Lehigh Canal: Eastern Section Glendon and Abbott Street Industrial Sites
Also known as: See Also:Chain Bridge
Why it's listed
Along the Lehigh River in Easton, the eastern section of the Lehigh Canal runs from Hopeville to the point where the Lehigh meets the Delaware. Construction began in 1819 and through navigation opened in 1829, with commercial traffic ending in 1931. The section includes locks 46, 47 and 48, guard lock and dam number 8, a chain bridge built in 1856-1857 by E. A. Douglas, and several lock keepers' houses. Canal boats were mule-drawn and carried mostly anthracite coal, often 80 to 100 tons per load. Beside the canal, three industrial areas grew up. The Glendon Iron Works, begun in 1843 by Charles Jackson, Jr. of Boston, had four blast furnaces. The Lucy Furnace and the Abbott Street area, with mills, a wire factory, a cotton factory and a rifle factory, were also active through the nineteenth century. Only foundations and ruins survive at these sites today.
Significance in brief: The canal was built to carry anthracite coal from the Mauch Chunk mines to Easton for shipment to Philadelphia and New York, and the nomination links it to the growth of the Lehigh Valley and its industry. The Glendon and Abbott Street sites are described as ruins of intensive 19th-century iron, mill and manufacturing activity that developed along the canal's water power and commerce.
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 78002437, listed October 2, 1978. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Lehigh River from Hopeville to confluence of Lehigh and Delaware Rivers, Easton |
|---|---|
| County | Northampton County |
| Listed | October 2, 1978 |
| Reference number | 78002437 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1829-1931 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Historic - Non-Aboriginal, Engineering, Transportation |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Canal basin and towpaths in good condition at several points; industrial areas are ruins with foundations remaining; Easton section owned and developed as a park by the City of Easton. |
| Acreage | 260 |
| Coordinates | 40.66496, -75.24460 (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 78002437.
- 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.