{"nrhp_refnum":"88000462","name":"Schuylkill Navigation Canal, Oakes Reach Section","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"N and E bank of Schuylkill River from PA 113 to Lock 61","address_restricted":false,"city":"Phoenixville","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.14208945450005,"lon":-75.43527439577451,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A watered canal section of the Schuylkill Navigation Canal, extending about 5.1 miles from the Route 113 bridge near Black Rock Dam to Lock #61 in Montgomery and Chester Counties, Pennsylvania, including locks, a dam, lockhouses, a dry-dock site and related structures. The canal was active from 1824 to 1887.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the section was part of a transportation system that moved coal and merchandise and helped drive the growth of industry and villages in the Lower Schuylkill Valley, most notably the Phoenix Iron Company in Phoenixville. It is described as one of only two watered sections of the canal still remaining, with the other at Manayunk, and as one of the best preserved, since it still holds a controlled flow of river water.","narrative":"Watered canal section running about 5.1 miles between the Route 113 bridge near Black Rock Dam and Lock #61 on the Schuylkill River, with locks, a dam, lockhouses and a dry-dock site. Construction of the Schuylkill Navigation system began in 1816, and this section operated from 1824 to 1887 as part of a network that carried anthracite coal and merchandise to Philadelphia. The canal was widened to 60 feet in 1846, and Lock #60 dates to 1838-39, with its lockhouse dated 1839. Black Rock Dam, built in 1840, impounds a pool of about 95 acres. The section is considered significant for its role in moving raw materials and finished goods, and for supporting the growth of the Phoenix Iron Company and nearby villages such as Port Providence and Mont Clare. It is one of only two sections of the Schuylkill Canal still maintained with a controlled flow of river water, making it a rare surviving example of the system.","period_of_significance":"1824-1887","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The canal is extant and watered from Black Rock Dam to just east of Longford Road; the section south to Lock #61 is in bad repair and partly buried.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:35.789893-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88000462.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000462/e8c3abdc3d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000462/e8c3abdc3d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"J Clear (talk).","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lock_60_2010-11-13.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">J Clear (talk).</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lock_60_2010-11-13.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71998452","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuylkill_Canal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7433092"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/schuylkill-navigation-canal-oakes-reach-section-88000462/"}