{"nrhp_refnum":"01000562","name":"Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal Tunnel","other_names":["Harrison Tunnel","Ham-4353-53"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Parallel to Miami Ave., jct. of Wamsley and Miami Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cleves","county":"Hamilton County","state":"OH","lat":39.152089681000064,"lon":-84.75028453599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2001-05-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick-lined canal tunnel with a cut sandstone portal at Cleves, Hamilton County, Ohio, built for the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal between 1837 and 1846. It originally measured 1,782 feet long.","why_significant":"The tunnel is argued to be significant under Criterion A for its link to early canal-building and municipally funded transportation improvements in Ohio. Under Criterion C it is a rare construction type: the first canal tunnel built in Ohio, one of only 12 begun in the United States, and the third longest. It is also the most significant surviving resource of the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal.","narrative":"Beneath a ridge near Cleves, Ohio, a brick-lined tunnel once carried canal boats between the Ohio and Great Miami river valleys. Built for the Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal between 1837 and 1846, it originally ran 1,782 feet, lined with red brick three courses deep and fronted by cut sandstone portals with arched openings and flared wingwalls. Later it carried railroad tracks until the line was abandoned in the 1880s. Construction of U.S. 50 in 1958-1960 destroyed or buried the North Bend end and a section of the southern end, and the remainder has silted up. The Cleves portal and a long stretch of lining survive. The tunnel is considered important as the first canal tunnel built in Ohio, one of only 12 begun in the United States, and the third longest. It is also the main surviving piece of the canal, which Cincinnati helped fund with municipal tax money.","period_of_significance":"1837-1863 (canal)","architect_builder":"Darius Lapham (Engineer, Cincinnati and Whitewater Canal); S. and H. Howard & Company (Contractor)","architectural_style":"Other: Brick Lined Canal Tunnel with Sandstone Portal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function listed as vacant/not in use. The North Bend portal and about 290 feet of the south end were destroyed or buried during U.S. 50 construction in 1958-1960. The exposed brick lining is in good condition, the portal stonework in fair condition, and the tunnel is heavily silted.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:07.119-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/01000562.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000562/54cb05a1e9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/01000562/54cb05a1e9-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cincinnati_and_Whitewater_Canal_Tunnel,_Cleves_portal,_closeup.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cincinnati_and_Whitewater_Canal_Tunnel,_Cleves_portal,_closeup.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989265","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_and_Whitewater_Canal_Tunnel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12054997"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/hamilton-county/cincinnati-and-whitewater-canal-tunnel-01000562/"}