{"nrhp_refnum":"73001493","name":"Ohio Canal Groundbreaking Site","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"OH 79","address_restricted":false,"city":"Heath","county":"Licking County","state":"OH","lat":40.01281615900007,"lon":-82.45744478099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-05-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A site in Heath, Licking County, Ohio, just east of Ohio Route 79 (Hebron Road), where construction of the Ohio-Erie Canal began on July 4, 1825. It holds a stone marker and the partial remains of a lock built in 1825.","why_significant":"The site marks the ground breaking ceremony for the first section of the Ohio Canal, attended by Dewitt Clinton and several Ohio governors. The canal, completed in 1833 at 308 miles, gave Ohio a cheap way to ship farm goods east and to bring in consumer items without routing through New Orleans or over the Appalachians.","narrative":"Beside Ohio Route 79 in Heath, Ohio, a stone marker records that the Ohio Canal was started on this spot on Saturday, July 4, 1825. North of the marker lie the partial remains of a lock built that year. The lock has been altered and is in disrepair: its west wall was cut down by about three and a half to four feet, timbers brace both walls, and the gates and hardware are gone. The village maintains the grounds, and there is evidence of picnic use. The location matters because a party of several dozen people gathered here for the ground breaking of the canal's first section. Dewitt Clinton, the former New York governor tied to the Erie Canal, turned the first spade of soil, joined by former Ohio governors Thomas Worthington and Jeremiah Morrow and Governor Thomas Ewing. Construction then pushed north and south, and the 308-mile main line was finished by 1833, opening cheaper routes for farm goods and imported items.","period_of_significance":"1825","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Fair condition and altered. The lock is in disrepair, its west wall cut down 3.5 to 4 feet and both walls braced with timbers; gates and hardware are missing. The village maintains the site, which is used for picnics.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:09.718621-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/73001493.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71989736","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/licking-county/ohio-canal-groundbreaking-site-73001493/"}