On October 27, 1827, five hundred people gathered here to witness the first shovelful of dirt dug for the Delaware Canal, called "one of the grandest enterprises of the age." Five years later, a 59-mile-long, 40-feet-wide, 5-feet-deep waterway with a towpath alongside opened from Bristol to Easton. The canal brought opportunity to Bristol, and the town grew and prospered as merchants sold anthracite coal and other cargo, local products reached more distant markets, crews and their mules needed shelter and food, repairs were required, and entertainment found a place as well. Bristol had a greater concentration of coal yards, industries, and businesses directly associated with the canal than any other community along the waterway. Although the railroad and competition from other coal supply routes dampened the canal boom, mule-drawn canal boats continued to bring business to Bristol until 1931.
