Leiper Canal
Encyclopedia
Early in the 19th century, the Leiper Canal ran about 3 miles (5 km) along Crum Creek
in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
. George Leiper, who financed the canal, used it between 1829 and 1852 to haul stone in flat-bottomed boats from his quarry near Springfield
to the navigable Delaware River
at Eddystone. The system, which had three locks
, replaced an industrial tramway. Crum Creek's mouth
is at 39°51′28"N 75°19′14"W.
The horse-drawn tramway, the Leiper Railroad
, carried stone from the quarry for 18 years before the opening of the canal.
The tramway was built by Leiper's father, Thomas Leiper
, whose request to build a canal in 1791 was denied by the Pennsylvania Legislature. However, the Legislature of 1824 approved a second canal proposal by Thomas Leiper, and the construction project was carried out by his son. The Leiper Canal was one of several privately funded canals such as the Union Canal
and the Schuylkill Canal
that operated in Pennsylvania during the same era as the Pennsylvania Canal
.
The Leiper Estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970. The Thomas Leiper House has been turned into a public museum in Wallingford
.
Crum Creek
Crum Creek is a creek in Delaware County and Chester County, Pennsylvania, flowing approximately , generally in a southward direction and draining into the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. It begins in a swamp near Newtown Square, Pennsylvania along which several mills were established...
in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
. George Leiper, who financed the canal, used it between 1829 and 1852 to haul stone in flat-bottomed boats from his quarry near Springfield
Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Springfield Township, or simply Springfield, is a township and a Census Designated Place in Delaware County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 23,677 at the 2000 census...
to the navigable Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
at Eddystone. The system, which had three locks
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...
, replaced an industrial tramway. Crum Creek's mouth
River delta
A delta is a landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where that river flows into an ocean, sea, estuary, lake, reservoir, flat arid area, or another river. Deltas are formed from the deposition of the sediment carried by the river as the flow leaves the mouth of the river...
is at 39°51′28"N 75°19′14"W.
The horse-drawn tramway, the Leiper Railroad
Leiper Railroad
The Leiper Railroad was a horse drawn railroad that operated between 1810 and 1828 in what is now Nether Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was replaced by the Leiper Canal, remnants of which are still visible...
, carried stone from the quarry for 18 years before the opening of the canal.
The tramway was built by Leiper's father, Thomas Leiper
Thomas Leiper
Thomas Leiper was a Scottish American merchant and local politician who served in the American Revolutionary War...
, whose request to build a canal in 1791 was denied by the Pennsylvania Legislature. However, the Legislature of 1824 approved a second canal proposal by Thomas Leiper, and the construction project was carried out by his son. The Leiper Canal was one of several privately funded canals such as the Union Canal
Union Canal
Union Canal is a placename:* Union Canal , a canal in Scotland between Edinburgh and Falkirk* Union Canal , a nineteenth century canal in Pennsylvania, United States, closed in 1880...
and the Schuylkill Canal
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...
that operated in Pennsylvania during the same era as the Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal
Pennsylvania Canal refers generally to a complex system of canals, dams, locks, tow paths, aqueducts, and other infrastructure including, in some cases, railroads in Pennsylvania...
.
The Leiper Estate was added to 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 1970. The Thomas Leiper House has been turned into a public museum in Wallingford
Wallingford, Pennsylvania
Wallingford is an unincorporated community in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County in Pennsylvania, USA. Founded in 1687, it is named for Wallingford, England...
.