Posted on October 11, 2018
According to “Along the Delaware and Raritan Canal,” the 1970 account written by James and Margaret Cawley, then-Gov. Peter Vroom led the first barge to pass from Bordentown, the original starting point of the canal, to New Brunswick. Residents at that time told stories of how the canal’s bridges were lined by people to watch.
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Currently, the dredging barges are in Kingston, Rocky Hill and Griggstown.
Life on the barges isn’t easy. An operating engineer oversees each of the three barges to be certain workers are safe.
Previously, the Delaware and Raritan Canal wasn’t as recreational as it is today. The canal remained profitable until 1893, as railroads slowly chipped away at its freight business. In 1944, the canal became a water supply. It was last dredged in the 1970s.
Today, the canal remains important as a water supply. There’s no boating allowed on the sections being dredged, although the towpath from Kingston to Griggstown is mostly open.
Source: my central jersey
