The National Canal Museum is the Signature Program of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, located in Easton, Pennsylvania.
After a three-year transition during which the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor operated the canal museum under a management agreement, the two merged. The D&L is now responsible for the National Canal Museum, Hugh Moore Park, the Emrick Technology Center, the Locktender's House Museum and the canal boat, Josiah White II.
Officially known as Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museums, the National Canal Museum is located in Easton's Hugh Moore Park.
History
The National Canal Museum opened in 1970 as a joint cooperative effort between the City of Easton's Hugh Moore Park Commission and the Pennsylvania Canal Society. Sitting at the fork between the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers, the museum was intended to highlight and operate within Hugh Moore Park.
The Josiah White, a functioning replica canal boat, debuted in 1978. Canal boat rides became a significant attraction for museum and park visitors.
In 1982, the museum's exhibits were redesigned. New exhibits highlighted the broader history of the towpath canal era and the industrial heritage of the Lehigh Valley.
During this period, the National Canal Museum began hosting several major events, including the annual Canal Festival and annual Canal History and Technology Symposium, the latter being held at Lafayette College. By 1985, the museum was realizing the ability for a complete collection and archival ability of important artifacts of both the canal era and the Industrial Revolution.
In 1996, the National Canal Museum moved to Two Rivers Landing in an effort to revitalize Easton’s downtown district. Today, Two Rivers Landing receives an average of 250,000 visitors each year. Beginning in 2002, the museum began a campaign to add hands-on activities to the existing exhibits. A proposal to the National Science Foundation(NSF) resulted in a grant of $1.4 million, later increased to $2 million, for the creation of exhibits based on the “science and technology of canals and inland waterways."
A new exhibit space was installed in March 2006, focusing on the history, science, and technology of canal construction and navigation.
In 2011, the museum’s 15-year lease period in Two Rivers Landing ended and was not renewed. On January 1, 2012, the museum was relocated, returning to Hugh Moore Park. The Emrick Technology Center was repurposed to act as the main exhibit and administrative space during the Crayola Factory shutdown.
In 2013, the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor began operating the National Canal Museum under a management agreement during the first Crayola Experience opening. This marked the beginning of a three-year transition in which the two organizations would merge. The transition allowed the D&L to integrate the management, finance, marketing, and development functions of the two organizations. The transition period ended in 2017. The museum, along with the other operations of Hugh Moore Historical Park & Museums, is now the Signature Program of the D&L.
Collections
The museum's collections reflect the material culture and document the history of America's canals and navigable rivers, as well as canal-related industries in the Lehigh Valley. The museum's holdings include 3,753 artifacts; 3,890 reels of film, video cassettes and oral history audio tapes; 52,782 slides, photographs and negative images; 31,824 engineering drawings; a library of more than 13,483 volumes; 736 linear feet of manuscript materials; and 261 rolls of microfilm. Among the museum's archival holdings are rare film footage of canal life, historic photographs, canal maps, captain's logs, a complete set of the Army Corps of Engineers' annual reports to Congress, and engineering plans for 15 towpath canals east of the Mississippi River.
The museum is responsible for maintaining and interpreting the historic structures and sites within the 260 acres that comprise Hugh Moore Park, a National Register Historic District. These include Section 8 of the Lehigh Canal and its three operating locks, a locktender's house, ruins from three 19th century industrial areas, and the remains of the Change Bridge, one of the first iron cable suspension bridges constructed in America.
Accreditations and affiliations
The National Canal Museum is accredited by American Alliance of Museums and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.