The Ohio & Erie Canal: Tuscarawas County

                                              

ock 7 is the first remaining lock in Tuscarawas County. Like the next three locks, it is in remarkably good condition. The spillway tumble is in excellent condition on the downstream end of the lock. I don't know of any particular industry associated with this lock. The alternate name of "Ten Mile Lock" comes from the fact that there was a ten mile level between Lock 6 in Navarre and Lock 7. The canal between Locks 7 and 8 was widened into a small basin according to the Silliman Survey.

	Lock 7
Alternate name(s)	Ten Mile Lock
Lift:	9'	Condition:	Walls and spillway tumble intact and in good condition
Builder:	Hanson Sweet and Horace Wood	Original cost:	$6720.35 (whole section)
GPS:	N40 37.671 W81 27.171	Accessibility:	Via the Towpath Trail

nly 2/10 of a mile from Lock 7 sits Lock 8, making it the shortest distance between any two locks in the county. It is almost identical to Lock 7 except that the lift was one foot less and is in excellent condition as well. In drier weather, you can walk into the lock chamber where the mitre sills can still be seen at both ends. The spillway tumble is also still intact and located at the southern end of the lock. The Silliman Plat Map shows a locktender's house located just upstream from the lock on the opposite side of the towpath. I am in the dark again about any history associated with this lock.

	Lock 8
Alternate name(s)	Unknown
Lift:	8'	Condition:	Walls and spillway tumble intact and in good condition
Builder:	Horace Spenser, George Norton, & Nathanial Ledyard	Original cost:	$19,850 (three sections, Locks 8 & 9)
GPS:	N40 37.547 W81 27.005	Accessibility:	Via the Towpath Trail

 small concrete culvert passes under the canal bed a short distance down the prism from Lock 8. I don't know what stream passes through it, but it did exist in the later days of the canal era. There is a inscription on the west facing that it was built in 1909 by the Daley Brothers who were contracted to improve the canal in the early 20th century.

	Culvert
Arches:	1	Condition:	Intact and functional
Details:	Concrete
GPS:	N40 37.501 W81 26.944	Accessibility:	Via the Towpath Trail

nother well preserved lock is Lock 9, located approximately 0.22 miles below Lock 8. The distinguishing feature of this lock is that its spillway tumble is a short distance below the lower lock walls. Supposedly, just south of the lock was a large turning basin, but it is not noted on the Silliman Survey of the canal. It does show an open area of the canal at the upstream end of the lock that resembles a dock area in shape, but with no means of emptying water for boat repairs. The train tracks border on the end of it, so perhaps it was a place where goods could be exchanged between train and canal boat.

A short distance below the lock is a towpath bridge over a small stream that I believe is Wolf Run. There was once a culvert at this location, but there doesn't appear to be any signs of it today.

	Lock 9
Alternate name(s)	Unknown
Lift:	8'	Condition:	Walls and spillway tumble intact and in good condition
Builder:	Horace Spenser, George Norton, & Nathanial Ledyard	Original cost:	$19,850 (three sections, Locks 8 & 9)
GPS:	N40 37.408 W81 26.808	Accessibility:	Via the Towpath Trail

ock 10 was built by the Society of Separatists of Zoar. There is nothing special about the design of the lock and the spillway tumble, which is connected to the lock wall, is intact. The section of the canal downstream of the lock shows the remains of a fish hatchery that was created after the end of canal operations. It was abandoned in 1935.

	Lock 10
Alternate name(s)	Mile Lock, Zoar Lock
Lift:	6'	Condition:	Walls and spillway tumble intact but crumbling
Builder:	Society of Separatists of Zoar	Original cost:	$22,867.35 (2.5 miles of canal, lock, feeder gate, bridge, and culvert)
GPS:	N40 36.709 W81 25.962	Accessibility:	Via the Towpath Trail

	Zoar Sidecut and Feeder
Length:		Junction with O & E Canal:	South of Lock 10
Years of Operation:		Terminus:	Zoar, Ohio
Details:	2 guard locks, one dam

	Zoar
Founded:	1817	Population:	193 (2000 U.S. Census)
	Zoar Tavern		The Keeping Room Bed & Breakfast

	Canal Lands Trailhead
Location:	Dover Zoar Road (CanalWay Ohio National Scenic Byway) south of Zoar
Trail Distances:	Ft. Laurens < (not constructed yet) > Canal Lands <  2.6 miles > Zoarville
Trail Surface:	North: Crushed limestone, concrete (bridge), gravel	South: Earthen surface
Amenities:

	Zoarville
Founded:	Unknown	Population:	Unavailable

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Modern photos taken by the page author.

Plat map photos courtesy of the Ohio Division of Natural Resources, Division of Water

Historic photos marked with a "*" are courtesy of the University of Akron Archival Services:  Louis Baus Canal Photo Collection.