Locking Thru Lock No. 24

Lock No. 24 was one of 56 locks on the historic Whitewater Canal. It was a cut-stone lock built from stone cut at the nearby Laurel quarry, and its hammered, dressed, and coursed ashlar limestone formed a watertight chamber. To raise boats, workers opened the wicket at the top gate to pull water from the canal. To lower boats, workers opened the wicket at the bottom gate to release water into the canal. A lock keeper or the boat crew worked the lock by pushing the balance beams to open the gates, pulling the boat into the lock chamber, locking the gates, and opening the wicket to raise or lower the water like a water elevator.

Indiana · United States