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Delaware and Raritan Canal

Hiking, bicycling, jogging, canoeing, fishing

Canal was built in 1830 -- a brief history here.

Telephone: (732) 873-3050

Location: Near Kingston, off Rte. 27





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A Brief History of the Delaware & Raritan Canal

 The building of the Delaware & Raritan Canal was started in 1830. Dug by Irish immigrants who shoveled all day and cleared through forests and farmlands, many of these workers died in the Asiatic Cholera of 1832. In 1834 the canal opened with a twenty-four gun salute at New Brunswick. Heavily used in the nineteenth century, the canal was once vital for coal transport. Mule boats and later steam tugs went down the canal. It was closed in 1933 due to competition with the railroad.

For a complete history of the canal, see Passage Between Rivers, by Elizabeth Menzies.

For more information:
Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, 625 Canal Road, Somerset, NJ 08873
(732)873-3050

Also:
Canal Society of New Jersey
P.O. Box 737
Morristown, NJ 07963
(908)722-9556