Chesapeake Classic The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal by Beth Crabtree
Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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t the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay is a 14-mile piece of living maritime history, the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal. It cuts a water pathway that connects the northernmost part of the Bay with the Delaware River. Without the canal, a boat traveling from Philadelphia to Baltimore would have to go to the Bay’s southern entry and ride the Bay up, adding 340 miles to the journey. The Philadelphia District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—which has its SURMHFW RI¿FH DQG D PXVHXP LQ &KHVDSHDNH City, MD—owns and operates the canal. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the canal is a National Historic Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering Landmark and makes up one portion of the Intracoastal Waterway along the eastern seaboard. The canal has been in continuous use for nearly 200 years. When it opened in 1829, four locks were needed, because the Chesapeake Bay’s water level was seven feet higher than that of the Delaware River. Teams of mules and horses towed barges, schooners, and sloops. Passenger barges could comfortably move people from Balti-
86 April 2010 PropTalk
more to Philadelphia in less time than travel by land. At that time, the canal was 14 miles long, but only 10 feet deep. The width at the waterline was 66 feet, but only 36 feet along the bottom. The federal government purchased the canal in 1919 and has conWLQXRXVO\ PDGH LPSURYHPHQWV DQG H[SDQsions. Today, the C&D Canal is still 14 miles long, but 450 feet wide at the bottom, with varying widths at the waterline, which PHDQV LW LV ZLGH HQRXJK IRU WZR ZD\ WUDI¿F And of course, it is now fully sea level; the locks have been removed. Forty percent of DOO VKLS WUDI¿F LQ DQG RXW RI WKH 3RUW RI %DOtimore passes through the canal. Many ships will use both Delaware and Maryland pilots to guide them through, each pilot taking the ship through his or her respective end of the canal. Generally, the pilots switch places at Chesapeake City. Amazingly, this can be done while the large ships keep moving. Last year, Johnny Depp’s boat was one of many vessels to use a Bay pilot to transit the canal. Although there is heavy use of the canal E\ LQGXVWULDO PDULQH WUDI¿F UHFUHDWLRQDO boaters also pass through. If you go, plan to
JR ZLWK WKH ÀRZ WKHUHœV D WZR WR IRXU NQRW current in the canal. Also, always remember WKDW FRPPHUFLDO VKLS WUDI¿F KDV WKH ULJKW RI way, and recreational boaters must yield. Recreational boaters also need to keep well away from these deep-draft vessels for obvious safety reasons. No water skiing or anchoring is allowed in the canal itself. You can anchor about half-way through at the Chesapeake City anchorage basin, just off the canal. Chesapeake City hosts an annual Canal Day festival the last weekend of June. Boaters raft up in the harbor to enjoy bands and admire arts and crafts displays and other treats in town. While in the area, amateur archeologists may also want to search for fossils at a spoil pile. These are mounds of dirt that were dumped after dredging. Many shark teeth can be found with a careful eye. If you are interested in learning more about the C&D Canal and its important roll in the Bay’s history, the C&D Canal Museum in Chesapeake City is housed in the original pump house. Admission is free, and the museum is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or, click on nap.usace. army.mil/sb/c&d.
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