Frick's Lock was one of the small communities that grew alongside the canal to support canal traffic and serve as a hub for merchandise moving along the waterway, where lock tenders, traders, inns, and entertainment helped accelerate the westward expansion of commerce. Some canal boats were operated by families: the father served as the ship's captain, controlling the vessel and acting as liaison with the outside world, young children played on the barge harnessed to the center so they could not fall overboard, and older children took turns leading the mules along the towpath. Frick's Lock remained an active community even after canal traffic subsided, and Cassell and Clyde Handwork were born and raised in the village. Time on the canal also had drawbacks, as canalmen were regarded by communities they passed as crude and uncivilized, while an excerpt directed at canal drivers warned that the towpath was full of temptations and urged good people to care for the boys who rode the horses through Sunday schools and good books.