BGuthrie Photos: NJ -- Raritan and Delaware River State Park

NJ -- Raritan and Delaware River State Park:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. DR_190825_002.JPG: Please Pardon Our Project
2. DR_190825_025.JPG: Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Historical Significance Dug by hand, mostly by Irish immigrants, the 66 mile D & R Canal was completed in 1834. 75 feet wide and 8 feet deep, the canal originally had 14 locks to raise and lower boat traffic. The D & R Canal operated as an inland waterway between the Delaware and Raritan rivers, primarily transporting Pennsylvania coal to New York via mule drawn canalboats. The busiest years of the D & R Canal were in the decade following the Civil War, when it proved itself to be one of America's most important canals. By 1843 mules were supplemented by steam powered boats. The D & R Canal was used by a great variety of commercial, pleasure and naval vessels. Many locks, spillways, tender's houses, and other nineteenth century structures remain intact and in use. The entire D & R Canal is on the National Register of Historic Places. Corridor of Conservation and Recreation Along its route of scenic beauty, the canal offers varied recreation and provides a natural habitat for plants and wildlife. Visitors can enjoy the sights and sounds of the natural world while canoeing, fishing, cycling, walking or horseback riding. Water Resource After 1932 the D & R Canal no longer provided a through route for vessels.
3. DR_190825_050.JPG: Kingston
4. DR_190825_064.JPG: Locks on the D&R Canal Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park A natural waterway follows the contours of the land over which it flows, the depth of water varies, depending on the quantity and velocity of flow. To maintain the constant depth of water required for transportation, a canal is engineered as a series of flat levels or reservoirs of water connected by locks. Crucial elements in a canal system, lift locks hold back the water in the levels, accommodate for the natural elevation changes of the land, and allow boats to travel up and down between levels. How a Lift Lock Operates: 1. A boat heading downstream enters the lock. 2. The lock gates are closed. 3. Wickets in the downstream gates are opened, water flows out, and the boat is lowered. 4. When water levels are equal, the downstream gates are opened, and the boat continues. For a boat heading upstream, the procedure is reversed. Bypass channels were constructed around lift locks to allow canal water to continue downstream when locks were in use. Locks Outer Locks are of the same design, but do not function as true lift locks. These locks permit the passage of boats between a canal and a river or other body of water and accommodate for changes in water level or tide. The outlet locks on the D&R Canal are at Bordentown (Lock #1), New Brunswick (#14) and Lambertville. Guard Locks are used in infrequently traveled areas and are similar to lift locks, but have only one pair of miter gates. The two structures in combination regulate the amount of water downstream and protect the canal from floods while allowing for the occasional passage of boats. The guard locks on the D&R Canal are at Bulls Island and Prallsville. Water enters the Feeder Canal at Bulls Island at an elevation of about 67 feet above sea level. As it passes through the Lambertville lock it drops to about 55.7 feet, and remains at this level all the way to the Main Canal at Trenton. From this "summit" the Main Canal descended through seven locks to near sea level at Bordentown and in the other direction through seven more locks to near sea level at New Brunswick. The T-shaped section of canal defined by Lambertville Lock, Lock 7 in Trenton, and Lock 8 in Kingston served as a kind of reservoir for the Main Canal. Gates Locks used two kinds of gates: vertically hinged pairs of gates called miter gates, and single gates, hinged at the bottom, referred to as drop gates.Constructed to form a V-shape when closed, miter gates open upstream, and are kept closed by the pressure of the water. Miter gates are operated by pushing against long, heavy balance beams projecting from their hinged edges that counterbalance the weight of the gate. Drop gates are located at the upstream end of a lock. They open by dropping against the water flow to the floor of the canal, and are usually operated by a chain and wheel (windlass) system. Sidebar: Delaware & Raritan Canal Lock History 1831-34: Canal was constructed with 15 lift locks (one on the Feeder and 15 on the Main Canal) and 2 guard locks. Main Canal locks were 24 feet wide and 110 feet long, much larger than locks on other canals. Original lock gates were miter gates with balance beams. 1847-48: Original masonry lock at Bordentown (#1) sank into its soft substrate and a replacement lock of stone-filled wooden crib construction was built a few feet to the west of the first one. 1848: Outlet lock was constructed at Lambertville for a cable ferry across the Delaware River. It was in operation until 1912-13. 1849: Head (upstream) gates of all locks were converted to drop gates. Today the gates are gone, replaced c.1944 by valve-operated concrete control gate structures at the head of each lock. 1853: Main Canal locks lengthened to 220 feet. Lock #5 in Trenton was eliminated and Lock #4 deepened to compensate. 1866: Second lock added in New Brunswick, making Lock #14 a double outlet lock. 1932: Canal ceased operation 1936: Trenton section of canal (Locks #3-7) filled in. 1974: Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park created. 1980: More than a mile of canal at the New Brunswick end, including Deep Lock (#13), was destroyed for NJ Highway 18. 1998: Last mile of the canal and Lock #14 restored and incorporated into Boyd Park, a City of New Brunswick facility.
5. DR_190825_071.JPG: The Canal Dug By Irishmen The Delaware and Raritan Canal, often referred to as "The Big Ditch" was constructed between the years 1831 - 1834 at a cost of almost $3,000,000 and the lives of many Irish immigrant laborers. The hand-dug D & R Canal was 66 miles long. The canal originally had 14 locks to raise and lower boat traffic. There was a great shortage of laborers in America during the early 1800's. Contractors went to Ireland and brought thousands of Irishmen to America to work. The pay of $1.00 per day for canal workers was a large sum of money for men who had nothing in their own homeland. Although a number of canal workers were recruited locally, the vast majority were Irishmen brought from New York City by canal contractors. Some of these Irish emigrants were able to pay their own passage to America. However, the vast majority of them were unable to come up with the $12 steerage fee and the $15 provisions allowance. Instead, they chose to bind themselves for a period of work time, often times six months, to compensate the contractor for their passage/provisions advance. During the three years needed to complete the canal, almost three thousand Irishmen worked on the various stages of the canal, cutting through the forests and farmlands of Central New Jersey. Most of the work was done by the brawn of the Irish unskilled laborers by hand with shovels, pick axes, and wheelbarrows. Their pay was $1.00 per day for working from sunrise to sunset, six days a week. The stronger men, who were able to remove tree stumps received an additional 25 cents for each stump. The more skilled Irish, the carpenters and stonemasons, built the locks, lockhouses, bridges and aqueducts and other buildings needed for canal operation. They earned more money than the unskilled laborer. Working conditions were appalling with men living in crowded tents, no sanitation, no medical facilities, poor food and long hours. Most of the men wore rags tied around their feet while working in the canal pit. In 1832-33 Asiatic cholera sickened and killed hundreds of the Irish laborers. Many of them were buried in the fields where they died. Graves of unknown Irishmen are located at Bulls Island, Ten Mile Run, the Griggstown Cemetery and along the canal banks. No one can say for sure just how many Irish laborers died building this canal. Those who survived the building of the Delaware & Raritan Canal moved across the country working on other canals and railroad construction. The Irish were greatly involved in our nation's first great transportation systems. May they live forever in God's hands.
6. DR_190825_091.JPG: Women's Heritage Trail Kate McFarlane and Josephine Swann In 1783, while Congress was meeting at Nassau Hall in nearby Princeton, Rockingham was rented from Margaret Berrien, the widow of NJ Supreme Court Justice John Berrien, for the use of General George Washington. It served as what became his final wartime headquarters from August 23 to November 10, 1783. More than 100 years later, in 1896, Mrs. Josephine Thompson Swann and Miss Kate E. McFarlane were part of a group of prestigious concerned citizens who came together to save the house from demolition. Long known by area residents as the old Berrien Mansion, the 18th-century farmstead which had played host to a number of Revolutionary War dignitaries, it had fallen into disrepair and was being threatened with imminent destruction. The mansion and outbuildings had become temporary workers' housing for those employed by Howell Quarries of Rocky Hill. Through a generous gift by Mrs. Swan, who agreed to pay the asking price, the mansion was saved. It became the property of the new Washington Headquarters Association and was moved to a new location. The oldest section of Rockingham was built circa 1710 in a saltbox style and was enlarged in the 1760s, with a two-story porch and a large attic added in the early 19th century. It stands today at its fourth location, but only about one mile south of its original site. The house is now administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry. "We felt we had gained a great deal when the price was settled upon the house, as it was the house we were wishing to preserve and not the site. Mrs. Swann paid the price of the house, others raising the money to move and restore it. An original drawing of the house was found, which greatly assisted the architects. By August 25, 1897 it was open for guests." - The Washington Headquarters at Rocky Hill, By Kate E. McFarlane, Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Volume I, 1912 Kate McFarlane and Josephine Swann, determined to save Rockingham, organized a group of concerned citizens and rescued this significant historical site which played an important role in the Revolutionary War. Because of their integral role as Women in Historic Preservation, they are on the New Jersey Women's Heritage Trail. The New Jersey Women's Heritage Trail highlights a collection of historic sites located around the state that represent the significant contributions women made to the history of our state. The Heritage Trail brings to life the vital role of women in New Jersey's past and present.
7. DR_190825_117.JPG: Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States [Rock Hill, near Princeton, November 2, 1783.] The United States in Congress assembled after giving the most honorable testimony to the merits of the faederal Armies, and presenting them with the thanks of their Country for their long, eminent, and faithful services, having thought proper by their proclamation bearing date the 18th. day of October last. to discharge such part of the Troops as were engaged for the war, and to permit the Officers on furlough to retire from service from and after to-morrow; which proclamation having been communicated in the publick papers for the information and government of all concerned; it only remains for the Comdr in Chief to address himself once more, and that for the last time, to the Armies of the U States (however widely dispersed the individuals who compose them may be) and to bid them an affectionate, a long farewell. But before the Comdr in Chief takes his final leave of those he holds most dear, he wishes to indulge himself a few moments in calling to mind a slight review of the past. He will then take the liberty of exploring, with his military friends, their future prospects, of advising the general line of conduct, which in his opinion, ought to be pursued, and he will conclude the Address by expressing the obligations he feels himself under for the spirited and able assistance he has experienced from them in the performance of an arduous Office. A contemplation of the compleat attainment (at a period earlier than could have been expected) of the object for which we contended against so formidable a power cannot but inspire us with astonishment and gratitude. The disadvantageous circumstances on our part, under which the war was undertaken, can never be forgotten. The singular interpositions of Providence in our feeble condition were such, as could scarcely escape the attention of the most unobserving; while the unparalleled perseverence of the Armies of the U States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing miracle. It is not the meaning nor within the compass of this address to detail the hardships peculiarly incident to our service, or to describe the distresses, which in several instances have resulted from the extremes of hunger and nakedness, combined with the rigours of an inclement season; nor is it necessary to dwell on the dark side of our past affairs. Every American Officer and Soldier must now console himself for any unpleasant circumstances which may have occurred by a recollection of the uncommon scenes in which he has been called to Act no inglorious part, and the astonishing events of which he has been a witness, events which have seldom if ever before taken place on the stage of human action, nor can they probably ever happen again. For who has before seen a disciplined Army form'd at once from such raw materials? Who, that was not a witness, could imagine that the most violent local prejudices would cease so soon, and that Men who came from the different parts of the Continent, strongly disposed, by the habits of education, to despise and quarrel with each other, would instantly become but one patriotic band of Brothers, or who, that was not on the spot, can trace the steps by which such a wonderful revolution has been effected, and such a glorious period put to all our warlike toils? It is universally acknowledged, that the enlarged prospects of happiness, opened by the confirmation of our independence and sovereignty, almost exceeds the power of description. And shall not the brave men, who have contributed so essentially to these inestimable acquisitions, retiring victorious from the field of War to the field of agriculture, participate in all the blessings which have been obtained; in such a republic, who will exclude them from the rights of Citizens and the fruits of their labour. In such a Country, so happily circumstanced, the pursuits of Commerce and the cultivation of the soil will unfold to industry the certain road to competence. To those hardy Soldiers, who are actuated by the spirit of adventure the Fisheries will afford ample and profitable employment, and the extensive and fertile regions of the West will yield a most happy asylum to those, who, fond of domestic enjoyments are seeking for personal independence. Nor is it possible to conceive, that any one of the U States will prefer a national bankruptcy and a dissolution of the union, to a compliance with the requisitions of Congress and the payment of its just debts; so that the Officers and Soldiers may expect considerable assistance in recommencing their civil occupations from the sums due to them from the public, which must and will most inevitably be paid. In order to effect this desirable purpose and to remove the prejudices which may have taken possession of the minds of any of the good people of the States, it is earnestly recommended to all the Troops that with strong attachments to the Union, they should carry with them into civil society the most conciliating dispositions; and that they should prove themselves not less virtuous and useful as Citizens, than they have been persevering and victorious as Soldiers. What tho, there should be some envious individuals who are unwilling to pay the debt the public has contracted, or to yield the tribute due to merit; yet, let such unworthy treatment produce no invective or any instance of intemperate conduct; let it be remembered that the unbiassed voice of the few Citizens of the United States has promised the just reward, and given the merited applause; let it be known and remembered, that the reputation of the foederal Armies is established beyond the reach of malevolence; and let a conscientiousness of their achievements and fame still unite the men, who composed them to honourable actions; under the persuasion that the private virtues of oeconomy, prudence, and industry, will not be less amiable in civil life, than the more splendid qualities of valour, perseverance, and enterprise were in the Field. Every one may rest assured that much, very much of the future happiness of the Officers and Men will depend upon the wise and manly conduct which shall be adopted by them when they are mingled with the great body of the community. And, altho the General has so frequently given it as his opinion, in the most public and explicit manner, that, unless the principles of the federal government were properly supported and the powers of the union increased, the honour, dignity, and justice of the nation would be lost forever. Yet he cannot help repeating, on this occasion, so interesting a sentiment, and leaving it as his last injunction to every Officer and every Soldier, who may view the subject in the same serious point of light, to add his best endeavours to those of his worthy fellow Citizens towards effecting these great and valuable purposes on which our very existence as a nation so materially depends. The Commander in chief conceives little is now wanting to enable the Soldiers to change the military character into that of the Citizen, but that steady and decent tenor of behaviour which has generally distinguished, not only the Army under his immediate command, but the different detachments and seperate Armies through the course of the war. From their good sense and prudence he anticipates the happiest consequences; and while he congratulates them on the glorious occasion, which renders their services in the field no longer necessary, he wishes to express the strong obligations he feels himself under for the assistance he has received from every Class, and in every instance. He presents his thanks in the most serious and affectionate manner to the General Officers, as well for their counsel on many interesting occasions, as for their Order in promoting the success of the plans he had adopted. To the Commandants of Regiments and Corps, and to the other Officers for their great zeal and attention, in carrying his orders promptly into execution. To the Staff, for their alacrity and exactness in performing the Duties of their several Departments. And to the Non Commissioned Officers and private Soldiers, for their extraordinary patience in suffering, as well as their invincible fortitude in Action. To the various branches of the Army the General takes this last and solemn opportunity of professing his inviolable attachment and friendship. He wishes more than bare professions were in his power, that he were really able to be useful to them all in future life. He flatters himself however, they will do him the justice to believe, that whatever could with propriety be attempted by him has been done, and being now to conclude these his last public Orders, to take his ultimate leave in a short time of the military character, and to bid a final adieu to the Armies he has so long had the honor to Command, he can only again offer in their behalf his recommendations to their grateful country, and his prayers to the God of Armies. May ample justice be done them here, and may the choicest of heaven's favours, both here and hereafter, attend those who, under the devine auspices, have secured innumerable blessings for others; with these wishes, and this benediction, the Commander in Chief is about to retire from Service. The Curtain of seperation will soon be drawn, and the military scene to him will be closed for ever. George Washington
8. DR_190825_127.JPG: The Berrien Farmstead Rockingham is believed to be the second oldest house in the Millstone River valley, its original construction dating between 1702 and 1710. Jedidiah Higgins, one of the earliest settlers in the Rocky Hill-Kingston area, is credited with building the house. New Jersey Supreme Court Justice John Berrien purchased the property in the 1730s. It was during his ownership that Rockingham reached its full potential as a "fine and healthy farm." In 1764, Berrien enlarged the house, added a kitchen wing (no longer extant) and embellished the interior of the house with architectural woodwork. Upon his death in 1772, the property passed to his wife, Margaret. In 1783, Rockingham became significant as General George Washington's final military headquarters. Mrs. Berrien had put the property up for sale, but when presented with the opportunity to rent to General Washington, she accepted. Mrs. Berrien sold the house to Frederick Cruser in 1802. The Crusers remained in the house until 1841, during which time the house underwent renovations, including the addition of a front porch. The property changed hands several times, and by the middle of the 1890s the Rocky Hill Quarry Company owned Rockingham and used it as quarters for quarry workers. In 1896, two local residents organized the Washington Headquarters Association. The Association, which purchased the house from the quarry for $1200, and the adjoining land for $1, moved the house farther away from the quarry to protect it. The Association's goal was to restore the house and furnish it with donated items that may have belonged to the Washington or Berrien families. The State of New Jersey acquired the property in 1935 and in 1956, moved the house even further from the advancing quarry. On July 20, 2001, the house was moved a third time to its current location. Rockingham's primary period of significance is 1783 - 1802, spanning the era from George Washington's residency at the end of the Revolutionary War to the acquisition of the property by the Cruser family in 1802. This period exemplifies both the early years of the new nation as well as the general social, economic and cultural revolutions of Central New Jersey's Millstone River valley. It takes into account the most important surviving elements of the main farmhouse, addresses the process of change over time, and allows for the most flexible use of the current site.
9. DR_190825_130.JPG: The Revolutionary War & General Washington's Last Military Headquarters On August 23, 1783 General George Washington arrived at Rockingham from Newburgh, New York, and Picture of George Washington with his aides and military guard present, settled into what was to become his last military headquarters. His wife, Martha, a small guard of 12 to 24 men, and several personal servants accompanied him. The General would ultimately stay for three and a half months from August until November. Martha Washington stayed until the beginning of October, after which she traveled to Philadelphia before making her way home to Mount Vernon. While in residence, the General entertained many dignitaries, including Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and Thomas Paine. He also attended the Continental Congress, which was held in Princeton, the national capitol at the time. During his stay, General Washington anxiously awaited news of the formal document that would end the Revolutionary War and recognize the independence of the 13 colonies. When Washington received word at Rockingham that the "Treaty of Paris" had been signed on Sept 3, 1783, he composed his "Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States." In it, he recognized the service of his countrymen and announced his retirement from public life, a deliberate move that sent the message that he did not want to be the fledgling nation's king. Washington did not envision the establishment of a monarchy for his country, and in the end it was decided the new nation would be governed "by the people, for the people."
10. DR_190825_133.JPG: On October 30, 1783, General Washington's "Farewell Orders" were dispatched from Rockingham to General Henry Knox at Newburgh, New York with instructions it was to be read to the troops on November 2. Congress passed the official proclamation releasing the troops from service as of November 4, 1783. On November 9, Washington ordered his papers and personal possessions sent to Mount Vernon. The following day the General and his aides left Rockingham for West Point and New York City before returning home to Mount Vernon. Rockingham Today Rockingham's new location consists of 27 acres. The mansion has been restored and painted in colors particular to colonial times. The kitchen wing China set has been rebuilt with materials such as red oak beams that might have been used in colonial times, and an 18th century kitchen garden has been planted. With the addition of a historic barn, several outbuildings and an orchard, the site will look much like it did when General Washington stayed there. The site features guided tours of the mansion and a children's museum. Domestic chores such as open hearth cooking and spinning are demonstrated during special events held in the park, including a celebration of Washington's birthday. Visitors can also enjoy extensive recreational opportunities including hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking and fishing along the adjoining Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. Rockingham is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
Wikipedia Description: Delaware and Raritan Canal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Raritan Bay is located at the southern portion of Lower New York Bay between the U.S. states of New York and New Jersey and is part of the New York Bight. Raritan Bay, the northern outlet of the Canal, is shown as the highlighted area south of Lower New York Bay and north of Monmouth County. The bay is bounded on the west by South Amboy, New Jersey, where the nation's first passenger railroad company, Camden and Amboy Railroad (C&A), had its northern terminus. Like the canal, it connected New York City (harbor) to Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal (D&R Canal) is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s, that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia and New York City, especially coal from the anthracite fields in eastern Pennsylvania. The canal allowed shippers to cut many miles off the existing route from the Pennsylvania coal fields, down the Delaware, around Cape May, and up along the (occasionally treacherous) Atlantic Ocean coast to New York City.

History

The idea of a canal between the Raritan and Delaware Rivers had a long history, going back to William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, who suggested it in the 1690s. Such a canal would shorten the journey from Philadelphia to New York by 100 miles, and relieve the need for boats to venture into the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1816, the New Jersey legislature created a commission of three people, including John Rutherfurd, a former United States Senator and a major landowner in New Jersey, which was authorized to survey and map a proposed route for a canal. Rutherfurd engaged John Randel Jr. to do the survey; Rutherfurd knew Randel from his work on the New York City Commissioners' Plan of 1811, for which Rutherfurd was one of the commissioners, and Randel was the chief surveyor. The route was to be "a level line as far as was practicable from Longbridge farm to the Delaware, and to the Raritan, in the shortest direction that the ground would admit, which line should be run with the greatest accuracy, and be esteemed the base line of the work." Randel spent two months surveying this route and, with the aid of a millwright, estimating water flow. They came to the conclusion that the canal would require less than an eighteenth of the water passing through the local streams, which would still leave enough water flow for local mills. Despite Randel's report, and the clear advantage of having such a canal, the opposition to the project managed to keep anything from happening until 1830.
Terminus in New Brunswick

On February 4, 1830, the New Jersey legislature passed legislation that created the charter for the D&R Canal. The charter for the Camden and Amboy Rail Road and Transportation Company was passed the same day. The D&R charter allocated $1.5 million of stock for construction which was required to be completed within eight years. The canal was to be considered a public highway although the corporation would be allowed to collect tolls and transit duties for passengers and cargo transported along the canal.

The canal was almost not dug due to the lack of subscriptions. When that occurred, Robert F. Stockton, the grandson of Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, pledged his and his family's personal fortune to continue the work.

The canal system was dug mostly by hand tools, mostly by Irish immigrants. Work began in 1830 and was completed in 1834, at an estimated cost of $2,830,000. When the canal first opened, teams of mules were used to tow canal boats through it (the steam engine was not yet applied to such uses).

The canal's greatest usage occurred during the 1860s and 1870s, when it was used primarily to transport coal from Pennsylvania to New York City, which had entered the Industrial Revolution. On May 18, 1872, the D&R Canal Company was merged with several parallel railroads into the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company, and leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad. Over time, the importance of the D&R Canal waned as railroads were used to perform, more rapidly, the same function as canals, but it remained in operation until 1932. Years later, the section between Trenton and Bordentown was filled for various road and rail projects, leaving the feeder waters to solely supply the main canal from Trenton northwards to New Brunswick. Two other sections of the canal were piped underground: one in Trenton when the Trenton Freeway (U.S. Route 1) was constructed in 1952, and the other in New Brunswick when the Elmer Boyd Parkway Extension (Route 18) was constructed in 1984.

Route

The main section of the canal runs from Bordentown on the Delaware to New Brunswick on the Raritan. A feeder canal section (which feeds water into the main canal) stretches 22 miles (35 km) northward from Trenton, upstream along the east bank of the Delaware to Bull's Island near Frenchtown. The feeder canal collects water from higher elevations to the north, and feeds it to the highest section of the main canal, which flows generally north and east to the end, and had flowed south into the Crosswicks Creek at Bordentown. The total length of the entire canal system was approximately 66 miles (106 km). The main section was 44 miles (71 km) long, 75 feet (23 m) wide and 8 feet (2.4 m) deep; the feeder was 22 miles (35 km) long, 60 feet (18 m) wide and 6 feet (2 m) deep.

Altered and abandoned sections

A section of the main D&R Canal in Trenton has been covered over (the water still flows below) by the Trenton Freeway (U.S. Route 1) and is inaccessible to public use. The portion of the canal that provided access to the Delaware River in Bordentown is also abandoned. In Trenton it has been covered by Route 129, which opened in 1996. Another section south of Trenton is located in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey between the southern boundary of Trenton and the Crosswicks Creek.
Canal Lock (2005), with a dam constructed in place of the upper gate

Locks and spillways

Locks were used to overcome elevation differences along the D&R canal. Many of the locks are still present along the canal route; however, the lock gates have been replaced on the upstream side with small dams and water outfalls. The downstream gates have been removed, so the water in the locks is level with the water on the downstream side. Some of the locks have been buried or removed due to construction projects in the vicinity of the canal.

A number of spillways, which drained excess water from the canal into nearby waterways during periods of heavy flow, are located along the canal route. Spillways are evident as a dip in the tow path along the canal. Some have paving stones spaced closely enough for mules to walk, but are impassable for bicycles. With the flow stopped, species typical of stagnant water live in them.

Associated rivers

Delaware River - Feeds the Delaware and Raritan Canal via a feeder canal that approaches from the north along the east bank of the Delaware River, starting at Bulls Island, to the southern terminus of the D&R Canal near Trenton.
Millstone River - Parallels the Delaware and Raritan Canal from Princeton north to Manville. A flood control study is currently[needs update] being conducted for the Millstone River basin by two government organizations, which may affect the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the future.
Raritan River - Parallels the Delaware and Raritan Canal from Manville north and east to New Brunswick. The northern terminus of the Delaware and Raritan Canal is in New Brunswick.

Landmark

The Delaware and Raritan Canal was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1973. The many historic canal houses where the bridge tenders have lived (such as the Blackwells Mills Canal House and the Port Mercer Canal House) were listed as contributing properties.

State Park

In 1974, most of the canal system was declared a New Jersey state park. It remains one today, and is used for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. A graded natural-surface trail along the side of the canal, which was the tow path that mules used to tow barges on the canal before steam powered barges, is now used for hiking, jogging, bicycling, and horseback riding. Some 36 miles (58 km) of the main canal, and all 22 miles (35 km) of the feeder canal, still exist. The feeder canal along the Delaware, being a former railroad rather than a towpath, is especially suited to bicycling. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.

The canal is accessible from many points along its route, with small parking areas providing access at most road crossings. One of the most scenic and popular sections of the D&R Canal state park is the segment along Lake Carnegie in Princeton, New Jersey, which features the canal on one side of the path and the lake on the other side. Another attractive section borders the Colonial Park Arboretum and Gardens in East Millstone.

When the canal was used for transportation, New Jersey's landscape was mostly rural, and its primary business was agriculture. "Now," in the words of Howard Green, research director of the New Jersey Historical Commission, "It is one of the most beloved parks in the state, a sinewy, snake-like greenway through one of the most heavily populated parts of the world. It has gone from being the machine in the garden, to being garden in the machine."
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