As early as 1825 there was a proposal for a canal system that would run through Columbiana County, Ohio joining the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal, at Glasgow, PA to the Ohio & Erie Canal at Bolivar. Called the Sandy & Beaver Canal because it would join the Sandy Creek in the west with Beaver Creek in the east and would use both for its primary source of water. The Sandy & Beaver Canal Company was formed, in 1828, with headquarters in New Lisbon (now Lisbon), Ohio.
A public meeting was held in 1827 with the proposal that was met with immediate enthusiasm and approval. Encouragement was given by Pittsburgh and Philadelphia because such a waterway would increase business done in their areas. Several existing businesses such as mills and Rebecca Furnace were located along the proposed route and would benefit greatly. The McKinley, or Furnace farm (now Camp McKinley Scout Reservation), where Rebecca Furnace was located, was owned by the Sandy & Beaver Canal Company and the canal ran through the property. Several locks and a reservoir were located on the 120.63 acre farm.
Major D.B. Douglass, an engineer, from West Point Military Academy was appointed in 1828 to do an initial survey in the area. His report, in February 1830 was for a canal of 90 1/2 miles with seven aqueducts; one tunnel; and no reservoir on the Canal Summit. It would stretch from Bolivar in the west to Beaver, PA in the east at the mouth of the Big Beaver River where it would connect to the Pennsylvania Canal. The proposed aqueduct and canal to Beaver were never built because the canal was fed into the Ohio River at Glasgow, PA.
The eventual system engineered by E.H. Gill and completed under W. Milnor Roberts was
73 1/2 miles long, from Bolivar to Glasgow with only one aqueduct and two tunnels. Three great reservoirs were to be built at the canal summit with a capacity of 300 million cubic feet of water when filled.
Major Douglass estimated that 10,000 boats a year would travel the canal with a revenue of approximately $226,200 per year.

Canal Route

Most of the canal would run through flat well supplied lands with minimal cost to develop.
In 1830, in Columbiana County, there were 100 stores, 60 flour mills, 1 iron furnace and rolling mill, 104 sawmills, 65 distilleries, 5 oil mills (linseed & flaxseed).
Ground was broken for the canal by Elderkin Potter on November 24, 1834 on dam # 1 on the eastern division, now in the area of Camp McKinley Boy Scout Reservation. At 10.30 in the morning there was a parade from the middle of Lisbon to the site.
The work was laid out in sections of one half mile each with each crew allotted two sections to excavate. Locks & dams were allotted under separate contracts to other contractors after the channel was started. Board and lodging was paid for by the company.

West to East

Bolivar, Tuscarawas County: In 1835 and 1836 lots in Bolivar with canal frontage sold for $500 to $600. The town seemed a sure investment with the Sandy & Beaver Canal junction, two great aqueducts and the possibility of the Walhonding canal also terminating in Bolivar.
East Bolivar: Situated in the bend of the junction between the Sandy & Beaver Canal and the Ohio & Erie Canal. East Bolivar would have one of the best sources of water power in the United States created by the 26 foot drop on the Sandy & Beaver. The State of Ohio purchased this section of channel in 1856 and maintained it as a feeder for the Ohio & Erie Canal several years after the failure of the Sandy & Beaver. East Bolivar never developed into a substantial community.
Sandyville: In the canal days Sandyville enjoyed a season of brief prosperity because of its location at the junction of the Nimishillen & Sandy Canal with the Sandy & Beaver Canal. About a hundred years later the town was moved to higher ground on the north, out of the flood plain of the Bolivar Dam.
Magnolia: Magnolia was laid out in 1834 by Richard Elson and John W. Smith with a "Canal Street" sixty feet wide. Elson established a mill in the area. During the canal years there was prosperity but when the boats stopped it seemed that it would become a deserted village. However, it has stood the test of time and still exists today.
Waynesburg: This town originally laid out in 1814 had three additions in 1835. Roger Morledge, Sandy & Beaver engineer ran a brewery here for many years. Reverend Jehu Brown built the towns grist mill, saw mill, and woolen mill.A canal warehouse and general store were also maintained during the canal years.
Troy (Malvern): Called Troy until 1836 there was a saw mill here and in 1834 when the route of the canal was certain a grist mill. The town was located twenty miles from the Ohio Canal on the Sandy & Beaver Canal and was where a toll station was located.
Lodi: the town was to have spacious streets and many other advantages and appears on Vail's 1840 map on the left bank of Sandy Creek just east of Troy. However, when the canal was built in 1845, it was changed to the right bank of the Sandy Creek leaving Lodi high and dry as the canal ran through Oneida. Lodi was annexed by Malvern and is now the southeast part of the town.
Wirtemburg: This town as it was designed was on the left bank of the Sandy Creek across from Oneida. It was thus a canal town planned by Gill but under engineer Roberts the canal went through Oneida on the right bank. Wirtenburg is now the south side of Oneida.
Oneida: At an early date Henry V. Bever, son of John Bever, settled here and practiced the building trades. Around 1840 George Hull hired Henry Bever to build a three story grist mill on his farm. Upon returning from Oneida, New York they named it the Oneida Mill. They also built a general store. Henry Bever built a canal warehouse, two story grist mill, a planing mill and a small woolen mill. The community became known as Oneida Mills. The Tuscarawas branch of the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad came through in 1853 and 1854.
Pekin: This is one of the oldest communities along the Sandy and Beaver Canal having been laid out in 1808. The first mill was built in 1815. The first preaching in the area was done by Baptist minister Thomas Rigdon, brother of Sydney Rigdon, an early leader of the Mormon faith. An early printing press published a pamphlet called, "A Mormon Journal in Missouri".
Minerva: Stark and Carroll Counties. Prior to 1820, John Whiteacre, operated a grist mill on Sandy Creek where Minerva was to be located. After the creation of Carroll County in 1832, the town grew into that county. For many years after the canal was abandoned, the Canal Dam continued to feed the waters of Sandy Creek to the mills and factories.
East Rochester: Columbiana County. Originally identified by the postmark Emmons Crossroads referring to the crossing of the Lisbon-Wooster Road and the Warren-Carrollton Road. In 1834 when it was certain the canal would come through it was renamed Rochester. After the failure of the canal the town was replatted to sell the canal land, and re-named East Rochester because of confusion with another Ohio town called Rochester.
Lynchburg: Named after the town in Virginia, Lynchburgh was platted in 1834 around a lock and a canal warehouse. The post office here was Green Hill, Ohio. Although the canal ceased to function the village remained for a while because of the proximity of the C & P Railroad. Lynchburgh or the remains of it is now half way between East Rochester and Kensington on State Route 30.
Kensington: In 1811 the future site of Kensington was an encampment of peaceful Indians. In 1814 Samuel Holland built a carding mill here.In 1852 the village was laid out as Maysville. It was the last community platted on the Sandy & Beaver Canal before its failure. On maps of the C&O Railroad the village was known as Hanover Station. The name was later changed to Kensington in December 1876 after confusion in the mail service because of other communities with similar names.
Hanover: Hanoverton Post office: Originally platted as Hanover in 1813 by James Craig, it became an important "station" on the Underground Railroad in 1817 when Michael Arter, an anti-slavery promoter settled there. In 1828 when it was known that it was on the canal route and that it was close to the biggest job on the canal, The Big Tunnel, it was expanded. There were two canal warehouses.
Dungannon: Known as the cradle of Catholicism in Northern Ohio Dungannon was settled by several religions in the early 1800's. In 1820 the first Parish church was built and dedicated to St. Peter. In 1828 a group of surveyors came through planning a canal system. In 1834, a protestant, George Sloan, bought twenty six acres of land and laid out a town, calling it Dungannon after his hometown in Ireland.
Gillford: An area settled around one of the reservoirs that would supply the Middle Division of the canal. Now called Guilford Lake it is a State Park.
Lockbridge: Lockbridge was located at the place where the Canal crosses State Route 172 about 2 miles west of Lisbon. It was named after lock # 1 on the eastern division and was also to serve as a bridge for traffic on the State Road across the Canal.
New Lisbon: Located about halfway between New York and Chicago on the Lincoln Highway the village of New Lisbon, renamed Lisbon in 1898 was first settled in 1803. It sits on the big bend of the middle fork of the Little Beaver Creek. A few weeks after the formation of New Lisbon Columbiana County was formed and the town became the county seat. When the Sandy & Beaver Canal Company was formed New Lisbon was a natural place for their headquarters.
Elkton: In 1835 when work on the canal was progressing a town was surveyed in the valley near the mouth of the Elk Run on Beaver Creek. With the renewal of interest in the canal in 1844 William Kemble built a canal warehouse and store in Elkton, equipping it with a large windlass, mounted on the second floor, for loading and unloading canal boats.
Middle Beaver: Platted in 1835, the village with sixty lots along the canal was named for the Middle Fork of Beaver Creek. It disappeared with the canal.
Williamsport: In 1811 William Crawford, built a saw mill at the point where the West Fork and the Middle Fork of the creek met. Three locks were planned in this area and therefore, he platted a village on his property.
Sprucevale: James Brookes built a small grist mill and flax seed oil mill here in 1810. In 1813 the property was purchased by the Hambleton brothers who built east of the road another larger grist mill. It sits on the Calcutta-Clarkson Road. When the canal was being constructed a new village was platted with twenty lots along the canal. The town was busy when the canal was running. The town was run mostly by the Hambleton brothers who owned the grist mill, store and post office, woolen factory and family farm. There was a blacksmith, flax seed oil mill and a saw mill. All were powered by the water from the canal dam. Twelve to fifteen families were supported by the canal work. The village no longer exists except for Hambleton's grist mill, whose walls can still be seen along with the remains of Gretchen's Lock in this part of Beaver Creek State Park.
Martinsburgh: Situated twelve miles east of New Lisbon and two miles north of West Union (now Calcutta), four and one half miles southwest of Achortown, five miles north of Little Beaver Bridge and one-fourth mile from Hambleton's lower mill. This is how it was described but little or no information is known if it even existed.
Fredericktown: Fredericktown was not on the canal as the village lay north of the Beaver Creek and the canal to the south, however a covered bridge was built across the creek and it became very much a canal town. Established in 1811 when Moses Dilloan built a grist mill and a saw mill, the property was purchased in 1815 by George Frederick and Frederick's Mills ran until 1847. Platted in November 1832 it was the first new village on the Sandy & Beaver Canal. It was expanded in 1835. At this point it was complete in size. Not one new building, except the schoolhouse, which still stands, has been added since. Along with the grist mill and saw mill there was a paint mill, stave mill, a tannery, shoe shop, three cooper shops, a ship yard, two blacksmiths (one for democrats & one for republicans!!!), two or three stores, a post office and a physician.
Jamestown: This was a small suburb of Fredericktown and only survives in county records. It was across the creek, south of Fredericktown. in 1824 Joseph Stockdale built a grist mill and saw mill. They were later purchased by John Wollam who bought the town and operated the mills until 1867.
Grimms Bridge: Grimms Bridge was a thriving community of paper mills even before the coming of the canal. The Ohio Paper Mill, owned by John Bever, located here in 1808, was the first paper mill north of the Ohio River and west of Pennsylvania. The mills thrived under various owners until the 1850's when a lack of capital and expenses forced their closing.
Glasgow, Beaver, PA: Situated at the mouth of the Beaver Creek where it ran into the Ohio River. After the canal disappeared it had another prosperous time during the oil boom just after the Civil War. The Island Run Oil field was up the creek a few miles from Glasgow through which all traffic had to run. This community is now called Smithferry, PA.

Little remains of many of these towns and villages except in old county records and maps. They developed, grew, prospered and disappeared mainly in direct proportion to the influences of the Sandy & Beaver Canal.

The Canal: The Sandy & Beaver canal when completed was 73 miles long with 30 dams and 90 locks. Chartered in January 1828 the first boat completed the full journey on January 9, 1848, just two days before the twenty year completion date set by the charter. It was divided into three divisions, the Eastern Division, Middle Division and Western Division. The eastern and western divisions were prosperous sections, the middle division had structural problems and therefore the full potential of the canal was never realized.

Eastern Division

The Eastern Division of the Sandy and Beaver Canal started two miles west of New Lisbon (Lisbon), at Lockbridge, flowing to the mouth of the Beaver Creek, at Glasgow, on the Ohio River. It was 27 miles long of which 17 miles were slackwater. Elevation at Lockbridge was 1120 feet and at the Ohio River 655 feet, giving a rise of 465 feet. There were 57 locks with an average 8 foot lift and 20 dams.

Middle Division

The Summit of the Middle Division was 14 miles long with no lockage and no dams. It ran from Lockbridge to Kensington. There were 2 tunnels, the Big Tunnel being 1060 yards, the Little Tunnel, and 2 reservoirs. Elevation was 1120 feet.

Western Division

The western Division, from Kensington to Bolivar, was the most desirable for a canal, and was the cheapest section to build. It was 32 miles long. Williams Mill Dam to the Ohio Canal at Bolivar afforded a head and fall of 26 feet. There were 5 miles of slackwater. Elevation at Kensington was 1120 feet and at Bolivar 900 feet giving a rise of 220 feet. There were 33 locks with an average rise of 7 feet, 10 dams, 2 reservoirs and 1 aqueduct. Sandy Creek fed into the canal at Williams Mill which would furnish enough power for fifty pairs of millstones for 8 months of the year and 20 pair year long, this in addition to the amount required for the canal use. The mill, donated to the Sandy & Beaver Canal Company was estimated to bring in an extra $7,000 per year.

By November 1835 a good portion of the canal was under contract, with 2,160 men at work. The average height of a dam was 14 feet. The completion date for the two tunnels was promised by May 1837. It would be ten years after this date before the Big Tunnel was completed.
The largest and most artistic of the locks was Lusk's Lock, erected by Lusk and Maynard in 1836 with a 13 1/2 foot lift. The lock was often called "Simon Girty's Lock" because tradition tells that many years before, Simon Girty, a renegade white, deserted the U.S. Army and joined a band of Delaware Indians that were encamped where the lock is now situated.
In 1836 a proposal that a railroad be built from Painesville on Lake Erie to Wellsville on the Ohio through New Lisbon received an absolute NO from the public in New Lisbon. Such a railroad it was said could prove to be unfavorable competition for the canal.

Gretchen's Lock

"Gretchen's Lock" near Sprucevale still stands in Beaver Creek State Park, under disrepair. There are several legends that go along with the lock.
One such legend is of E.H. Gill, canal engineer and his daughter Gretchen. According to the legend E.H. Gill, his wife and daughter were travelling from Europe to the United States, his wife died on the way and was buried at sea. The grief stricken father and his little daughter, Gretchen, completed the journey. At the time the lock above Sprucevale was being built, Gretchen contracted malaria and died. A crypt was prepared in the masonry of the lock and Gretchen was entombed there for a while. When Gill resigned during the panic of 1837 and decided to return to Europe Gretchen's casket was removed from the crypt in the lock and taken aboard ship to be returned home for burial. On the trip, a storm at sea took the ship and all were lost. E.H. Gill and Gretchen joined their wife and mother in the waters of the Atlantic.

Another legend revolves around a bride who is said to appear at the locks on a certain day each year.

The Panic of 1839 and Revival of 1845

During the panic of 1839 which swept the whole country, not just this area, there was a great loss of faith in the canal due to the lack of liquid (cash) assets of the Sandy & Beaver Canal Company. They had many loans. People felt insecure and there was a complete halt to work on the canal. During the next 6 years only repair crews worked on the canal. E.H. Gill resigned under pressure because he was "a perfectionist", but remained in the area a while hoping for a revival of interest in the canal. Before Gill's resignation most of the locks on the eastern division were complete as far as the masonry. This division more than any other on the canal still has some great masterpieces of stone masonry. After his resignation the new engineer promised that the canal would be built "in a cheaper but durable manner".

By 1845 there was renewed enthusiasm for the canal. Edward Miller, now engineer, reported that prospects for the canal were good because of the rich mineral deposits and the healthy people in the area. The route between Pittsburgh and Cleveland was shorter through the Sandy & Beaver Canal. The public was again willing to invest and construction resumed. First, repairs had to be made to several dams that were damaged in the flood of 1839. Most of the lumber and timber delivered before the panic and the cessation of construction, and not installed was unusable. By August 9, 1845 nearly all the work that needed to be done between Lisbon and the Ohio River was contracted out. By December all remaining work was contracted. The Lumber would be the last to be contracted, for the lock linings and the lock gates, as it was the most perishable of the resources needed. Most of the work would be finished the following year. However, the Big Tunnel was the major hold-up to through traffic as it still had 434 yards of rock to be cleared. The estimate now was completion in 1847. If the tunnel had been completed in 1837 as first estimated by Gill the Sandy & Beaver Canal would undoubtedly have been a success instead of a costly failure. The ten years between 1837 and 1847 saw the ebbing of the canal era and the surge of the railroads.
On October 30, 1846 the first boat, "The President", under Captain Dunn entered New Lisbon from Glasgow. There was a great celebration with fireworks.
On January 1, 1848 the Big Tunnel was finally complete. On January 7 the "Thomas Fleming" left New Lisbon to complete the full journey to Bolivar. The journey did not go well. It became stuck in the canal at Frost Mill and seven yolk of oxen were used to pull it through. A rock fell in the Big Tunnel and had to be demolished by workers who jumped in the water with their tools to clear the way.
The Western Division had been in use for some time. By January 9 the boat was on its way toward the end of the canal. The charter, granted January 11, 1828 and amended March 3, 1834 specified that the canal should be completed within 20 years of the granting of the charter. A few days later would have technically violated the charter.

End of the Canal

The Eastern and Western divisions of the canal were used extensively but after the problems with the "Thomas Fleming" there was no evidence that any other boat traveled the full length of the canal in 1848 or 1849.
Over 50 boats were built to travel and work on the canal. During their time of use traffic on the eastern and western divisions could be as many as 10 boats per day.
the Big Tunnel was used again in 1850 when A.C.Bidwell and Company established a through route between Pittsburgh and Massilon and Cleveland on the Ohio Canal via the Sandy & Beaver canal. The last boat to pass through the Big Tunnel was the "Hibernian" in the Spring of 1852 when the summit was abandoned.
Income from the canal was fair but not nearly enough to pay the creditors. After the Cold Run Reservoir sprang a leak on April 12, 1852 they could fool themselves no longer, the grand plan had become a failure , the breach in the dam was never fixed and the breach in public faith caused an anti-canal meeting citing several reasons why the Sandy and Beaver Canal should be closed.
Although the Gillford (now Guilford) Reservoir could provide plenty of water for the Summit in the cool seasons, it could not supply enough in the dry season. The Summit was never used again.
The C & P Railroad bought the Big Tunnel blocking any chance of the canal ever reopening. The canal was sold in one half mile sections like it was built. many locks were dismantled to make barn foundations, stone water troughs and bridge abutments to pay the creditors.
For a few years the eastern and western divisions were used but their fate was also sealed in 1854 when the Summer was extremely dry. Some boats ran aground never to move again.