Escape in time . . .

Friday, September 19, 2008

A perfect Erie-Ohio Canal day in Canal Fulton.

A perfect day viewing the old Erie-Ohio Canal System.

Lock 4 is located south of the City of Canal Fulton.

Red umbrellas, canal and towpath view to south.

Standing on the historic towpath,

looking towards Cherry St., Canal Fulton, Ohio

Canal view from Cherry Street south with store backs facing canal.

From the booklet "Canal Fulton's History"

. . . The Ohio and Erie Canal was completed in 1832, seven years after the ground breaking, at a cost of 4.7 million dollars. The route lay partially along the path of the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas River valleys, formerly the site of the most important north-south Indian trail in eastern Ohio. The canal ran from Cleveland on Lake Erie to Portsmouth on the Ohio River. It was the first important commercial avenue in the state. After it was completed, produce could be shipped by water directly to New Orleans via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. It could also be sent to New York City via Lake Erie and Erie Canal and Hudson River in New York. The 309 mile long canal contained 152 locks. The canal bed was excavated to a depth of four feet, twenty-six feet wide at the bottom and forty feet wide at the surface . . . The canal era began to come to an end in 1869 with the arrival of the railroad. . . In March, 1913, the worst flood in the history of Ohio destroyed much of the Canal.

Scenic touring canal boat for today.

A restored canal boat is displayed in dry dock at St. Helena Heritage Park. A census record found earlier of a family member listed occupations as boatman and cook on a canal boat. Seeing this boat enabled us to grasp exactly what limited space a boat like this had.

Market Street bridge view from the 1913 Cherry Street bridge.

Visiting Oser's Dairy and Deli

No day in Canal Fulton could be complete without a stop at Oser's Dairy and Deli. We met one of our cousins here. The waitresses immediately recognized our family name, called a cousin we had never met and set up a gathering for coffee the next morning. We felt like we had arrived home.

Canal Fulton City Hall

Museum at St. Helena Heritage Park.
This building was moved here from another location in Canal Fulton.

Back stair from canal into a store.. photo by Nan of Heron Snag

Canal Fulton Store Front...photo by Nan of Heron Snag.

Colorful shop front in Canal Fulton . . . photo by Nan of Heron Snag.

A great day was had by all on the Ohio-Erie Canal towpath and

the City of Canal Fulton. We were able to imagine our ancestors

using this as the highway into the interior of eastern Ohio. . . photo by Nan of Heron Snag

Thursday, September 18, 2008

A visit to Stan Hywet English Tudor Mansion - 2008

The path to Stan Hywet Mansion, Akron, Ohio. These photos are from a recent visit to the mansion built by the founder of Goodyear Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. It is now operated by a non-profit foundation.