Two hundred years ago, in November 1824, Captain Ephraim Beach completed his survey and map of the Conestoga River for the purpose of making the river navigable from Lancaster City to Safe Harbor. Captain Beach was the principal engineer for the Schuylkill Canal which opened in 1827. Beach was accompanied by another canal engineer, Canvas White, who worked on the Union Canal. They presented their survey and plan for the Conestoga Navigation to the newly formed Conestoga Navigation Company, headed by Adam Riegart.
It was fitting then, that the Conestoga Scramblers (Ben Webber and I) joined the Susquehanna Ramblers (Jay Mackley, Dennis Brooks, and Chip Ludd) for a tour of the Conestoga Navigation system.
We met in the Knights of Columbus parking lot which is just downstream of the location of lock number one. Here is Ben Webber giving an overview of the Conestoga Navigation system to the Susquehanna Ramblers.
Lock 1
After our orientation, we headed up to the historical marker along the New Danville Pike which is at the site of Levan’s Flour Mill. George Levan built his mill in 1872 using the Lock 1 dam as its power source. The mill was on the West side of the river while the lock had been on the East side. Levan constructed a tram line across the river to carry his flour to the Quarryville rail line on the other side. The piers to this tram are still visible today. Levan’s mill was destroyed by fire in 1913.
Lock 2
Next, we headed down to lock number two, which is conveniently located on Second Lock Road. A covered bridge once spanned the river here, but it was destroyed by arson in 1968 and never rebuilt.
Lock 3 (Wabank)
Lock number 3 was at the site of a large grist mill owned by Isaac Heiney. This site later became the location of the famous Wabank Hotel and Resort. Daniel Oberholtzer took ownership of the mill after navigation ended. George Levan was the miller here until he built his own mill upstream. The mill was converted to generate electricity for the trolley system in 1901.
Lock 4 (Slackwater)
Lock number 4 made use of the dam for another grist mill. There was a toll house for the canal at this location. A short canal allowed the boats to approach the toll house where their goods could be assessed for calculating the toll. In later years, the mill was converted into a large paper mill. Another electric generation station was built on the old canal.
Lock 5 (Rock Hill)
The remains of lock 5 are just above the iron bridge at Rock Hill. As with locks 3 and 4, this lock and dam produced electrical power at one time. Most of what you see there today are remains of the power station.
Lock 6
Lock 6 is reported to have been located one half mile below the confluence of the Little Conestoga Creek. This lock was removed from the system when Edward Coleman revamped the system in 1837. We have never been able to find any remnants of the dam or lock. But with the river running at a record low level, we stopped to take another look.
Lock 7
We skipped lock 7 because its location is at a spot that is difficult to reach on foot. Previous attempts to locate this lock were unsuccessful.
Lock 8 (Safe Harbor)
Lock number 8 (later numbered 6 in the Coleman system) was located in the bustling industrial town of Safe Harbor. This lock is perhaps the best preserved because it remained in use long after the Conestoga Navigation ceased to operate.
Access to Lock 8 is usually not possible because it is protected by a hurricane fence. But thanks to some coordination with Brookfield Renewable, were we able to enter into the lock.
Lock 9
Lock 9, the entry lock, was located about where the Safe Harbor Kayak launch is today next to Powerhouse Road. There are no discernable remains of Lock 9.
So ends the November trek of the Susquehanna Ramblers along the Conestoga Navigation system on the 200th anniversary of its inception.