Description: This 1967 photograph shows the remnants of Lock #19 of the Hocking Canal, located north of Nelsonville, Ohio, near U.S. Route 33. The Hocking Canal, built between 1829 and 1843, was a 56-mile-long canal that linked to the Ohio and Erie Canal at Carroll, Ohio. Stretching from Carroll to Athens, the Hocking Canal stimulated the growth of Lancaster, Logan, and Nelsonville, and opened the Hocking Valley to trade. Its major exports were salt, coal, and iron. Imports included goods from the East, such as cloth, shoes, and dishes. The advent of railroads in the 1850s meant the beginning of the end for canals. The Hocking Canal was abandoned in 1894. The nineteenth lock on the Hocking Canal was known as the "Sheep Pen Lock. Built as a guard lock, it was intended to permit slackwater navigation of the Hocking River by regulating water depths where river and canal met. Those plans were later abandoned, and the mechanism was converted to a lift lock, which raised and lowered boats as required by changes in the canal's elevation. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06112
Subjects: Hocking Canal (Ohio); Canals--Ohio--History--19th century; Transportation--Ohio--History; Nelsonville (Ohio); Hocking County (Ohio); Ohio Economy--Transportation and Development
Places: Nelsonville (Ohio); Hocking County (Ohio)
 

Description: This color photograph shows a group of onlookers gathering to watch a vintage train belonging to the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway in Nelsonville, Ohio, 1976. The train travels from Nelsonville to Logan and back. Along the way passengers view the historic, scenic Hocking River Valley; an historic company town, Haydenville; the Hocking Canal; and brick kilns of Nelsonville Brick Company. The image was submitted in the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest. In August 1976, the Ohio American Revolution Bicentennial Advisory Committee (OARBAC) began the Spirit of Ohio Bicentennial Photo Contest as part of a larger effort in Ohio to celebrate the 1976 American Bicentennial. The contest was meant to document "the spirit and character of the people and places which represent Ohio during [the] bicentennial year," and to create a permanent photographic archive of the year's festivity for use by future researchers. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted over 500 photographs for consideration, all taken within the state between January 1 and December 31, 1976. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL07006
Subjects: American Revolution Bicentennial (1976); Railroads; Hocking Valley Railway; Trains; Tourists
Places: Nelsonville (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)
 

Description: Canal plat map showing a section of the Hocking Canal through the town of Nelsonville in Athens County, between stations 2131 and 2216. The Hocking River is pictured along with various streets and properties in Nelsonville, and railroads, stations, locks, and other landmarks along the route are also noted. The map was created under the direction of the members of the Canal Commission of the state of Ohio and approved by the Chief Engineer of the Department of Public Works (variously referred to as the Board of Public Works and the Division of Public Works). Construction began on the Hocking Canal in 1831 and was completed in 1843, connecting Athens and Carroll and running roughly parallel in sections to the Hocking River. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: BV4922_010
Subjects: Hocking Canal (Ohio); Transportation; Canals -- Ohio; Rivers--Ohio
Places: Nelsonville (Ohio); Hocking County (Ohio)
 

Description: A forest ranger in Wayne National Forest completes a form while wearing a pair of headphones in the Shawnee Lookout Tower. A caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: "Fire Fighting Station (Tower)," while an accompanying caption describes the image as "Shawnee Tower forest ranger. Near Haydenville." The form being completed gives the date as Saturday, April 23, 1938, and is signed D. B. Blankenship. The Shawnee Lookout Tower was one of four lookout towers built in the Wayne National Forest area during the 1930s. This particular tower was built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and was located off Sand Run--New Straitsville Road near New Straitsville in Hocking County. It is the only one of the four that remains standing. In the earlier part of the 2000s the tower was open to the public, but it was closed in 2004 due to wind damage. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F04_020_1
Subjects: Wayne National Forest; Forests; Geography and Natural Resources; Parks; Fire prevention
Places: Shawnee Tower; Wayne National Forest; Hocking County (Ohio); Nelsonville (Ohio);
 

Description: A forest ranger in Wayne National Forest completes a form while wearing a pair of headphones in the Shawnee Lookout Tower. A caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: "Shawnee Tower forest ranger. Near Haydenville." The form being completed gives the date as Saturday, April 23, 1938, and is signed D. B. Blankenship. The Shawnee Lookout Tower was one of four lookout towers built in the Wayne National Forest area during the 1930s. This particular tower was built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and was located off Sand Run--New Straitsville Road near New Straitsville in Hocking County. It is the only one of the four that remains standing. In the earlier part of the 2000s the tower was open to the public, but it was closed in 2004 due to wind damage. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F04_021_1
Subjects: Wayne National Forest; Forests; Geography and Natural Resources; Parks; Fire prevention
Places: Shawnee Tower; Wayne National Forest; Hocking County (Ohio); Nelsonville (Ohio);
 

Description: A forest ranger in Wayne National Forest completes a form while wearing a pair of headphones in the Shawnee Lookout Tower. A caption on the reverse of the photograph reads: "Fire Fighting Station (Tower)." The form being completed gives the date as Saturday, April 23, 1938, and is signed D. B. Blankenship. The Shawnee Lookout Tower was one of four lookout towers built in the Wayne National Forest area during the 1930s. This particular tower was built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and was located off Sand Run--New Straitsville Road near New Straitsville in Hocking County. It is the only one of the four that remains standing. In the earlier part of the 2000s the tower was open to the public, but it was closed in 2004 due to wind damage. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F04_024_1
Subjects: Wayne National Forest; Forests; Geography and Natural Resources; Parks; Fire prevention
Places: Shawnee Tower; Wayne National Forest; Hocking County (Ohio); Nelsonville (Ohio);
 

Description: Athens County was formed in 1805, and was named for Athens, Greece. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B05F05_007_1
Subjects: Architecture--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Architecture, Domestic--Ohio--Pictorial works.; Coal mining
Places: Nelsonville (Ohio); Athens County (Ohio)