Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

As settlers moved into the old Northwest Territory after 1800, transportation routes became an important priority. Indiana’s brief experience with canal building began with the passage of the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act of 1836. Whitewater Canal was one of several projects funded by this act. The Whitewater Canal started in Lawrenceburg and originally ended at Cambridge City, on the Old National Road. Hagerstown merchants financed an extension to their town, making the canal 76 miles in length.

The state of Ohio also built a 25-mile spur linking Cincinnati to the canal. Along the canal, 56 locks accommodate a fall of nearly 500 feet. Upon Indiana’s bankruptcy in the 1840’s, private enterprises stepped up to complete the canal. After the canal transportation era ended with the arrival of the railroads, the canal was used as a source of water power for many grist mills and other industry. The Metamora Grist Mill is an example, using water power to produce corn meal for over 100 years.

Take home a bag of cornmeal

Begin your trip by experiencing the Metamora Grist Mill. Discover the mill’s history and see for yourself how the mill grinds corn into flour, meal and grits – just as it has since the 1800s! Then, try milling grains yourself with a hand-powered grinder or learn how millers secured their sacks of flour by trying your hand at tying a miller’s knot. Children can explore the transportation discovery space. See how Hoosiers used to move from here to there on our wooden canal and train table, chart your course throughout Indiana with an interactive map or pack a model canal boat full of crates and merchandise before its journey to Cincinnati.

SEE THE NATION'S ONLY KNOWN WOODEN AQUEDUCT

Originally constructed in 1843, the aqueduct was partially destroyed by a flood in 1846. Shortly afterward, it was rebuilt with a modified Burr arch truss more than 75 feet long. The Duck Creek Aqueduct is very unique — so much so that it was featured in an edition of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. It is perhaps the only covered wooden aqueduct still operating in the United States. Engineers designed this aqueduct to carry the canal and its boats above Duck Creek. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Explore Hiking Trails

Starting at the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, walk along the hiking trails that lead you down the canal route. These trails will take you through historic Metamora and lead you to the Duck Creek Aqueduct (about .5 miles) and eventually the “Twin Locks” (an additional 2.6 miles). Add some fun to your trek with a scavenger hunt, available at the Grist Mill.

Shop the collection

Shop T-shirts, totes, caps, pins and mugs designed for the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site. In addition to ordering through the lookbook, these items are also available in the Metamora Grist Mill. Be sure to visit all 12 locations to assemble the complete collection.