Journey along the D&H Canal

School Educational Program

Orange & Ulster Counties, NY were the scene of major transportation development, connecting via the D & H Canal Honesdale, PA to Kingston, NY. The D&H Canal, which ran through Orange County, played a major part in the development of such towns as Port Jervis, Cuddebackville, Wurtsboro and Ellenville, to name a few. These communities were shaped not only by their position on the canal, but the diverse populations that settled and grew these towns.

William, Charles and Maurice Wurts (for whom Wurtsboro is named) created the D&H Canal to more efficiently transport anthracite coal to the market in New York City. Benjamin Wright, who engineered the Erie Canal, and John B. Jervis (for whom Port Jervis is named), who would plan and survey the route of the D&H Canal, made the Wurts brothers’ vision a reality by successfully constructing a waterway that would employ thousands all along its route. John Roebling, who would go on to build the Brooklyn Bridge, contributed to this project by designing the aqueducts that would carry the canal over existing rivers, during its expansion 1849-1851.

Now teachers can introduce this multifaceted story to students, either as a field trip or an in-school educational program. Journey Along the D&H Canal is the perfect program to incorporate any local history lesson into your teaching plans. We offer two versions of Journey Along the D&H Canal:

• Field Trip: Fee call for pricing information
• includes the following:
• An introductory 10-minute video presentation that details the history of the D&H Canal, as well as how it operated
• A walk along the towpath to the remains of a section of the D&H Canal
• An interactive visit to the Neversink Valley Museum describing the technology, places and people of the canal
• Demonstration of a model lock to further illustrate the technology of the D&H Canal
• Facilities for lunch (bring you own)
• Teachers and 2 chaperones attend for free
• Teacher’s activity packet available for free
• Length of program: Two hours

• In-School Program: call for pricing information
• includes the following:
• An introductory 10-minute video presentation that details the history of the D&H Canal, as well as how it operated.
• An interactive classroom presentation that details the story of how two children and their family traveled along the canal to deliver their coal and other shipment of goods
• Artifacts from the D&H Canal
• Teacher’s activity packet available for free.
• Length of program: 40 minutes, but can be lengthened if requested
• Journey Along the D&H Canal fulfills New York State Social Studies Teaching Standard 1 and 4.

This program can also be tailored to any grade level. Please contact Gina Barbone, Education Director, for more information and booking dates: educationdepartment@neversinkmuseum.org or (845) 754-8870.

We look forward to seeing you!

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