Finding aid for the Ohio Board of Canal Commissioners Records

History of the Ohio and Erie Canal

The Ohio and Erie Canal was constructed by the State of Ohio in 1825-1832 to connect Lake Erie at the city of Cleveland, Ohio, with the Ohio River in the city of Portsmouth, Ohio in order to provide an inexpensive mode of transportation and promote economic growth. The canal was 308 miles long and required 146 lift locks. The canal was built largely by Irish immigrant labor. After 1850, use of the canal decreased due to the growth of the railroad throughout Ohio, and when many sections were destroyed by floods in 1913 the state declined to rebuild the canal. A section of the canal in Cleveland has been maintained for industrial use, and several locks have become part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area.

View the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for the Ohio and Erie Canal

Scope and Content

The Ohio Board of Canal Commissioners Records, 1848-1883, consist of a register of boats on the canal kept by the canal commissioners at Chillicothe, Ohio.

This collection will be valuable to researchers studying water travel and commerce in Ohio during the nineteenth century. Those interested in the operation of the Ohio and Erie Canal and its port at Chilicothe, Ohio, will find this collection useful.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 382 Ohio Board of Canal Commissioners Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Purchased by the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Detailed Description of The Collection