Aerial of the Lift Bridge and City Dock

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: aerial of the Lift Bridge and City Dock

Here’s a terrific 1929 aerial view of parts of north and south Chesapeake City and the lift bridge. This bridge was opened for traffic in 1926, seven years after the Corps of Engineers bought the canal from the Canal Company in 1919. At left is what was left of Long Bridge, which was removed in the early thirties. You can see the Rio Theater in the distance towards the middle left and in the foreground what is left of the lock that had serviced the canal for many years. At right are Lock Street and the old Schaefer’s store, along with the large Ericsson Line building owned then by Roger Woolyhan. The swampy area just above the lift bridge was where my grandfather, Harper Hazel, worked as a timber man to break down the white pine rafts so the logs could fit through the three canal locks on their way to the Delaware River.

Rees' Wharf, circa 1915

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: Long Bridge, part 5

Here’s a view of South Chesapeake City’s Rees’ wharf in about 1915. Notice Long Bridge at left, Franklin Hall, the Apartments, the Cropper House, Rees’ granary, and the Bayard House. At about that time Albert Beiswanger had an ice cream parlor on the left just after you crossed the bridge. When I was a boy he had moved his store to George Street. The schooner (grain boat), Cara Dora, was owned by Walter Cooling’s grandfather, Capt. Zack Cooling.

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: Long Bridge, part 4

 

Here we see a southwest view of South Chesapeake City, with, at left, Long Bridge spanning across Back Creek. Notice the grain building just to the right of it. This building in this old picture was replaced by a newer one that I used to go under in the late forties and early fifties. In the distance is Franklin Hall, the Ohrel Building (once a tailor shop and existing now as one of the smallest bed and breakfasts in the country), and the Bayard House at right. The boys in town around that time (John Sager, Walter Cooling, Dick Titter and others) used to dive off Long Bridge and swim in this area of Back Creek. John Sager told me that Rube Hevalow operated this center pivot bridge by turning an iron crank, which took a good bit of energy. The boys would sometimes help him turn it when a vessel had to get through. John told me that one time Rube got mad at the boys for some reason and chased them away. Well, the boys came back later to get even and went under the bridge and put a rock in the gears to keep Rube from operating the bridge.

Walking across the the Chesapeake City lock gate

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: Walking across the lock gate

Here are two men walking across the lock gate. My grandmother, Geneva Truss Hazel, used to take this short cut by walking across to the North Side like this to visit her sister, Lidia. She told me that she should not have done it because of the danger of falling into the lock. John Trush told me a story about when his father took him across this short cut when John was a little boy. He remembered being frightened when he looked down and saw how deep it was below.

Long Bridge, part 2

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: Long Bridge, part 2

Here you can see a horse and buggy coming off long bridge and headed for the South Side’s City Dock. In the distance the large building is the great Masonic Hall, and over to the far right side (south) is the Basin (now the location of the Chesapeake Inn). Straight ahead is the Causeway, which would eventually lead to Bethel Road. This area of the Causeway would be the place to be back in the early 1900s. There were many shops in the Masonic Hall and along the street. A store and an ice cream parlor were on the right side, and farther down was the old firehouse. It was moved to the South Side’s West Biddle Street and can be seen in its recently renovated condition. Several establishments were located in the Masonic Hall: a ladies clothing and hat shop, a second-floor barber shop, and on the third floor movies were shown. Cousin John Sager told me that when he was a boy he would go there to watch the movies and help his father, Jay, run the projector. In those times, if you wanted to visit the North Side, you’d have to walk or ride your horse across Long Bridge, go all the way down the Causeway, past the Corps of Engineers’ superintendent’s building, and finally make a left to cross the canal via High Bridge to Hemphill Street. You could also take a shortcut and cross by being brave enough to walk, tightrope style, across the lock gate to Lock Street. To do this you’d have to take a left before the Masonic Hall and walk down the “pathway to the lock.”

Long Bridge

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: Long Bridge

This pretty girl is Marion Wells. She’s sitting on the town’s fire bell, an iron ring the firemen would strike with a hammer to alert citizen volunteers of a fire. This is looking south, close to where the lock was located. Notice long bridge in the distance. It spanned Back Creek from the Causeway at left (now the Corps of Engineers’ area) to City Dock, AKA Rees’ Wharf, and now Pell Gardens at the area where Capt. Hazel moors the Miss Clare tour boat). At far right, on pilings, you can see Ralph Rees’ grain warehouse. At low tide, some of its old pilings can still be seen opposite the Canal Creamery. Franklin Hall is also visible at top right.

High Bridge – Part 4

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: High Bridge – Part 4

 

Here you are standing on High Bridge looking south, ready to walk the Causeway, cross Long Bridge, and enter South Chesapeake City. You can see at left the Corps of Engineers’ buildings and smoke stack in the distance. Notice the horse and the ship (headed west) waiting for the bridge to swing open so it can sail through. This wooden walkway extended pretty far and swung to the right until it hit the Causeway road.