The AMERICAN CANAL SOCIETY

Welcome!

The American Canal Society is dedicated to Historic Canal Research, Preservation, Restoration, and Parks.   The society was formed in 1972 to promote the wise use of America's many historic canal resources through research, preservation, restoration, recreation, and parks. The society acts as a national clearing house of canal information and co-operates with local, state, and international canal societies, groups, and individuals to identify historic canal resources, to publicize canal history, activities, activities, and problems, and to take action on threatened canals and sites.

AMERICAN CANALS, the society's illustrated quarterly, is an internationally distributed periodical covering canal news, history, activities, and practical information from America and around the world. It is a source of information and inspiration for canal buffs as well as for professional planners, historians, and archaeologists. Click here to see a recent issue.

The American Canal Society's on going projects include a national inventory of American canals and canal sites, a series of regional canal guides and other publications, and committees focusing on canal boat design and construction, canal parks, canal engineering and maintenance, and navigable canal boating and restoration.

Canals and their locks, aqueducts and other "works of art" (as the canal engineers called them) are the ancient castles of the New World. They are monumental works, built for the ages, the product of time, sweat, even the lives of past generations. They represent the beginning of civil engineering and other commercial institutions. It is not an inheritance to be wasted. It is up to us to preserve the best of our past and to wisely use these historic resources. The "ditches" and towpaths of the past can be the quiet parkways of the present and future.  We solicit your support and involvement.

To join us, please print and mail the membership form. Membership includes a subscription to American Canals.

NEW in 2005: Euromapping published a map of the waterways of North America both current and historic.  The first such map in over 90 years.  It includes a guide to all the waterways shown plus other information.  Copies are available on the Inland Waterways International (Link) web site.

NEW in 2007: The ACS Canal Boat Committee has established a certification program for authentic canal boat replicas. See the link below for more information.

Click on the links below for more information!

Latest Updates:

8/17/10 - Updated American Canals indexes to Vol.  39, No. 3
8/8/10 - Added index sheet with photos of Barbee Lakes Boat Transfer Structure (IN)
8/7/10 - Added photos of Upper & Lower St. Anthony Falls Locks (MN), Rock Island & Starved Rock Locks (IL), I&M Canal Locks 11 & 12 plus views in Ottawa (IL)
8/6/10 - Added photos of Miami & Erie (OH) Locks 23n and 24n and Wabash & Erie Canal (IN) Kerr Lock, Lagro, IN
8/4/10 - Added index page for St. Marys River Canal (MI & Canada), added photos of Barbee Lakes Navigation Structure (IN), North Michigan Waterway (MI), and Sandy Lakes Lock (MN)
8/1/10 - Updated index page for Hennepin Canal (IL), added photos of Hennepin Canal west end, Burnt Rollways Boat Lift (WI), and Dunton Locks marine railway (MN)
7/5/10 - Updated index pages for Pearl River Lateral Canal (LA) and Mississippi Test Facility Canal & Lock (MS)
6/12/10 - Updated American Canals indexes to Vol.  39, No. 2
6/10/10 - Added more photos of the I & M Canal, by Joe Balynas (Locks 13, 5, DuPage River Dam & summit level)
6/8/10 - Added link for Riley Lock #47, Wabash & Erie Canal (IN)
6/2/10 - Added link for Chicago Portage National Historic Site (IL) newsletter to Links page (11 years)
5/31/10 - Updated index sheet for I & M Canal adding info on Jack's Lock and added map of location of Jack's Lock to photos.
5/29/10 - Added photos of Lateral Canal junction with I & M Canal  and site of lock in Ottawa (IL), revised Lateral Canal index page, added Bridgeport Lock
5/25/10 - Added photos of replica canal boat and I & M Canal toll house in Ottawa, IL
5/14/10 - Added photo of CSX locomotives passing I & M Canal Lock 12, revised I & M Canal index sheet and supplements, added I & M Canal Guide to guidebooks
5/10/10 - Added recent photos of the Bald Eagle & Spring Creek Lock 4 and Nanticoke Guard Lock (PA) plus 3 more photos of I&M Canal Lock 11 & 12 bypasses
5/9/10 - Added photos of the I & M Canal, plus Ohio & Erie Canal photos from Bolivar to Lock 19.
5/8/10 - Added more Dick Stokes' photos of I & M Canal Lock 12 and Lyle Hamm's photos of  I & M Canal Lock 2 (IL) and Locks 21 and canal at Halls on the West Branch Canal (PA)
5/7/10 - Added more Dick Stokes' photos of I & M Canal Locks 11 and 12, plus recent photos of West Branch Canal Lock 34 (PA)
5/6/10 - Added more Dick Stokes' photos of I & M Canal Locks 11 and 14 & 15  to I & M Canal photos (IL), plus Lyle Hamm photos of I&M Lock 2 and a photo of the Mary Jemison at Rochester, NY to the canal Boats page
5/5/10 - Added more Dick Stokes' photos of I & M Canal Lock 12 plus stones and other photos of Lock 13 to I & M Canal photos (IL)
5/4/10 - Added Dick Stokes' photo of I & M Canal Lock 12 to I & M Canal photos (IL)
4/26/10 - Added July 24   C&O Canal Symposium to canal calendar
4/20/10 - Added photos of Upper Division, Lehigh Canal (PA). Updated canal calendar
4/15/10 - Revised index sheet for navigable Eel River Feeder Canal (IN)
4/14/10 - Added index sheet for navigable Eel River Feeder Canal (IN)
4/12/10 - Updated and combined Wabash & Erie Canal (IN) structure sheet for Pigeon Creek Reservoir & Pigeon Summit Cut
4/11/10 - Updated and combined Wabash & Erie Canal (IN) structure sheet for Newberry Dam & Pigeon Creek Feeder
4/10/10 - Updated and combined Wabash & Erie Canal (IN) structure sheet for Patoka Summit Deep Cut
4/9/10 - Updated and combined Wabash & Erie Canal (IN) structure sheets for Southern Terminal Basin & Patoka Aqueduct (#17)
4/8/10 - Updated and combined Wabash & Erie Canal (IN) structure sheets for Culvert 203, Culvert 204, Big Creek Aqueduct #18, Lock 47, & Lock 72
4/7/10 - Updated index sheet for Wabash & Erie Canal (IN)
4/4/10 - Added structure sheet for Newberry Dam (White River & Wabash & Erie Canal) IN
3/31/10 - Added structure table to Eastern Division index sheet (PA)
3/29/10 - Added aerial photos of California locks to index sheets & retyped Venice CA sheet and added aerial photo
3/28/10 - Added index sheet for Glens Falls Feeder Canal (NY). Retyped index sheet for Genesee Valley Canal (NY).
3/27/10 - Added index sheet for Wiley Dondero Canal (NY)
3/26/10 - Revised index sheet for Pelican River & Lakes (MN)
3/25/10 - Added index sheets for Saranac River & Locks (NY) and Basin & Lock at Sunbury, PA
3/17/10 - Added Erie canal photos, revised West Branch Canal (PA) index sheet and structure table
3/4/10 - Added index sheet for Junction Canal (NY), revised structure table with North Branch Canal (PA)
2/27/10 - Added photos of North Branch Canal (PA)
2/26/10 - Updated North Branch Division Canal (PA) index sheet and added structure table.
2/25/10 - Updated and reformatted Susquehanna Division Canal (PA) index sheet and added structure table.
2/24/10 - Added index page with structure sheet for Bald Eagle & Spring Creek Navigation (PA) plus photos of Bald Eagle Cut (PA)
2/23/10 - Added photos of West Branch Canal (PA) and updated and reformatted West Branch Canal index sheet adding structure table.
2/15/10 - Added photos of PA Mainline Canal and Ohio & Erie Lock 55s and updated calendar.  Updated Canal Buffs Hall of Fame. Updated I&M Canal (IL) index sheet bibliography.
2/3/10 - Added photos of Lock 10, Pine Grove Feeder (PA) and Outlet lock at Columbia, PA

This site was last updated on 08/17/10