Frick's Lock, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Fricks Locks Historic District or more simply Frick's Lock is an abandoned village, along the also abandoned Schuylkill Canal
, in the northeast portion of East Coventry Township
, Chester County
, Pennsylvania
. This 18th century village outlasted the canal, being abandoned in the late 20th century with the construction of the adjacent Limerick Nuclear Power Plant
. The village on about 18 acres of land were listed as a historic district
by the National Register of Historic Places
in 2003. Frick's Locks is considered a modern ghost town
, and although private property, attracts visitors.
era, the village name was a result of the "Schuylkill Navigation" canal. The canal required construction, in the early 1820s, of a set of lock
s at that point along the Schuylkill River
. Locks #54 and #55 were built on farmland acquired from John Frick and the village became known as Frick's Locks. The village thrived due to the economic stimulus of the canal. Eventually the commercial canal traffic declined toward the turn of the century and gave way to the railroad. Frick's Locks had become the singular Frick's Lock after the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad arrived and built a station with the latter name. The canal was filled in starting in 1942. While the railroad eventually declined after Conrail was formed on April 1, 1976, the village remained inhabited until near the end of the 20th century.
In 1999 Paul Sumner Frick began the process to place Frick's Locks on the National Register of Historic Places. He completed everything up through the state level, after which he personally hired The Late Estelle Cremers to assist him with the process for the National Register. Together, Paul and Estelle completed this and in November of 2003, Frick's Locks was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Mr. Leonard F.Shaner, Jr., Mr. James Lockart, and Mr. William Carl and The Late Mrs. Doris E."Shaner" Ghol (who also lived in the village), were helpful in the research necessary to complete this process. The most up to date and complete historical information available on Frick's Lock Village is the book written by Paul S. Frick titled "History of Frick's Locks Volume I" And a book written by The Late Estelle Cremers "Coventry" "The Skool Kill District" .
In February 2011, The East Coventry Township partnered with Exelon Corp. to preserve and protect the historic site. Under this new agreement, Exelon will effectively donate to East Coventry Township, the land and Eleven historic structures at Frick's Lock Village valued at an estimated $1 million. In addition, Exelon will spend close to $2.5 million to stabilize and rehabilitate these historic structures.
s. Its isolated location and abandoned status also attracts vandals
. The inclusion of the Frick's Lock in the 2005 book, Weird Pennsylvania, and numerous web
photo essays of the buildings have increased its popularity. The web sites have also documented its increased deterioration, including the aforementioned vandalism and the collapse of some porch structures.
As of March 2008, Frick's Lock remains a hotbed for many thrill seekers and vandals. Interest in the area has grown since a fire destroyed the Lock Tender's House in February 2008. Since then, Exelon has made numerous attempts to clean-up debris from the property and to close-up open wells and open buildings. Vandals continue with their destruction of the buildings.
Police are now attempting to discourage the continued vandalism by citing all unauthorized people found on the property with trespassing.
Schuylkill Canal
Schuylkill Canal is the common, but technically inaccurate, name for the Schuylkill Navigation, a 19th-century commercial waterway in and along the Schuylkill River in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The "canal" was actually a system of interconnected man-made canals and slack-water pools in the...
, in the northeast portion of East Coventry Township
East Coventry Township, Pennsylvania
East Coventry Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,636 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Chester County
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. This 18th century village outlasted the canal, being abandoned in the late 20th century with the construction of the adjacent Limerick Nuclear Power Plant
Limerick Nuclear Power Plant
The Limerick Generating Station in Pennsylvania is located next to the Schuylkill River in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, northwest of Philadelphia. The facility has two General Electric boiling water reactor units, cooled by natural draft cooling towers...
. The village on about 18 acres of land were listed as a historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
by the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2003. Frick's Locks is considered a modern ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
, and although private property, attracts visitors.
History
Canal era
While some buildings date from the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
era, the village name was a result of the "Schuylkill Navigation" canal. The canal required construction, in the early 1820s, of a set of lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
s at that point along the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
. Locks #54 and #55 were built on farmland acquired from John Frick and the village became known as Frick's Locks. The village thrived due to the economic stimulus of the canal. Eventually the commercial canal traffic declined toward the turn of the century and gave way to the railroad. Frick's Locks had become the singular Frick's Lock after the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley Railroad arrived and built a station with the latter name. The canal was filled in starting in 1942. While the railroad eventually declined after Conrail was formed on April 1, 1976, the village remained inhabited until near the end of the 20th century.
Nuclear era
In the 1960s, the then Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) began the process of building the Limerick Nuclear Power Station immediately across the river from Frick's Lock. The station went on line in 1986. During the project, PECO acquired all the land around the station site, which included Frick's Lock. There are possibly conflicting stories as to the residents being bought out and relocated nearby and one that describes a 48 hour notice forced eviction. In any event the buildings were vacated and simply boarded up. There is evidence that some of the buildings were later occupied by an environmental study company retained by PECO.Present day
The remains of Frick's Lock consist of about ten abandoned buildings. The oldest house dates back to 1757. Among the buildings is a barn that dates to 1824 and the original canal lock tender's house dated 1817. The buildings are boarded up, the area is starting to overgrow, and Frick's Lock Road has a gate across it. The property belongs to PECO's successor, Exelon Corporation, and trespassing is discouraged. There have been 4 Chester County Town Tours in the years 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2003. The walking tours were held during August on a Thursday evening. The first Town Tour included special guest historian Rich Pauley. The last three tours where with special special guest historian Leonard F. Shaner,Jr.. Mr Shaner,Jr. has true blood ties to this village, for his Late Father Leonard F. Shaner, Sr. was born here in 1929. And Mr. Shaner, Jr. is a Great Great Grand Nephew of the last Lock Keeper James " Pappy" Miller.In 1999 Paul Sumner Frick began the process to place Frick's Locks on the National Register of Historic Places. He completed everything up through the state level, after which he personally hired The Late Estelle Cremers to assist him with the process for the National Register. Together, Paul and Estelle completed this and in November of 2003, Frick's Locks was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
Mr. Leonard F.Shaner, Jr., Mr. James Lockart, and Mr. William Carl and The Late Mrs. Doris E."Shaner" Ghol (who also lived in the village), were helpful in the research necessary to complete this process. The most up to date and complete historical information available on Frick's Lock Village is the book written by Paul S. Frick titled "History of Frick's Locks Volume I" And a book written by The Late Estelle Cremers "Coventry" "The Skool Kill District" .
In February 2011, The East Coventry Township partnered with Exelon Corp. to preserve and protect the historic site. Under this new agreement, Exelon will effectively donate to East Coventry Township, the land and Eleven historic structures at Frick's Lock Village valued at an estimated $1 million. In addition, Exelon will spend close to $2.5 million to stabilize and rehabilitate these historic structures.
Ghost town
Because of its reputation as a modern ghost town, Frick's Lock attracts many curious individuals and groups, including ghost hunterGhost hunter
Ghost Hunter can refer to:*Ghost hunting, the practice of hunting ghosts*The Ghost Hunter, a series of novels**The Ghost Hunter, a television series based on the novels*Death of a Ghost Hunter, a 2007 horror film...
s. Its isolated location and abandoned status also attracts vandals
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
. The inclusion of the Frick's Lock in the 2005 book, Weird Pennsylvania, and numerous web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
photo essays of the buildings have increased its popularity. The web sites have also documented its increased deterioration, including the aforementioned vandalism and the collapse of some porch structures.
As of March 2008, Frick's Lock remains a hotbed for many thrill seekers and vandals. Interest in the area has grown since a fire destroyed the Lock Tender's House in February 2008. Since then, Exelon has made numerous attempts to clean-up debris from the property and to close-up open wells and open buildings. Vandals continue with their destruction of the buildings.
Police are now attempting to discourage the continued vandalism by citing all unauthorized people found on the property with trespassing.
External links
- Exelon Corp. agrees to stabilize, preserve Frick's Lock's
- http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/197375_1659397201521_1134896905_31410144_2922630_n.jpg