An Inquisitive Visitor's
Guide to the
Ohio & Erie Canal and Towpath Trail
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An Inquisitive Visitor's
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Lock 35 North (Portage Summit Level) - Kettlewell Lock - Whiskey Lock
About the Lock: Lock 35 is rather nondescript as it is the first intact unwatered lock encountered from the north. The lock's chamber has long since been filled in with dirt. The walls are crumbling but are intact as is part of the spillway tumble at its south end. The spillway can be made out to the east of the lock. At one time, a good whiskey trade took place around the lock, hence its name. I don't remember the specifics of the whiskey stories, but I'll look into it. The lock's other name, Kettlewell, comes from the name of a family that owned land around the lock.
Goose Pond Weir
Goose Pond Weir looking south
About the Structure: This is an example of a weir which was used to control water levels in the canal. The one in particular also contained a flood gate so the canal could be drained of water for repairs. Although the structure is intact, it serves no current purpose as the canal is not watered on this section.
Red Lock Trailhead
Lock 34 North (Portage Summit Level) - Red Lock
Lock 34 looking south
About the Lock: Lock 34 was known as Red Lock, but the reason why isn't known for sure. It is thought that the gates may have been painted red at one time. The name may also refer to the abundance of red clay in the area. The lock is unwatered today except for the standing water in the lock chamber. The towpath, as it does today, passed on the west side of the lock. The spillway tumble was upstream a bit and led to a long spillway that ran along the east side of the lock to a basin farther north. According to the Silliman Survey, Vaughn road passed over the north end of the lock instead of south of it as it does today. The Jaite property was between the canal and river south of the lock.
Brandywine Creek Culvert
East side of Brandywine Creek Culvert looking west
About the Culvert: The Brandywine Creek Culvert is the first intact canal era culvert on the northern section of the canal. Culverts were usually made of stone and carried the canal trough over smaller creeks that were too large to allow into the canal but small enough that they did not require an aqueduct. In many places, culverts replaced earlier aqueducts that were costly to repair. An unusual feature of this culvert is the protruding stonework around the entrance to the culvert. Only the east side of the culvert looks like this as the west side has concrete facing over the original stone. The culvert sits very near the old Jaite Paper Mill site that has since been torn out.
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