Lock 57
Improvements being made at Ohioville siteBY HOLLY STEFANOFF (newsroom@reviewonline.com)
Fact Box
Some History
The Sandy and Beaver Canal was completed in 1848, the Sandy and Beaver was intended to improve the economy of the farms and villages along its route. Starting in Glasgow, Pa. (in Beaver County) it followed Little Beaver Creek to its headwaters near Lisbon, then westward across a summit level to the headwaters of Sandy Creek at Kensington. It continued west to Bolivar, Ohio, on the Ohio and Erie Canal along the Tuscarawas River. The canal closed in 1852, only four years after completion, much to the chagrin of the local farmers who invested heavily and donated land for the canal. The eastern end of the canal, near the Ohio River, lasted a few more years but it too was doomed to early failure.
There were only three locks in Pennsylvania, nos. 57, 56, and 54 (locks were numbered downstream from the summit level near Lisbon). Lock 57 was at the end of Liberty Street in Glasgow, Lock 56 was along Beaver Creek a few hundred yards Upstream. Nothing remains of these two locks. Lock 55 was in Ohio, following the creek as it meandered across the state line. Finally, Lock 54, in an excellent state of preservation, lies on the west bank of Beaver Creek, but is in Ohioville Borough. The lock is well worth seeing but it is in the most inaccessible spot in the county, requiring several miles of hiking through some of the roughest country imaginable. I hiked in with my son seventeen years ago and I hope to do it again soon.
Much remains of the Sandy and Beaver in Columbiana County, especially near Beaver Creek State Park, But Beaver County can claim one isolated lock, however hard it is to get in to see it.
- From www.bchistory.org
Denver L. Walton
BY HOLLY STEFANOFF (newsroom@reviewonline.com)
OHIOVILLE -
Phase Two of the Lock 57 reconstruction is nearly complete. Ohioville Mayor John Szatkiewicz said the two-year project was funded with grant money that former Pa. state Rep. Mike Veon helped the borough acquire.
"The project really started to snowball last summer and we broke ground in 2007," he said.
Phase One, completed last fall, included a new boat launch ramp, repaired dock, expanded parking lot and an addition floating dock for the boaters' convenience.
This summer, a walking trail is being constructed which will be about one quarter-mile long when finished. In addition, two small picnic pavilions and a playground are part of construction. Phase Two is expected to be complete before Oct. 1.
The Lock 57 project has been a lifelong dream for Szatkiewcz and his wife, Linda, the mayor says.
"I have been fishing at this lock since 1956. All six of my kids learned to swim here. It's a hidden treasure," Linda Szatkiewcz said, also pointing out everything has been made handicap accessible for convenience, with aspirations of a handicap fishing pier near the bridge.
"Our goal would be to have a wildlife reserve here," she added, referring to the many eagles, hawks, great herrings, geese, deer, ducks and fish that make their homes at Lock 57.
Lock 57 itself was originally constructed at the mouth of the Ohio River as part of the Sandy and Beaver Canal, according to Szatkiewcz.
Szatkiewcz said the area as it is now has been utilized by many kyakers, jet skiers, fishing and speed boats and even pontoon boats. He said there is plenty of room to swim and fish, and a rope swing is set up beneath the bridge.
"People fail to realize that the stream area, where the water is less than 200 feet deep, is a no-wake zone," Szatkiewcz said. "The stream is owned by Pa. until about a quarter-mile up, then it's Ohio, then back to Pa. People need to have a Pa. fishing license and all safety equipment, like a personal floatation device for all on board. That's very important and that's where many people run into violations."
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission monitor boaters for their safety and the safety of others in the water.
Szatkiewcz said local rescue teams have launched their equipment from the dock and practiced water rescues in the park.
"It's such a convenient area but few realize that it's just down the road," he commented.
John and Linda Szatkiewcz encourage area boatsmen, fishermen, swimmers and those who enjoy to outdoors to visit Lock 57 Park and enjoy what they have put so much effort and passion into.
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