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Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal
 
 
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The Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, also known as the P & O Canal, the Cross Cut Canal and the Mahoning Canal was a shipping canal which operated from 1840 until 1877 (though the canal was completely abandoned by 1872). It was unique in that it served to connect canals in two states (the Ohio and Erie Canal
Ohio and Erie Canal

The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the early 1800s, which connected Akron, Ohio, Summit County, Ohio with the Cuyahoga River near the Cuyahoga's mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio, Scioto County, Ohio, and then conne...
 in Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 and the Beaver and Erie Canal
Beaver and Erie Canal

The Beaver and Erie Canal, also known as the Erie Extension Canal, was part of the Pennsylvania Canal system and consisted of three sections: the Beaver Division, the Shenango Division, and the Conneaut Division....
 in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
) and was funded by private interests.

a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m7543991",this)' onMouseout='hide("m7543991")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Warren%2c_Ohio">Warren
Warren, Ohio

Warren is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio, approximately 14 miles northwest of Youngstown, Ohio and 15 miles west of the Pennsylvania state line....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 at a convention held on November 13, 1833, 109 delegates decided to privately fund the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal as neither state felt they should spend money on a canal that led to another state.






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The Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, also known as the P & O Canal, the Cross Cut Canal and the Mahoning Canal was a shipping canal which operated from 1840 until 1877 (though the canal was completely abandoned by 1872). It was unique in that it served to connect canals in two states (the Ohio and Erie Canal
Ohio and Erie Canal

The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the early 1800s, which connected Akron, Ohio, Summit County, Ohio with the Cuyahoga River near the Cuyahoga's mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio, Scioto County, Ohio, and then conne...
 in Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 and the Beaver and Erie Canal
Beaver and Erie Canal

The Beaver and Erie Canal, also known as the Erie Extension Canal, was part of the Pennsylvania Canal system and consisted of three sections: the Beaver Division, the Shenango Division, and the Conneaut Division....
 in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
) and was funded by private interests.

History

In Warren
Warren, Ohio

Warren is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio, approximately 14 miles northwest of Youngstown, Ohio and 15 miles west of the Pennsylvania state line....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 at a convention held on November 13, 1833, 109 delegates decided to privately fund the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal as neither state felt they should spend money on a canal that led to another state. Construction began on September 17, 1835 when the two engineers of the canal struck iron stakes in the ground at the center of what was known as the "Portage Summit" between what is now Kent, Ohio
Kent, Ohio

Kent is a city in Portage County, Ohio, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in the northeastern part of Ohio and the western edge of Portage County....
 and Ravenna. Workers manually dug the 82 miles of the P & O using picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows. It ran from New Castle
New Castle, Pennsylvania

New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just 18 miles east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638....
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
 to Akron
Akron, Ohio

Akron is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County, Ohio. In 2007, its population was estimated to be 207,934. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland, Ohio to the north and Canton, Ohio to the south, approximately 60 miles west of the Pennsylvania border....
 Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
, meeting the Ohio and Erie Canal in downtown Akron. It ran along old Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 trails and the Cuyahoga
Cuyahoga River

The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river which caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s....
 and Mahoning River
Mahoning River

The Mahoning River is a river located in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. It joins the Shenango River to form the Beaver River and is part of the Ohio River drainage basin....
s. In Northeast Ohio, Lake Pippen and Brady Lake
Brady Lake (Ohio)

Brady Lake is a natural lake located in Portage County, Ohio, Ohio, United States. It is a kettle and has no tributaries or outlets. The majority of the lake lies within the boundaries of the village of Brady Lake, Ohio, while the remainder is in Franklin Township, Portage County, Ohio....
 were water sources for the canal. Large celebrations occurred along the canal's route when it officially opened on August 4, 1840.

Impact

As with other canals in the region, mules and horses pulled the canal boats that navigated the P & O. Using this and other canals, goods and passengers were ferried from Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania with a population of 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is 2,462,571....
 to Cleveland and Lake Erie
Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time....
. This contributed to trade between Northeast Ohio and other Eastern states making towns and villages along the canal larger and more prosperous. Some have also credited the canal with the development of the iron ore industry in the Mahoning Valley
Mahoning Valley

The Mahoning Valley is a geographic valley encompassing the area of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania that drains into the Mahoning River....
 in Ohio.

Closing

With the arrival and expansion of railroads, the canal gradually diminished. All sections of the canal were abandoned by 1872 and the canal was officially closed in 1877 and all remaining property was sold off. Today, traces of the canal's bed remain in many areas of Northeast Ohio including Munroe Falls
Munroe Falls, Ohio

Munroe Falls, formerly a section of Stow and Tallmadge townships, is a city located in the northeast portion of Summit County, Ohio, Ohio, United States, near Kent, Ohio and south of Stow, Ohio....
, Ohio
Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region , Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads in North America....
 and downtown Kent, Ohio
Kent, Ohio

Kent is a city in Portage County, Ohio, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in the northeastern part of Ohio and the western edge of Portage County....
, where the Cuyahoga River runs through the former canal lock. A P & O Canal aqueduct
Aqueduct

File:Tomar December 2008-4.jpgAn aqueduct is a water supply or navigable canal constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
 remains in southern Kent over Plum Creek just south of the Cuyahoga River.

See also

  • List of canals in the United States
    List of canals in the United States

    The following is a list of canals in the United States:...
  • Ohio and Erie Canal
    Ohio and Erie Canal

    The Ohio Canal or Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed in the early 1800s, which connected Akron, Ohio, Summit County, Ohio with the Cuyahoga River near the Cuyahoga's mouth on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio, Scioto County, Ohio, and then conne...


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