Union Canal
Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
This canal was operated from 1828-1884. It connected the Schuylkill at Reading with the Susquehanna at Middletown. Remains of tow path can be seen .3 mile southeast of here, along the Tulpehocken Creek.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Operating from 1828 to 1884, the Union Canal linked the Schuylkill River at Reading with the Susquehanna at Middletown, stitching together eastern Pennsylvania's waterways in the great canal-building era. Boats hauled coal, grain, and goods along its towpath, a stretch of which can still be traced southeast of here beside the Tulpehocken Creek.
Why it matters
The Union Canal was part of the transportation revolution that knit the young republic together and carried Pennsylvania's coal and produce to market before the railroads took over.
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Related events
- · Union Canal operation, 1828-1884
Themes & tags
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For most of the 19th century, before railroads dominated, Pennsylvania moved its goods by water. The Union Canal, opened in 1828, stitched together two of the state's great river systems — linking the Schuylkill at Reading to the Susquehanna at Middletown — so boats could carry freight all the way toward Philadelphia. Near this spot, at the tip of Fritts Island, the ruins of the canal's easternmost lock still hint at the engineering that once lifted vessels across the watershed.