Four Locks

Family of Sam Taylor, lockkeeper and resident at lock 49 from 1889-1924.

The community of Four Locks rose out of the canal’s establishment of four locks (47-50) and associated business where the canal took a short cut through Prather’s Neck. Construction work took place from February 1836 through May 1839. Family names included Flory, Flynn, Snyder, Meyers, Taylor, Fernsner, Bower, Mouse, Hart, Mosier, Crawford, Prather and Hassett. The last two families played prominent roles at the founding of the community and held leadership roles at various times (Mastrangelo).

Photograph of the lockhouse at lock 49 where Sam Taylor lived from 1889-1924. Two different types of lock gate keys can be seen in the closed position on the lock gates. One style of the key is the bent handle key that is seen on three of the keys and the one that is to the far right hand side has a straight handle. A lock key is an iron bar that has a square bit that fits on the end of the bar that operates the paddle gates attached to the bottom of the lock gate. In order to control the level of water in the lock the paddle gates nearest the bottom of the lock would be opened.

Lock 47 is the first of the flight of locks, Nos. 47–50, that are in close proximity and around which a community grew known as Four Locks. Here the river makes a large bend around Prather’s Neck, which the canal cuts across. However, as the river falls considerably above this point, the canal needed to gain altitude before it cut across the neck to come out by the river upstream of the bend. A flight of locks allowed it to do.

During times of low water, canal boats would choke the prism waiting for the water levels to rise so they could resume their trips either up or downstream. This summer shot of canal boats in an empty canal bed could have been the result of drought or possibly the canal bed had been drained for repairs. Mule feeding troughs can be seen dotting the towpath with people walking in the background.

Members of the Taylor Family, who lived at the lockhouse at lock 49 for four generations, with friends. The warehouse in the background sat across the flume of lock 49 and was operated by the Jacques family, then the Prathers until the early 20th century. The small shack next to it was a waiting shanty that canal boatmen could wait in while their boat locked through.

Sam Taylor, Lockkeeper at Four Locks, 1889-1924

Three generations shared the house with him. Fonrose Taylor, Jr. was the last family member to live in the lockhouse until 1971. This was the only lockhouse for the four locks, 47-50.

Previous lockkeepers were Daniel Brewer July 1839-Dec. 1848; John S. Moore Dec 1850; and Thomas Mouse, Andrew Hammond, and Jacob Mills were all listed in the 1860 census as lockkeepers in the area (Mastrangelo).

A woman waits on a boat as supplies are loaded while the boat is still at the highest level in the lock. Stores and warehouses such as this one at lock 49 were common along the canal and served as a place for boatmen to stock up on supplies for the week long journey down the canal. Various supplies were sold to the boatmen such as hay, grain, black powder, canned goods and other sundry items.