The earliest navigable canal in the U.S. was located in South Hadley. Completed in 1795, the canal used an innovative ‘inclined plane‘ to raise boats over the 53-foot drop at Great Falls, which blocked boat transport north on the Connecticut River. This system was used until 1805 when locks began to be constructed, and the canal eventually closed in 1862 as rail transport grew.
The public is invited to participate in a free, guided Canal Area History Walk at 1:00pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. The hour-long History Walk will be led by historian Leo LaBonte and participants will meet at 12:45pm at the parking lot of the South Hadley Public Library, located at 2 Canal Street. Along the route participants will see where boats would leave the inclined plane traveling north, with multiple historic homes and locations of taverns, locks, and dams highlighted along the way. Depending on time, we may walk as far north as the Canal Park Overlook to see where boats continued upstream behind Cove Island, a round trip distance of approximately 1.5 miles. The History Walk is open to all, with no advance registration required. Please wear appropriate footwear and clothing, and bring water and walking poles if desired.
For Senior Center members participating in the History Walk, the Council on Aging is offering free, round-trip van transportation from the Senior Center to the Library; 12 seats are available and must be reserved in advance at the Senior Center. The van leaves at 12:45pm and returns at 2:15pm.
An accessible, narrated Van Tour of the Canal Area with historian Leo LaBonte from 11:00am to 12:00pm on May 8 is also planned:11 seats are available and advance registration at the Senior Center is required (413.538.5030, ext. 3). The Van Tour, which boards at 10:45am, will leave from and return to the South Hadley Senior Center at 45 Dayton Street.
The Canal Area History Walk and Van Tour are presented through a partnership among the South Hadley Bike/Walk Committee, the South Hadley Historical Commission, and the South Hadley Senior Center (COA).
South Hadley Bike/Walk programs are free of charge and subject to change or cancellation due to weather or ground conditions. Please be sure to check the Bike/Walk page on the Town website for any cancellation notices or other information: www.southhadley.org/bikewalk. Should there be a cancellation decision, information will be posted online by 10:00am on the day of the hike.
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