Morris Wide Water Canal Boat Site
Also known as: 11gr205
Why it's listed
Seven wooden canal boat hulls lie in the Morris Wide Water, a turning basin on the Illinois and Michigan Canal at the eastern edge of Morris, Illinois. Each boat measured roughly 14 to 16 feet wide and 100 feet long, with oak hull planks fixed to floor and side frames. Built perhaps between 1865 and 1885, they were moored here as canal traffic declined, then sank, were stripped of hardware, and burned to the waterline. Only the bottom foot or two survives. The hulls were exposed in 1978 and again in 1996, when a storm destroyed a dam and drained the canal section. Archaeological work, concentrated on Boats 5 and 6, documented construction details and recovered leather, glass, metal and wood artifacts linked to life aboard. The site was nominated because the canal's landmark status does not cover archaeology, and these remains add evidence about nineteenth-century canal boat building and use.
Significance in brief: The hulls, though preserved only in their bottom 1 to 1.5 feet, retain enough archaeological integrity to show how canal boats on the Illinois and Michigan Canal were built and used. Excavation also recovered artifacts tied to the lives of the people who worked and lived aboard. The boats are not covered by the canal's National Historic Landmark designation, which does not address archaeology.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 99001708, listed February 4, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | East Washington St., Morris |
|---|---|
| County | Grundy County |
| Listed | February 4, 2000 |
| Reference number | 99001708 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | Other: Canal Boats |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Commerce, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture, Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the State of Illinois within the Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail; the wide water is now silted to about 3-4 feet deep and the boat remains lie submerged. Function is listed as vacant/not in use and landscape/park. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 41.36652, -88.40351 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 99001708.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14687898
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.