It's a Short Commute

It's a Short Commute (HM22IT)

Location: Easton, PA 18042 Northampton County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 39.756', W 75° 14.307'

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Inscription

1829 - 1942

"The boatsmen had a hard life. But the locktenders did too, because they couldn't go nowhere. They had to be on the job all the time."
Harvey Brant
Locktender
It is early morning and still dark. Nestled in bed, six sleeping children nearby, the family did not notice the boats gathering outside their door. The alarm clock is a loud horn blowing outside the lockhouse window. The canalers waited while you slept, taking a well-earned nap. But it is now 4:00 a.m., time to begin another day.
With efficiency born of repetition, the rhythm of a choreographed dance, the locktender or family member opens and closes gates eighteen hours a day, early spring through late fall. Sundays off are wonderful, but those six hour nights are just too short.
The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company provides the house year round and a pay check during operational months. Making ends meet sometimes requires creativity. The older child may tend the lock while Dad works another job. Mom takes in laundry, trading fresh vegetables and baked goods for coal. Sometimes the peaceful winter seems so far away.

· The locktender operated the lock gates by turning gears located in a "dog house".
· Friends of the Delaware Canal restored this lock house in New Hope. It is open for visitation on a
regular schedule.
· A canal boat ride and visit to a lockhouse invite you into the past in Easton's Hugh Moore Park.
[Bottom left photo caption reads]
Walnutport residents restored their lockhouse to its former glory. Volunteers open it whenever possible.
Details
HM NumberHM22IT
Tags
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Placed ByDelaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Bethlehem City and Township, and Carbon County
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, November 3rd, 2017 at 7:02pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 479844 N 4501330
Decimal Degrees40.66260000, -75.23845000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 39.756', W 75° 14.307'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 39' 45.36" N, 75° 14' 18.42" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)610, 484
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2710 Hugh Moore Park Rd, Easton PA 18042, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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