Sandy & Beaver Canal Sites
(mostly from the Beaver Creek State Park area)

A views of Lock 36 on the Sandy & Beaver Canal. Restored in 1991 to show how the lock would have looked when it was built. Lock 36 has been restored at one end but the other end shows the original stone work. This is probably one of the best preserved locks on the whole Sandy & Beaver system. Other locks in the park are virtually invisible to the eye unless you know what you are looking for. Two of the canal gates on lock 36 have been rebuilt and is fully functional. There are four on each lock, two at each end. Here the gates are open showing how the lock was built to recess the gates when they were open.

Throughout the Beaver Creek State park there are several well preserved buildings that found much industry along the canal. There is Gaston Mill, a still working mill in the park. Gaston Mill can be seen in the main area of the park along with other buildings from the pioneer era of U.S. development. Hambleton Mill at the Sprucevale end of the park was restored in 1993 but has not been restored to working conditions.The Hambleton brothers had several mills and businesses in Sprucevale. This other building, also at the Sprucevale end of the park still stands as one of the only buildings that show that there used to be a community here called Sprucevale. Like many "canal towns" if they were not on a potential rail route they fast became "ghost towns" after the closing of the canal. There are several legends concerning the Sprucevale area including the legend of "Gretchen's Lock." The lock is still visible today (1997) but becomes more deteriorated and inaccesible over the years.


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