User:Fightin' Phillie/Leesport Lock House

The Leesport Lock House is a house accompanying a Lock on the Schuylkill Canal. The house was built adjacent to the Leesport Lock to allow Canal Barges to move quickly up and down the canal. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

= Location = The Lock House is located on Wall Street in Leesport, Pennsylvania, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River.

Adjacent the Lock House is a Car Wash, situated on the foundation of the Lock. The Lock itself can still be seen behind the Car Wash.

The Lock House is across the street from the Union Fire Company of Leesport and the Ambulance Station of the Schuylkill Valley EMS.

= History = The Lock House was originally built in 1834 by the Schuylkill Navigation Company. The Schuylkill Navigation Company was chartered to build a series of navigation improvements in the Schuylkill River, allowing coal from the Coal Region to be delivered from Port Clinton to the ports in Philadelphia. The Schuylkill Navigation Company was the only means of carrying coal en-masse to Philadelphia for twenty 0years, until the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad was completed in 1841. Within only four years, the Reading was hauling three times the amount of coal as the Schuylkill Canal.

Although the canal continued to carry nearly two million tons of Anthracite up through 1859, the Reading Railroad continued to outhaul the Canal. Beginning in 1960, use of the Canal declined, until it was ultimately leased to the Reading Railroad in 1870. By 1890, traffic on the canal was carrying less than a tenth of the cargo as it had during it's most prosperous years.

However, the Lock House quickly remained a symbol of economic growth in the Leesport area. Ultimately, both the canal and the railroad served to develop Leesport's economy.

Today
The Lock House and surrounding grounds have been restored to their 1880-1910 condition and are maintained by the Leesport Lock House Foundation and the Berks County Parks and Recreation Department. The Lock House also hosts an annual Strawberry Festival and Antique sale in early June. The Lock House is also available for small social gatherings or group meetings.

Several relevant artifacts of the lockhouse and other periphanelia from the Schuylkill Canal can be found at the Hoss's Restraunt located just South of Leesport on the nearby Route 61.

= See Also =
 * Schuylkill Canal
 * Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
 * Schuylkill Canal Association
 * National Canal Museum

= References =

Category:National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Category:Infrastructure-related listings on the National Register of Historic Places