PARK MANAGER’S REPORT – Spring – Summer 2023 By Brian Heath Park Manager, Delaware Canal State Park We want to thank the Friends and all the volunteers who participated in the Annual Canal Clean-up event. Volunteers who are willing to sacrifice their t …

The Delaware Canal towpath spans 58.9 miles, and in that distance, you can spot many flowering plants along the way. Some are relatively obvious, and others require a keen eye. Here are a few to look for. < Dame’s Rocket is a flowering biennial memb …

Few people who lived and worked along the Canal could imagine building a life without the mule. Mules, it is said, were the engines of the Canal. Or put another way, the workhorses moving coal from Mauch Chunk (present-day Jim Thorpe) to Bristol. Mules …

Sommer’s Bridge Restoration—A Family Legacy Lives On The Canal has many tales to tell, and so do the bridges and buildings along the way. The Sommer’s Bridge is no exception. In its day, farmers, quarrymen, and the townspeople used this bridge. Today, …

Betty Orlemann with a “Miles of Mules” sculpture Since the formation of the Delaware Canal State Park (originally called Roosevelt State Park) in 1940, residents along the 58.9-mile greenway have advocated for the restoration and preservation of this v …

Installation of Drop Gate at Groundhog Lock with wicket view Construction of the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal system began in 1827 and was completed by 1832. The quick work created a less than water-worthy structure and the canal quickly …

Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle, Carole Mebus Since the development of photography, this technology has been used to record important events, inspiring vistas, family gatherings, and simple pleasures. Photographs help give context to a place and time. …

Cover of Book on the D & R Canal by Linda Barth Many towpath visitors take advantage of the Loop Trails that connect Pennsylvania with New Jersey. Both states have similar canals and histories but serve very different purposes today. The Delaware C …