Ohio and Erie Canal

This stretch of the Ohio and Erie Canal in Valley View, south of Cleveland, preserves a working picture of Ohio's canal era. The nominated section runs about 1.5 miles and includes Locks 37, 38 and 39, an aqueduct carrying the canal over Tinkers Creek, and two buildings from the period of canal use: a mill at Lock 37 and a two-story clapboard building at Lock 38 that once served as a store and inn and as a station for exchanging towing horses. The sandstone locks were repaired with cement before 1905, and the aqueduct's wooden supports were replaced with metal in 1905, though original sandstone columns remain. The canal, begun in 1825 and reaching Portsmouth by 1833, joined Lake Erie to the Ohio River and spurred population, commerce and industry across the state. Railroads reduced its use by the 1860s. This section was recognized as a National Historic Landmark for illustrating that period.