Circleville Canal Park
Canal Park23352 Canal Road
Circleville, OH 43113
740-420-5451
Canal Park
Southwest of Circleville, on Canal Road on the west bank of the Scioto River, the Pickaway County Park District has established Canal Park at the point where a dam and stone inlet structure fed water from the river to the canal. The park has picnic tables, parking, toilet facilities, and interpretive signage and miles of walking trails.
Southwest of Circleville, on Canal Road on the west bank of the Scioto River, the Pickaway County Park District has established Canal Park at the point where a dam and stone inlet structure fed water from the river to the canal. The park has picnic tables, parking, toilet facilities, and interpretive signage and miles of walking trails.
Without water there is no canal, so water supply was a constant concern for Ohio’s canal managers. Just operating the 50-plus locks from Newark to Portsmouth used a huge amount of water. This fact and problems such as low rainfall, evaporation, and leaks in the canal bed (often caused by burrowing animals) meant there had to be multiple water sources. The large reservoir now known as Buckeye Lake was a primary one, but it was supplemented by several “feeders.” One was the Columbus Feeder, a navigable canal that tapped the Scioto River in downtown Columbus and conveyed its water to the main canal at Lockbourne. Another was here at the Pickaway County Park District’s Canal Park. A dam created a pool, and a stone inlet, still in its original location, fed water into a channel connected to the nearby canal. The inlet has been closed off by a concrete wall, but when it was operating it had wooden gates that regulated the amount of water drawn from the Scioto River. In addition to preserving the inlet structure, the park district has installed interpretive signage explaining how the feeder worked. The current dam in the river dates from the 1930s and was a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project.
These canal features are listed in the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Ohio and Erie Canal Southern Descent Historic District.
Notes for Travelers
Canal Park is approximately 16 acres, located along the Scioto River. This park features historic canal features, a walking path and scenic views of the Scioto River. Located only two miles south-west of Circleville on Canal road, Canal Park has a large open shelter house that can be reserved for events. The park also has a fire pit, a large flat greenspace, historic canal features, access to the Scioto River, a two-mile Towpath Trail and a 0.3-mile Scioto River Trail. It is a great destination for picnicking, hiking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, as well as those wanting to see a historic piece of the Ohio–Erie Canal.
https://www.pickawaycountyparks.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Canal-Park-Trails-1.pdf
https://www.pickawaycountyparks.org/
Circleville has a downtown historic district with a great mix of 19th and 20th century architecture and is worth a visit.
The Pickaway County Historical Society maintains the Clarke-May Museum located at 162 West Union Street in Chillicothe. Its website has additional information about local history videos and upcoming events.
http://www.pickawayhistoricalsociety.org/
The Pickaway County Visitors Bureau has a website and Visitors Center for additional ideas for exploring the area.
http://pickaway.com/
Credits
Jeff Darbee, Nancy Recchie, David MeyerAdditional Resources
Meyer, David. Life Along the Ohio Canal – Licking Reservoir to Lockbourne and Columbus FeederMeyer, David. Life Along the Ohio Canal in the Scioto River Valley