[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E526-E527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE DELAWARE AND RARITAN CANAL 175TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LEONARD LANCE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 3, 2009

  Mr. LANCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay a special tribute to 
the Delaware and Raritan Canal upon its 175th Anniversary Celebration. 
This year New Jersey towns and community groups along the canal will 
celebrate the rich contributions of the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and 
I wholeheartedly join them.
  The Delaware and Raritan Canal, which spans more than 66 miles across 
the State of New Jersey, has an important place in New Jersey history, 
and provides scenic and recreational facilities that New Jersey 
families enjoy today.
  In our state's early history, the Delaware and Raritan Canal provided 
a significant route for the movement of commerce and people. As part of 
the Intracoastal Waterway, the canal also played an important role of 
connecting towns and people from Florida to New England.
  All along the route, canal boats delivered Pennsylvania anthracite 
coal to factories, homes, and coal yards in New Jersey, New York 
harbor, and points north and south. They brought farm products to 
market; carried store-

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bought goods to residents in the interior; delivered raw materials to 
the factories; and distributed finished products to outlets throughout 
the region. Businesses along the canal included food packing companies, 
rubber reclaiming plants, distilleries, coal yards, quarries, 
lumberyards, pharmaceuticals, terra cotta, wallpaper manufacturers, 
farms and many more.
  According to canal historians, 1866 was the canal's peak year, when 
almost three million tons of cargo were shipped through the waterway--
more tonnage than was carried in any single year on the much longer and 
more famous Erie Canal.
  During three wars, the Civil War, World War I and World War II, the 
Delaware and Raritan Canal carried men and materials between the ports 
of New York and Philadelphia.
  In 1973, several coalitions in New Jersey sought and secured a place 
on the National Register of Historic Places for the Delaware and 
Raritan Canal. One year later, the canal became the centerpiece of the 
Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. Since then, the Canal Society of 
New Jersey and the D&R Canal Watch have worked tirelessly to preserve 
and protect the canal's rich history for generations to come.
  Today the Delaware and Raritan Canal serves New Jerseyans as a 
tranquil ribbon of green, connecting our historic past with 
recreational opportunities that are enjoyed by so many.

                          ____________________