History Along the D & H Heritage Corridor
The D & H Heritage Corridor contains parts of the D & H Canal and the O & W Railroad. Both of these enterprises opened up the Rondout Valley to Commerce and Development. The D & H Canal was constructed to carry coal from Honesdale, PA to Kingston, NY for the New York City and Albany Markets. The O & W Railroad on the other hand was the improvement in transportation and bought up the Canal Company's right of way.
The O & W Railroad followed most of the Canal from Summitville to Accord where it veered of to the west and went to uptown Kingston as it was not confined to the same gradients as the Canal was.
The D & H Canal was the brain child of the Wurts brothers who owned coal bearing land in the Carbondale area of PA. In May of 1823, Benjamin Wright agreed to survey a route for the D & H , to which he assigned two junior engineers. Construction began July 13,1825 and was essentially completed in November 1927. Four Aqueduct bridges were built by John Roebling, for the Canal, who later designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge. The first barges traversed from Eddyville to Honesdale and started transporting Coal to Market.
The Railroad started with a 8 mile section from Summitville to Ellenville In 1871 as the Ellenville-Kingston R.R. Company. And was soon leased to the O & W. The Rails were extended to Kingston and opened for business in 1901. The O & W Railroad ended in 1957 with bankruptcy and the removal of tracks.
In the early 1800's, a period of immense growth in the United States, a means of cheap mass transportation was needed for transporting goods. Canals were the answer. The first million dollar private enterprise in the U.S. was the Delaware and Hudson Canal, from Honesdale, PA to Kingston, NY. It's primary purpose was to transport coal from the mines of Pennsylvania to New York City, without going through the port of Philadelphia. The most economical transport route was to use existing waterways north of Port Jervis to Kingston, the Rondout Creek.
Kingston, a busy port on the Hudson River and only 90 miles from NYC, was a deep water port where the coal could then be transferred to large ships. Completed in 1828, there were 108 locks on the canals' 108 mile length. Most of the canal was eventually abandoned in 1898 in favor of the more modern steam locomotive.
As a testimony to the clever engineering of it's day, the use of simple natural materials, and the untold thousands of man hours of construction, much of the canal remains today. Built "by hand" - the ribbon remains between the communities - a bucolic reminder of days past. The New York Ontario and Western Railway was one of the first of the long distance railroads in New York State.
Abandoned in 1957, its mainline ran from Weehawken, NJ to Oswego, NY. It also had many branch routes, one of which was from Port Jervis, NY to Kingston, NY. The Kingston Branch followed the abandoned D&H tow paths along the Rondout Creek on its way between many of the D&H hamlets and Kingston.
This waterway is home to a multitude of wildlife, including great blue heron, kingfisher, mink, muskrat, and occasionally osprey. Small mouth bass, trout, and panfish provide excellent fishing. Dramatic ledges of limestone, which dot its shoreline, provide scenic vistas for both flat-water and quick-water canoeing and kayaking.
The O & W Railroad followed most of the Canal from Summitville to Accord where it veered of to the west and went to uptown Kingston as it was not confined to the same gradients as the Canal was.
The D & H Canal was the brain child of the Wurts brothers who owned coal bearing land in the Carbondale area of PA. In May of 1823, Benjamin Wright agreed to survey a route for the D & H , to which he assigned two junior engineers. Construction began July 13,1825 and was essentially completed in November 1927. Four Aqueduct bridges were built by John Roebling, for the Canal, who later designed and built the Brooklyn Bridge. The first barges traversed from Eddyville to Honesdale and started transporting Coal to Market.
The Railroad started with a 8 mile section from Summitville to Ellenville In 1871 as the Ellenville-Kingston R.R. Company. And was soon leased to the O & W. The Rails were extended to Kingston and opened for business in 1901. The O & W Railroad ended in 1957 with bankruptcy and the removal of tracks.
In the early 1800's, a period of immense growth in the United States, a means of cheap mass transportation was needed for transporting goods. Canals were the answer. The first million dollar private enterprise in the U.S. was the Delaware and Hudson Canal, from Honesdale, PA to Kingston, NY. It's primary purpose was to transport coal from the mines of Pennsylvania to New York City, without going through the port of Philadelphia. The most economical transport route was to use existing waterways north of Port Jervis to Kingston, the Rondout Creek.
Kingston, a busy port on the Hudson River and only 90 miles from NYC, was a deep water port where the coal could then be transferred to large ships. Completed in 1828, there were 108 locks on the canals' 108 mile length. Most of the canal was eventually abandoned in 1898 in favor of the more modern steam locomotive.
As a testimony to the clever engineering of it's day, the use of simple natural materials, and the untold thousands of man hours of construction, much of the canal remains today. Built "by hand" - the ribbon remains between the communities - a bucolic reminder of days past. The New York Ontario and Western Railway was one of the first of the long distance railroads in New York State.
Abandoned in 1957, its mainline ran from Weehawken, NJ to Oswego, NY. It also had many branch routes, one of which was from Port Jervis, NY to Kingston, NY. The Kingston Branch followed the abandoned D&H tow paths along the Rondout Creek on its way between many of the D&H hamlets and Kingston.
This waterway is home to a multitude of wildlife, including great blue heron, kingfisher, mink, muskrat, and occasionally osprey. Small mouth bass, trout, and panfish provide excellent fishing. Dramatic ledges of limestone, which dot its shoreline, provide scenic vistas for both flat-water and quick-water canoeing and kayaking.
History Along The Route
The Century House Historical Society
668 Rt. 213, PO Box 150 Rosendale, NY 12472 845-658-9900 www.centuryhouse.org O & W Railway Museum Napanoch Depot/Museum call for hours 845-647-7400 x4326 http://www.nyow.org/napanoch.html The Neversink Valley Area Museum Hoag Road, D&H Canal Park, PO Box 263 Cuddebackville, NY 12729 845-658-9900 www.neversinkmuseum.org |
Minisink Valley Historical Society 33 West Main Street Port Jervis, NY 12711 845-856-2375 www.minisink.org Wayne County Historical Society 810 Main Street, PO Box 446 Honesdale, PA 18431 570-253-3240 www.waynehistorypa.org Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River RR2 Box 2428 Beach Lake PA 18405 570-685-4871 http://www.nps.gov/upde/index.htm |
