Although fascinating, canal history remains one of the hidden stories of America's past. Yet canals were integral to the country's growth, providing the first long-distance "highways" that penetrated America's interior. Their importance was short-lived but came at a time when the United States was establishing itself as an industrial power. Without canals and their ability to transfer natural resources, manufactured products, and thousands of immigrants seeking a new life, America's transition from a farm-based economy to one based on heavy industry would have been delayed by several decades.
Lock Ridge Furnace
Written by Martha Capwell Fox, DLNHC Historian
The cast house and base of the blast furnace at Lock Ridge…
The Upper Upper Grand
Written by Wendi Blewett, DLNHC Museum Collections Manager
The Lehigh Navigation was originally built to cover 84 miles,…
The Second Great Awakening and the Sunday Shutdown
Written by Martha Capwell Fox
We don’t know much about the religious practices of…
70,000 and Counting
Written by Cyan Fink, DLNHC Inventory Coordinator through November 2024
Two years ago, I started an amazing journey at…
The Midvale Steel Collection
This blog was written by volunteer Jim Reiser, who created the inventory for this collection.
The National Canal…
Winters on (or off) the Canal
Written by Cyan Fink, DLNHC Inventory Coordinator
At the end of October, The National Canal Museum…
The Scotch-Irish settlers of Lehigh Valley
Written by Martha Capwell Fox
The first European settlers in the Lehigh Valley were Scotch-Irish—though that…
Buehler Collection
Written by Wendi Blewett, DLNHC Museum Collections Manager
Many of the materials we feature across our social media come from…
