Looking Back

ANN O'HARA
Posted 6/21/17

Two of the great engineering marvels of the 19th century met in the center of Honesdale, PA. The D&H Canal Company Gravity Railroad from Carbondale met the D&H Canal at the docks, and …

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Looking Back

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Two of the great engineering marvels of the 19th century met in the center of Honesdale, PA. The D&H Canal Company Gravity Railroad from Carbondale met the D&H Canal at the docks, and millions of tons of anthracite coal were loaded onto canal boats for the 104-mile trip to the Hudson River annually between 1828 and 1898. The system was the brainchild of the Wurts brothers, Philadelphia merchants, who in 1812 began buying land in Northeastern Pennsylvania that soon became immensely valuable. Although the value of the anthracite coal they discovered soon became apparent compared to the soft coal previously burned around the world, it was essential to find a means of getting it to market.

The canal was opened to navigation in October 1828. The last piece of the puzzle was the gravity railroad. Despite the much ballyhooed running of the Stourbridge Lion in 1829, it did not pass its test, and locomotives were never part of the gravity operation. Competition from the railroads eventually brought an end to the system, and by 1900 it was gone.

From the collection of the Wayne County Historical Society 810 Main St., Honesdale. The museum and research library are open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a. m. to 4 p. m. and museum only 12 noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

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