Hocking Canal Lock 19

39893 Haydenville Rd
Nelsonville , Ohio 45764

Dusk until Dawn
Free

Hocking Canal Lock 19

Located on Haydenville Road off old US 33, this lock is a remnant of the Hocking Canal. Adjacent to the Johnny Appleseed park, it is a great place to have a picnic.

Located on Haydenville Road off of old US 33, this lock is a remnant of the Hocking Canal. Little remains of the old Hocking Canal which once stretched from Athens to Lancaster. Completed in 1843, the canal allowed coal and other goods to be transported out of Southeast Ohio, contributing to the rise of communities such as Athens, Lancaster, Logan, and Nelsonville.

While Nelsonville was already thriving due to the coal industry, the completion of the Hocking Canal allowed it to grow. In 1840, only 207 people lived in the town. By 1855, the population neared 1000. The canal created the infrastructure necessary to capitalize on the Hocking Valley Railroad, which arrived in Nelsonville in 1869. The railroad would eventually overtake the Hocking Canal as a commercial lifeline, leading to the canal’s closure in 1890.

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Notes for Travelers

Parking is limited.



Credits

Nick Bochenek

Additional Resources

Mould, David Harley. Dividing Lines: Canals, Railroads and Urban Rivalry in Ohio's Hocking Valley, 1825-1875. Wright State University Press, 1994.