Why a Neversink Valley Area Museum?

In a very real sense one can say that all history is local. Whilst grand plans and global decisions seem to hold center stage, in reality it is the actual, local effects of these actions in which history lives. Look at local history and you will glimpse the broad scope of history's march.

The lower Neversink Valley has witnessed the evolution of transportation along the Shawangunk Ridge from pre-historic Lenape trails and the subsequent Dutch Mine Road, the 19th century D&H Canal and successor railroads to our modern system of paved roads and highways. Each of these has wrought local changes. Through these effects we see our history displayed.

The D&H Canal was much more than simply a means of transporting Pennsylvania anthracite coal to New York City. It provided the livelihood for the laborers and engineers who built the canal as well as those who later worked in the various trades and industries that became established along its length. The D&H had a profound impact on all the lands it traversed.

The mission of our Museum is to preserve, document and interpret the history of the Neversink River valley through exhibitions, educational programs and publications. We are located in Orange County's D&H Canal Park which contains the last remaining watered section of the Canal as well as the cut stone abutments of the Neversink Aqueduct. Because of this, the D&H Canal is a natural focus for our Museum. Of course the Museum has programs dealing with other significant topics but the proximity of the canal continues to lead many to associate us with the Canal.

The D&H Canal is not just an historic abstraction but a real, physical presence for us. We can see where canal boats waited in the "widewater" basin before they crossed the Aqueduct. We can stroll along the same tow path walked for 70 years by mules and horses towing canal boats behind. We can appreciate the engineering feat of spanning the Neversink River when we study the massive aqueduct abutments. Today we are still able to walk past the lock tender's house, Mary Casey's pie shop, the blacksmith's house and the carpenter's house. The Museum's location grounds its Canal programs firmly in the Canal era's continuing presence.

One of the Museum's longstanding programs is our educational tours for school children. Over the years more than 10,000 children have been through our Canal and Lenape programs. The purpose of our programs is to connect our children with the area in which they live and to help them appreciate the continuum of history to which they are a part. We believe that if we are successful in these we will have helped to create the responsible citizens to whom our future will be entrusted.

The story of the D&H Canal holds many important lessens for our visitors. The Canal's history is a chronicle of America's industrialization. It was a transportation system created where only dirt roads had existed before. Rather than just connecting the coalfields of Pennsylvania to the Hudson River, it stimulated the growth of industries and communities unimagined when the Canal was first conceived.

The D&H Canal illustrates the principle that what we do today can have profound and unanticipated consequences for the future. It was an economic engine yesterday just as regional airports are today. The economic life of the Neversink Valley and beyond would have been much different had the Canal not been built. Many of the families who call the area home would not even be here today had it not been for the Canal. The D&H is more than just an historic fact; it was the lifeblood of this area for 70 years.

The D&H Canal Company was also one of America's first million dollar stock corporations. Its story is of the economic trials and travails of corporate America. The company was instrumental in convincing New Yorkers that hard coal from Pennsylvania could heat their homes, offices and factories. Before it could sell the product it had to do some marketing. The shortage of soft bituminous coal wasn't sufficient; hard anthracite coal had to be shown to meet the need. Not much different from the problems consumer product firms face today.

From the very start the Canal had competition from other canals in supplying New York City with anthracite coal. To survive it had to reduce its unit costs. The almost continuous canal enlargement through the 1850's allowed the canal to carry larger and larger boats. Economies of scale are not a new challenge to businesses today; they were just as critical over 150 years ago. The investment that the D&H Canal Company had to make in order to stay competitive is a fascinating story holding many lessons for us still.

Just as interesting is the tale of the decline of the D&H Canal. New technology in the guise of the steam railroads proved more efficient and less expensive than the Canal. The Canal Company transformed itself into a transportation company and went into the railroad business. Ultimately in 1898 the canal operation was abandoned. This story of the life of one of America's first large corporations illustrates the industrialization of America and still remains relevant today.

The Neversink Valley Area Museum has more than just a uni-dimensional picture of the D&H Canal. Its goal is to share the rich industrial, economic and social story of the Canal and to ground that story in its contemporary physical presence. Understanding this story will benefit us all. Further, we also deeply believe that educating our young people in the history of our area will deepen their roots today and help make them more responsible citizens tomorrow.

Copyright 2005 by Stephen Skye