This stone chute is part of Lock #25 and is missing the gates on both ends that created a watertight chamber. A canal boat pulled into the lock, operators closed the gates, and water from the canal raised or lowered the boat like a water elevator. The gates then opened and the boat continued on its journey, a process called locking thru. Fifty-six locks helped boats climb 491 feet over the steep Whitewater Valley from the Ohio River to Hagerstown, Indiana, and on the return trip boats used the locks to go back down the valley.