Side Quest: Explore York County’s Lock 13

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Hidden between the Norman Wood Bridge and Muddy Creek on the eastern edge of York County are the remains of Lock 13 and Lock 15 of the old Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal. It paralleled the Susquehanna River for 43 miles between Wrightsville and Havre de Grace, Maryland. The canal took three years to complete to provide increased commerce opportunities between Harrisburg and the Chesapeake Bay region. The canal transported lumber, coal, iron, and grain bound for Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York until abandoned in 1895.

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Lock 13 and Lock 15 are in similar size to the nearby Lock 12, which was 17 feet wide, 170 feet long, and had a lift capability of 8.8 feet. It was one of 28 lift locks built to overcome a 233-foot elevation difference between terminal points.

Here are the GPS coordinates: 39.812222, -76.323028.

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Stone abutments for a bridge that once crossed over the canal just north of Lock 13.

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