The Union Canal – Kevin Dahms

Kevin Dahms
500 E. College Ave., Apt G10
State College, PA 16801
kjd5009@psu.edu
March 2, 2010
Mr. Alan Jalowitz
201B Pattee Library
University Park, PA 16802

Dear Mr. Jalowitz,

Subject: Proposal for the PA Center for the Book Project
Introduction
In the late 1700s/early 1800s the main method of trade in the then brand new
United States of America was water travel. This was just before railroads really
took off. Enter the Union Canal. Often called the “golden link” among locals, it
connected Western and Eastern PA via water. This allowed a direct path of coal
and lumber to be shipped to Philadelphia, then the temporary capital of the
nation.
The successes and failures associated with the canal alone are enough to
intrigue anyone. Just the idea that a water source actually connected Pittsburgh
and Philadelphia is pretty remarkable. The idea of expanding the width of the
canal a few decades into it's completion and the survival of the union tunnel are
also very interesting.
As you can see, I am extremely interested in writing about “union canal” for my
informative article. I selected this particular topic because I am a civil
engineering major. It was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering
Landmark in 1970. While searching for engineering friendly topics in the topic
list, this one seemed very interesting to me. I had no idea that this canal even
existed and I'd like to share it's story, so others can be “in the know.”
Credentials
As a civil engineering major, just the idea of a canal alone is very interesting to
me. Because of this, I should be able to write a well written informative article on
this topic. It is not as though I was assigned a topic to research, rather I got to
decide what I wanted to explore and in that case, it's what I want to do. I don't
mind looking up the background behind the canal because it generally interests
me.
I have written several research papers before, so I know how to find the
information. However, the multiple meetings in the library and the general
instruction that the librarians have given the class so far this semester have
broadened my knowledge of available resources. I now have other means of
getting the information I need on top of the ways I knew how to conduct my
research at the beginning of the semester.
It is nice to know that I have a major resource center less than a mile from my
apartment. You have mentioned a few times that you will personally help anyone
out who asks for research help. This is a major asset that I can take advantage
of. I have heard of students from class coming to you for help and they have had
nothing but good things to say. Janet is another resource option along with any
of the other librarians.
I am a fairly organized person in general, so completing this assignment on time
and of quality should not be difficult, especially considering this is something that
I want to do.

Research
The internet can be a wonderful thing if used correctly. I found some good image
sources online. The “wikimedia commons” for example, is a great source. A
union canal search turned up an image dating back to the 1860s of the second
lock of the canal, near Reading, Pa. Also found on that website, was a map of
Pennsylvania's canals, which I plan on using in my article because it displays
the exact location of the canal. A simple google image search (license free)
turned up a current picture of the union canal tunnel that still exists today. That
gives me three solid images to use in the article.
When I searched “union canal” the Penn State CAT for the first time, I saw a
book located in the special collections library. I had never spent that much time
in the library researching. That's not to say that I'm not ever in the library, but
usually I'm studying for an exam, not researching. This project has already
broadened my horizons. I decided to check out this “special” section of the
library. After the librarian found the book I was looking for, I couldn't believe how
old it was. In the manual there was a section titled “The Union Canal Company
of Pennsylvania”. James Worrall, an engineer that inspected the Union Canal in
1852, gives a formal report on the canal for that year. This was a great find that
will be a serviceable resource for the article.
The BBC website also gave me some useful information on the canal. The first
link that I found reports how today there are railroad tracks running along the
canal that play host to an excursion train. It mentions what the narrator points
out on the train ride and current available times to ride. The other BBC article
explains what errors were encountered during the construction of the canal. It
talks about how the canal was attempted a second time and also outlines what
is left of the canal. These will also help explain the state of the canal today.

Technical Description
Still working on it.

Conclusion
I hope that the proposal has shown that I am fully committed to the success of
this project and that I have already found several resources. Therefore, I
request that you give me your permission to continue to research and begin my
writing. Please let me know If you have any feedback or suggestions that might
help me out. I am looking forward to getting started.
Thanks,
Kevin Dahms
Annotated Bibliography
Dennis, Robert N. Stereoscopic views of second lock above Reading, Union Canal. Digital image.
Wikimedia Commons. 31 Aug. 2005. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org
wiki/File:Second_lock_above_Reading,_Union_Canal,_from_Robert_N._Dennis_collection
_of_stereoscopic_views_2.png>.

This is a stereoscopic view of the canal taken sometime between 1965-1985. It is a picture of the
second lock of the canal above Reading, PA.

Finetooth, U.S. Census, and Ruhrfisch. Historic canals of Pennsylvania. Digital image. Wikimedia
Commons. 17 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Pennsylvania_canals.png/288px-
Pennsylvania_canals.png>.
Wikipedia Commons contains a map of Pennsylvania outlining the location of the Union Canal along
with other major rivers and bodies of water that slice up the state.

"PE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN""http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1

/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd" BBC - h2g2 - Pennsylvania's Union Canal." BBC -
Homepage. Web. 16 Feb. 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A697548>.

This BBC site explains what errors were encountered during the construction of the canal. It talks about
how the canal was attempted a second time and also outlines what is left of the canal. This will help
explain the state of the canal today.

"PE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN""http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1

/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd" BBC - h2g2 - Middletown-Hummelstown Railroad, Pennsylvania,
USA." BBC - Homepage. Web. 16 Feb. 2010.<http://www.bbc.co.uk
/dna/h2g2/A786387>.

The article reports how today there are railroad tracks running along the canal that play host to an
excursion train. It mentions what the narrator points out on the train ride and current available times to
ride. This will also help explain the state of the canal today.

Union Canal Tunnel in Lebanon, PA. Digital image. Lebcounty.org. Web. 11 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.lebcounty.org/Commissioners/PublishingImages/UnionCanal.jpg>.

This is a modern picture of the Union Canal Tunnel that was constructed in Lebanon county.

Worrall, James. The Union Canal Company of Pennsylvania. Vol. 11. 68 Dock Street: John C Clark,
1853. Print.

James Worrall, an engineer that inspected the Union Canal in 1852, gives a formal report on the canal
for that year. In this report, he gives the status of the canal and current conditions of different parts of it.
At the end of the report, he recommends to the President and managers of the Pennsylvania Union
Canal company that they finish enlarging the canal.

The Union Canal was an abandoned towpath canal that existed in the 19th century connecting
Philadelphia with the Susquehanna River.