Hocking Valley (Lancaster Lateral)

The Hocking Valley canal was begun from Lancaster, the southern terminal of an already existing nine mile canal (the Lancaster Lateral), to Logan in 1836, on to Nelsonville in 1840 and Athens in 1841.

Connected to the Ohio & Erie canal at Lockbourne it was officially opened to the public in 1840 and completed on through Athens in 1843. Totalling 56 miles from Carroll to Athens with 30 locks, 8 dams and 1 aquaduct. With a total cost of $947,670.25c.

The nine mile Lancaster Lateral built and owned by the Lancaster Lateral Canal Company was purchased by the state in 1836 to incorporate it in the Hocking Valley system. The state made changes and improvements to the Lancaster Lateral inorder to bring it up to the standards of the other parts of the canal. This part of the canal system was always a problem because during drought times the loads had to be lightened at the States expense to navigate the canal. In 1856 this stretch of the canal was widened and deepened to the full demensions of the canal.

The Hocking canal brought cheap transportation to the fertile Hocking Valley, however, the railroads were constantly vying for control and acquisition of the canal route because of the salt and coal industry. In 1874 all of the canal below Chauncey, 7 miles, including the Athens terminal was given to the city of Athens by the Ohio Legislature. All stone from the locks below Nelsonville were sold. The entire canal was closed in 1894 with areas of canal of interest to the railroads for tracking beds leased to the Columbus, Hocking Valley and Athens Railroad.

The Hocking canal had several features of good use to canalling. A deep cut in the canal was wide enough for boats to turn around. This area was also ideal for ice skating when the canal froze, sometimes to as much as a foot thick. There were also dry docks where boats were repaired, entirely by hand. Leaks would be caulked with oakum, a yellowish rope substance, and after this was well driven into the leak it was sealed with white lead.