#TBT - Miami and Erie Canal
On July 21, 1825 - 197 years ago today - ground broke on the Miami Canal. In attendance on the Daniel Doty Farm, just south of Middletown, were Ohio Governor Jeremiah Morrow and New York Governor DeWitt Clinton. Made possible by the 1825 Canal Act, construction was completed two year later. On November 28, 1827, the first boat arrived along the canal in Middletown from Cincinnati. The original Miami Canal was 66 miles long with 24 locks and 10 aqueducts.
Miami and Erie Canal in Middletown, circa 1929
Shortly after completion of the Miami Canal, work began on the Miami Extension Canal. This newer canal system added 109 miles of canal north of Dayton. In 1849, the Miami Canal, the Miami Extension Canal, and the Wabash and Erie Canal were officially combined and the complete canal system was renamed the Miami and Erie Canal. The complete canal system was 248.86 miles long, contained 103 lift locks, and was fed by 3 reservoirs and numerous dams. On June 27, 1845, the Banner completed the entire journey from Cincinnati to Toledo along the canal system, taking over 4 days to do so.
By the late 1870s, use of the Miami and Erie Canal as a form of transportation was nearly finished, being replaced by trains and railroads. The canal’s usefulness in Middletown persisted though, thanks in part to the Middletown Hydraulic Canal. Built in 1852, the Middletown Hydraulic Canal helped local industry access the Miami and Erie Canal, however, it’s ability to provide clean water was of greater importance and lasting impact. By the 1900s, all utility from the canal systems had been exhausted. The canal in Middletown would persist until 1929 though, when it was officially closed. Over the following years it was replaced by Verity Parkway.