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.

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: High Bridge – Part 3

Here’s an east view of the old High Bridge. You can see two old cars crossing over to Hemphill Street. An older Chesapeake City resident told me that one time, when his grandfather tried to drive a heavy horse and wagon across, the bridge collapsed into the canal. The building just to the right of the first car was the Woolley House.

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area

Canal bridges in the Chesapeake City area – circa 1907 – 1949: High Bridge – Part 2

 

Here’s a shot of the wooden swing bridge (High Bridge) looking north towards Chesapeake City’s Hemphill Street. This bridge spanning the narrow canal was activated by the tender engaging a small electric motor. The bridge pivoted from the North Side and swung towards the east. Note the bridge tender’s shack at left.

Canal Bridges

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

The photos and commentary for the next few weeks will be about the bridges that spanned the canal in the Chesapeake City area from about 1907 until 1949. This early post card shows the early, narrow canal, with the towpath on the right (North Side). The bridge in the distance is High Bridge, with the Corps of Engineers’ buildings off to the left (note the smoke stack for the large steam pump that brought the water from Back Creek to the locked canal. The bridge spanned Hemphill Street on the right with the Causeway on the left. The Causeway eventually led to Rees’ Wharf, AKA City Dock, which is now where the Miss Clare moors at Pell Gardens.