Saturday, May 12, 2007

14. On the Tow Path

Presumably taken the same day as the previous photo. This also makes me think people dressed quite formally when they went out for a walk.

I assume that's the Schuykill River to the right. Now, exactly what was a "tow path"? I know there were barges pulled by mules in the early 1800's, but was that still true a century later?

One last thing - what a picturesque background! Those trees look like someone painted them into the photo. I imagine they've long since been cut down for a subdivision, or something similar.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeah - still used the same way

John Ludwig

Anonymous said...

The canal was used up until the early 1930s, but not for its whole length, as the river and canal silted up and dams were damaged by floods. There was very little boat traffic on the canal after about 1920. A lot of hte canal has been filled in, but there are sections remaining, and the tow path is still a popular walking route.
Janet