it was officially tested during a Friends’ Paddle the Canal event. It received enthusiastic thumbs up from both the kayakers and the State Park educators responsible for getting people in and out of kayaks safely.
This success led to the desire to install KayaArms on all the other Delaware Canal docks – the south dock at Locks 22/23 and the two docks at the Durham Aqueduct and Lock. The funding stars aligned, and the Friends were able to buy three KayArms using a past contribution from Riegelsville Borough with Council’s permission. CAT has installed the three, and they are ready for action now that the Canal’s water level has been restored.
Thank you, Riegelsville Borough for helping to promote kayaking on the Canal by making it so much easier and safer to get in and out of the water!
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Spring brings sunny days, comfortable temperatures, and great numbers of Delaware Canal State Park visitors – bicyclists, hikers, runners, walkers, equestrians, birders, scenery lovers, etc. The Canal towpath, with its many quirks, is required to accommodate everyone, making it so much more important for visitors to be aware of and courteous to each other.
Here are two tips for sharing the towpath trail:
Bicyclists- Please signal your approach verbally or by ringing a bicycle bell. It’s easy to startle others when you’re coming up quickly and quietly. Slowing down would be nice, too.
Walkers – Please stay to the right on the towpath, so that others can pass by safely.
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Three new Canal Tenders have stepped up to the task of caring for and monitoring sections of the waterway and towpath.
Chris Shebest is working on the Rabbit Run to Phillips’ Mill stretch in Solebury Township.
Keller Arnold has adopted the Levittown Shopping Center to Wheatsheaf Road section in Tullytown Borough and Falls Township.
Christine Curtis is co-tending the Forks of the Delaware to Wy-Hit-Tuk Park area with Bob Barth.
Thank you all! And very special thanks to long-distance traveler, Jeff Connell, who is retiring from his tending duties in the southern end of the Canal.
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Canal Action Team volunteers were very hard at work on June 5 digging holes, pouring concrete, leveling bases, prying open frames as they installed a PA/NJ Loop Trail sign in Morrisville and a new site-specific interpretive sign in Smithtown, removed a damaged directional sign, and replaced sign panels at Lock 11 in New Hope. Josh Gradwohl led the team of Mark Frey, Ed Leydon, Pete Rosswaag, and Collin Stuart.
Next up for CAT – the installation of small signs on each of the six remaining authentic camelback bridges along the Canal.
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June 28 was George Calaba’s last day as Park Operations Manager for the Delaware Canal State Park Complex. He has taken a position in the private sector closer to his home. We wish him all the best! DCNR already has posted the opening and is expediting the selection process in hopes of having a new Manager in place by mid-July.
Two long-delayed projects – replacement of the Kleinhans Aqueduct south of Easton and significant repairs to and around the Tinicum Aqueduct – are going out to bid on July 10. Bids will be received by DCNR on August 8. If all goes well, construction should start this fall. This timing renews hope that both projects can be undertaken simultaneously, thus reducing the length of time that the Canal might be without water.
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Rosanne Bonaventura
Debra Carrier
Bill Denton
Maria DePiano
Kathleen DiGrazia
Clay Gearhart
Aaron Heimowitz
William Jaglowski and Kevin Clark
Cindy and David Little
Gerald Martina
Donald McCloskey
Linda Mirales-Moran
Marie Progin
Susan Redcay
Ari Spectorman
Ronald Stockham
Donna Wagner
Jordan Yeager
The towpath has been re-opened from Mile 31 on the north end of Lumberville to Mile 32.3 on the south end of Point Pleasant. Repair work to the stone wall between the Delaware River and the Canal is now complete.
Towpath Closed from the north end of Lumberville to the south end of Point Pleasant
The towpath has been closed from Mile 31 on the north end of Lumberville to Mile 32.3 on the south end of Point Pleasant. The closure is due to repair work being done on the stone wall between the Delaware River and the Canal.
Friends of the Delaware Canal
145 South Main Street
New Hope, PA 18938
Phone: 215.862.2021
Michael Ginder, Executive Director
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