In some future time we might enjoy driving part of this tour.


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> https://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2020/11/16/ohio-and-erie-canal-self-guided-tour-celebrates-heritage/6271845002/?for-guid=973b2802-0090-41ff-aa76-8d8b3feb498f&utm_source=lancastereaglegazette-Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_term=hero <https://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/local/2020/11/16/ohio-and-erie-canal-self-guided-tour-celebrates-heritage/6271845002/?for-guid=973b2802-0090-41ff-aa76-8d8b3feb498f&utm_source=lancastereaglegazette-Daily%20Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_briefing&utm_term=hero>
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> Self-guided tour celebrates the Ohio and Erie Canal's heritage, influence
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> BALTIMORE - While concerts or big events might be out of the question during the coronavirus pandemic, a new self-guided tour is a fun and educational option.
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> While the formal kickoff won't be until 2021, visitors are invited to follow the Ohio and Erie Canal Southern Descent Heritage Trail, following the canals from Hebron down to Portsmouth. The self-guided tour takes visitors to locks along the old canal route.
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> Fairfield County Heritage:Celebrate the holidays and history with card from association </story/news/local/2020/11/14/christmas-card-local-heritage-association-celebrates-history/6273861002/>
> Lancaster Kroger:Store updates interior with new selection and layout </story/news/local/2020/11/12/lancaster-kroger-store-updates-interior-new-selection-and-layout/3760943001/>
> Cathy Nelson, founder and president emeritus of the Friends of Freedom Society, said she was inspired to bring the various partners together to create the trail after seeing how the canals are remembered and cared for in northeast Ohio. Her experience as a teacher, and work with other historical agencies in Ohio, drove her to take the project on independently.
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> "Whenever you're up that way, you always hear more about their rich heritage and see more of the locks and canals intact. The heritage in this area is just as rich, but the stories aren't being shared. Someone could walk through an area that's got a lock, and they might have no idea what it is," Nelson said. "So the idea is to help the people of this area celebrate their heritage, and create a tour for people to experience the canals."
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> She said she started researching the canals in 2017 when her friend, who was serving as the Licking County Historical Society president at the time, wanted to put together a bus tour of canals, starting in Hebron. She said she researched everything from Licking County to the Ohio River. During her research, Nelson said she wondered why the locks weren't part of the National Registry of Historical Places, and began visiting and working with community partners to get them listed. The trail is a continuation of that work, she said.
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> Although the kickoff isn't until next year, visitors are welcome to start the trail, or find spots along it. The group is working to get signs to direct visitors, paid for by a grant from Canal Society of Ohio. The signs will show visitors where they are on the trail, and where the canal continues. Nelson said there are plans to have the whole trail online, but the pandemic has caused some delays.
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> Fran Tiburzio, the marketing director of Visit Fairfield County, said following the whole trail may take visitors more than one day, if they're stopping to visit the locks that still exist.
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> "I think what's crazy about the canals, they weren't supposed to even be in Fairfield County. Originally, once they reached where US 70 is now, the canals were supposed to follow US 23. But some influential citizens financed what was called the Lancaster Lateral, and other communities followed suit, which drove the economy up through here," she said. "So we want people to see the route farmers would have sent their goods, and really see the impact those canals had."
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> Tiburzio said the tour is self-guided, out of concern for families' and visitors' safety during the pandemic. And while it's just the southern half of the canals' route from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, the hope is to have the tour expand in the future.
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> "This project is big enough, with all the organizations and communities working to get the tour from here to Portsmouth, but if it can eventually expand, that'd be fantastic," Tiburzio said. "We wanted something that was easy to travel and entertaining. The goal of this tour is for folks to visit Ohio as it is and learn about what it was in the past."
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> Jack Campbell, the Fairfield County Parks District interpretive historian, said he's excited for the tour because of the canals' historical significance.
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> "There were so many locks throughout the county that weren't preserved after the canals became outdated, which was one bad thing about them. The locks just held standing water and became cesspools, so most communities tore them down," he said. "However, locks like the Bibler Lock in Baltimore, the ones just out away from everyone, they survived."
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> "There are some remnants of locks elsewhere in the county, but the really preserved ones are fascinating to see so people can remember how this area really got started.
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> Campbell added the canals were extremely important for grain farmers in the area, with prices jumping from 12 to 15 cents a bushel to 30 after the canals could carry the harvest to market.
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> "Farms really transitioned into growing produce for market, not just substance farming, and the locks and canals created areas of commerce, which is how a lot of towns in the area got boosted," he said. "Each 80 foot canal boat had a haul about equal to a modern day semi-truck."
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> Tiburzio said there aren't any formal maps yet, but visitors are welcome to contact the VFC with questions on the route through Fairfield County, along with points of interest, at phone number 740-654-5929 or check their website at https://visitfairfieldcounty.org/ <https://visitfairfieldcounty.org/>.
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