Reclaiming Our Heritage
When the Ohio & Erie Canal went out of service, its history followed varied paths ranging from new commercial uses to neglect. Some stretches of the canal, such as in Massillon and parts of Akron, were built over for new development. Industries such as Jaite Paper Mill, as well as American Steel and Wire, used canal water for industrial purposes. In some places, the canal was left alone, and natural succession reclaimed it as natural space.
Since the canal era, each community in the Canalway has followed its own history. Some that had boomed in the canal heyday remained small after it ended. Others continued to grow with the industrial expansion the late 1800s and early 1900s. Regardless of its particular history, each community has changed and redefined itself over time, drawing on its heritage and new conditions. Today, each continues as a living community where people can experience its heritage and enjoy its ongoing vibrancy.
In rural and urban areas, the Ohio & Erie Canalway of today bears the marks of our shared heritage: the heritage of our families and the nation. Our heritage is important. Look around to see people and organizations working to preserve the natural, cultural, historic and recreational assets of our communities. Designating the Canalway as a National Heritage Area in 1996 has helped revitalize the area and further sparked planning for development that recognizes and preserves natural areas, historic sites and cultural treasures.
The Ohio & Erie Canalway celebrates the significance of the canal and its legacy to the region and nation. It offers people opportunities to journey by car, foot, bicycle and train to discover the canal and a myriad of interconnected places and stories. Nature, industrial and pastoral landscapes, great lakes and working rivers, and widely diverse communities all await people who explore the Canalway. And one very important goal is to discover and create ways for people to have fun in the Canalway. Recreation is a key component of reuse.
As you explore the Ohio & Erie Canalway, take note of the efforts underway to restore our natural systems, preserve our historic and cultural heritage, and expand economic development opportunities. Whether it is the canal, a wetland, an industrial site or the idea of the frontier, we are working to preserve the Canalway for generations to come. The Ohio & Erie Canalway is not just about the past. It is about the present sense of place of our communities. It is also a source of inspiration and economic development envisioning our future.
We continue to make plans to develop the Ohio & Erie Canalway. This region has a rich and storied past, a vibrant and dedicated community of the present, and both of these help us inform our future.