Although the canal shut down many years ago, remnants of its glory days remain today. Spencer McLaughlin hopes to keep it that way for the foreseeable future.

The Juniata County Historical Society is currently negotiating for ownership of the Lewistown Narrows Canal Park.

“We have a lot of other really important properties that we are already taking care of,” explained McLaughlin, who serves as one of the historical society’s fundraising committee co-chairs. “By taking on this site, we are doing something very different than at our other sites.”

The historical society operates the Tuscarora Academy Museum in Mifflin is one of them, along with the Pomeroy, the Academia Covered Bridge, which stands as the longest covered bridge remaining in Pennsylvania; Tuscarora Valley Primitive Baptist Church in Mifflintown and Glebe Cemetery, both in Mifflintown.

Adding the canal park to their portfolio would be something quite unique, McLaughlin said.

“This has a very different appeal,” McLaughlin explained. “By expanding who we are, we are reaping other benefits as an organization. It’s worthwhile being cautious of our current assets, but, by doing this, we are opening ourselves up to other avenues of support.”

Mainly the five- to six-county Juniata River Canal Driving Trail, which stretches from Perry County up through Mifflin and Juniata counties to Blair County and ending Cambria County, that could include the canal park. “It could bring visitors to the region — to our local restaurants and lodging,” McLaughlin added. “It would definitely increase our role as a contributing member of our local economy.”

That would certainly endear the historical society to many local and small businesses. It could also be a stepping stone for greater regional endeavors.

The Juniata branch linked the waters of the Susquehanna and Juniata rivers to Hollidaysburg, 127 miles to the west, as part of Pennsylvania’s attempt to compete with the Erie Canal. The uphill course of the canal was augmented by 86 locks and 25 aqueducts.

The former lock-keeper’s house at the Lewistown Narrows Canal Park.

As part of the environmental and planning studies for the reconstruction of Routes 22/322 through the Lewistown Narrows, the Federal Highway Administration and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation completed a comprehensive survey of archaeological and historic resources.

The project included detailed documentation of the Pennsylvania Canal and construction of a public canal park.

At the eastern end of the Lewistown Narrows, a section of the Juniata branch of the Pennsylvania Canal opened in 2008 as a park.

The park features a stabilized lift lock, parking and picnic facilities, interpretive exhibits and a hiking trail along the old towpath.

At this site is Lift Lock No. 13, with preserved wooden lock gates, and a restored section of canal. Also on the site is a cross-gabled stone building constructed in 1860 as the headquarters for an iron-mining operation that also housed the lock-keeper. The towpath has been converted to a 1.5-mile hiking trail.

A close up of a sign outside the lock-keeper’s house, which tells the story of the canal.

“If everything goes well, we could take official ownership of the property by summer,” McLaughlin said. “Within a year, our strategic plan could be in play, and within three to five years we could hit our stride.”

McLaughlin isn’t certain about the future of the lock house. It could become a museum of canal history, but it should become clearer with the completion of an overall site management plan for the park.

The future of the project also depends on the state’s willingness to provide the historical society with an incentive for taking ownership of the park.

McLaughlin hopes the state will offer the historical society $100,000 in incentives, which would enable them to maintain the park for at least 10 years.

“We would be able to afford to take over the property and do the park justice,” said McLaughlin, explaining that there would be costs for insurance as well as installing surveillance cameras and making some necessary repairs immediately.

The lock house is in “stable condition” as it received a new roof recently despite being vacant for some time.

Should a deal fall through the park could be placed on the auction block and go to the highest bidder, a process that McLaughlin has also stopped once.

The historical society’s board of directors voted unanimously in December to proceed with the mission, which must gain approval from PennDOT and the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office to name a few.

“I think protecting this is of the utmost importance,” McLaughlin said. “Right now, it’s just very much canal history, but there’s a greater Juniata River history that I think could be honored.”

The historical society started to entertain the idea about taking ownership of the canal park in January 2024. That’s when the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau held a meeting with each of the counties included in the driving tour. That’s also what prompted McLaughlin to contact PennDOT to discuss the park becoming a stop on the driving tour. By March, the tone of the discussions turned more serious.

Around May, the historical society opened discussions with PennDOT and formed an ad hoc committee for more fact finding. There are some questions to be answered with regard to the septic holding tank, basement of the house, upkeep of the lock, financial incentives, use of the portion of the property that will remain under the control of the state and any restrictions.

In the meantime, the historical society is looking to raise money — in the ballpark of $25,000 — to move forward with the project.

The historical society holds fundraising drives for various projects, including the installation of a climate-control system at the Tuscarora Academy Museum and restoring the shutters at the Tuscarora Valley Primitive Baptist Church.

“This is certainly a big project for us,” McLaughlin said. “It cannot be understated how substantial this would be for the historical society.

“It’s not that we haven’t taken up these large-scale projects before, the timing is always the question about how it will happen.”

While the project is still in its early stages, it’s not a given that the historical society will move forward. “We want to do this,” McLaughlin said. “We’re interested in doing this, but we have to come to an agreement on the terms that make sense. We’re optimistic.”

If it comes to fruition, McLaughlin will look to secure additional funding through grants.

PennDOT Press Officer Timothy Nebgen said the historical society’s proposal to PennDOT is under review.

“There will be a meeting at some point to discuss the proposal with all of the stakeholders and what steps need to be taken.” A date has not been set.

To donate, visit www.juniatacountyhistoricalsociety.org/drive.