{"nrhp_refnum":"74001792","name":"Union Canal Tunnel","other_names":["Old Tunnel","Old Canal Tunnel"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"W of Lebanon off PA 72","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lebanon","county":"Lebanon County","state":"PA","lat":40.34974001850006,"lon":-76.46140882759113,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-10-01","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1994-04-19","areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A canal tunnel cut through solid rock under Pansy Hill on the northwest fringe of Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, built for the Union Canal on its summit level.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the tunnel is the oldest existing tunnel in the United States and a significant engineering work, cut by hand and blasting through rock for a canal that linked the Susquehanna and Schuylkill rivers. It also cites its role in carrying freight and passengers and its association with local engineers and civic figures.","narrative":"Cut through solid slate and limestone beneath Pansy Hill on the northwest edge of Lebanon, this canal tunnel was built between fall 1825 and spring 1827 for the Union Canal, which linked the Susquehanna River at Middletown with the Schuylkill River at Reading. Chief Engineer Canvass White directed the work, with Simeon Guilford as assistant engineer in charge and John B. Ives as contractor. Workers dug by hand and used gunpowder, leaving no timbering except for working scaffolds. The original tunnel measured 729 feet long, 18 feet wide and 15 feet high. Around 1853 the canal was enlarged, the tunnel was shortened to 600 feet and its height was raised three feet to accommodate barges of 50 tons. The tunnel served as a freight and passenger route for 52 years until the canal was sold at a sheriff's sale in 1884. It is regarded as the oldest surviving canal tunnel in the country, and it was recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970.","period_of_significance":"1826-1827","architect_builder":"Canvass White (chief engineer); Simeon Guilford (assistant engineer in charge); John B. Ives (contractor)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Shortened to 600 feet and enlarged around 1853; designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.990605-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/74001792.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001792/25f41fac9e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001792/25f41fac9e-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Canal_Tunnel_LebCo_PA_1_(cropped).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Canal_Tunnel_LebCo_PA_1_(cropped).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996213","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105715875"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/lebanon-county/union-canal-tunnel-74001792/"}