Lock No. 32
Why it's listed
Lock No. 32 is a canal lock on the Ohio & Erie Canal at the northern edge of the village of Boston in Summit County, Ohio. Built between 1825 and 1827, it is a standard mitered-gate lock with a chamber about 90 feet long and 15 feet wide. The original cut stone walls were covered with a concrete facing around 1905. Today both gates are missing, though water remains in the chamber, and thickets have grown over the site. The lock sits on the former towpath along an unmarked, unimproved road, with the Boston cemetery to the west. The stretch of the canal between Akron and Cleveland opened on July 4, 1827. For about thirty years the waterway strongly shaped commerce, manufacturing and population growth across Ohio, and it likely contributed to the growth of Boston itself. The lock was listed as a surviving piece of that canal system and has also been recognized as a historic civil engineering landmark.
Significance in brief: The lock is a surviving part of the Ohio & Erie Canal, which the form credits as a major influence on commerce, manufacturing and population growth in Ohio for about 30 years. It is also credited with helping the growth of the village of Boston. It was included in a survey of historic civil engineering landmarks.
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 79000308, listed December 11, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 800 ft. N of Boston Mills, Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Summit County |
| Listed | December 11, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000308 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1825-1827 |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Engineering, Transportation, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is fair. Both gates are missing, there is water in the chamber, the site is heavily overgrown with thickets, and the lock is publicly owned. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Boston Mills Historic District |
| Coordinates | 41.26619, -81.55879 (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.
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 79000308.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q97994449
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.