Wright State University, Piqua Historical Area, circa 1971

The Canal Society of Ohio Collection documents an important era in Ohio and Midwest transportation. The materials provide information on the construction, use and legacy of local and regional canals.

Series I: Canals and Rivers The pamphlets, monographs, booklets, maps, tour guides and papers in this series are divided into four geographical areas: Ohio, Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania. The Ohio materials comprise the largest section of the series and contain information on the Great Miami River, Ohio Canals, Ohio and Erie Canal, Ohio River, Miami Canal, Miami and Erie Canal, and Turtle Creek. Materials pertaining to Indiana cover Indiana Canals, Wabash-Erie Canal, and Wabash River. The New York section contains information on the Erie Canal. One map of Pennsylvania is located in oversize storage. The materials date between 1826 and 1985. Several of the pamphlets and tour guides were produced by the Canal Society of Ohio for its semi-annual tours.

An original bid for construction on Ohio canals in Delaware County (1826) and an account record for the Ohio Canal dating to 1849 are contained in the Ohio Canals folder (Box 1 File 4). Some materials in this series have been removed to oversize locations for storage. This is noted on the container listing and on the appropriate folders in Box 1.

Series II: Publications This series includes newspaper clippings and the regular publications of the Canal Society of Ohio: a newsletter for members and the illustrated quarterly, Towpaths. The newsletters date to 1967-1968 and 1985-1987. The first eight issues of Towpaths (19611962) are located in this series. A more complete collection of the quarterly can be found in the Reading Room of the Special Collections and Archives. Some newspaper clippings of canal news and history and the activities of the Canal Society of Ohio are located in oversize storage.

Series III: Canal History Resources This series contains reference materials for the Canal Society of Ohio's two repositories: Wright State University and University of Akron. A description of Wright State's holdings, which are greater than what is contained in this collection, and a bibliography of books on canal history in the Wright State Libraries are included. The series also contains University of Akron's collection index and photo negative log. One sheet of historical facts pertaining to the Piqua Historical Area is also located in the series.