Muskingum River Lock No. 10 And Canal
Why it's listed
Lock No. 10 and its lateral canal sit on the north bank of the Muskingum River in downtown Zanesville, built to avoid rapids near the Y Bridge. The canal is about 50 feet wide and 0.8 miles long, with concrete walls. At its downstream end is a two-chamber lock of large sandstone blocks laid in regular ashlar, with wooden gates framed in iron and operated by hand. The lock and dam were completed in 1841 at a cost of $228,000, built by Josiah Spaulding under civil engineer David Bates. They belong to a series of locks, dams and canals opened between Marietta and Dresden under a state act of 1836. Commercial traffic declined after the railroad arrived in 1857, and the federal government took over the system in 1886. Steamer service ended in 1922, and commerce faded after 1943. The towpath is now a state-owned park, and the lock still serves hundreds of pleasure boats each year.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the lock and canal as a monument to engineering history of the second quarter of the nineteenth century. They are part of the Muskingum River system of locks, dams and lateral canals that has provided water transportation to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers for more than 130 years. Lock No. 10 continues to carry pleasure craft.
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 78002165, listed December 19, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N bank of Muskingum River, N of RR bridge S to lock terminals, Zanesville |
|---|---|
| County | Muskingum County |
| Listed | December 19, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002165 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Josiah Spaulding (builder of the lock); David Bates, civil engineer, supervised the work at Zanesville |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Canal and lock remain in active use for pleasure craft; a 1961 report noted the need for repairs to parts of the structure. The wooden canal control gate appears to be no longer in use. |
| Acreage | 6 |
| Within district | Muskingum River Navigation Historic District |
| Coordinates | 39.94454, -82.01751 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 78002165.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.