By Beaver County Business Staff
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It is one of the charming rules of progress that by the time the future arrives, it has usually been rendered obsolete. Fredericktown, Ohio, learned this the hard way. One summer in 1848 the villagers stood proudly along the Sandy and Beaver Canal, convinced they were about to become the Rotterdam of Knox County. By the following summer, railroads had reduced them to a historical footnote.
Being too far ahead of your time, it turns out, can be almost as fatal as falling hopelessly
behind it.
Fredericktown was born in 1807, when a band of Maryland Quakers set their stakes in the Ohio wilderness and quickly discovered that a wilderness tends to remain one until somebody paves a road or digs a ditch. They soldiered through the War of 1812, built a blockhouse, and prospered as a way-station for westward families. But prosperity, as America has always defined it, depended not on cabins or courage, but on whether you could get your hogs to market without sinking axle-deep in the mud.
Hence, the canals. The Erie Canal in New York had created such a frenzy of envy that Ohio decided to carve more than a thousand miles of its own, with shovels, sweat, and the eternal American certainty that a better life was just a lock and an aqueduct away. These waterways were supposed to haul the state into national greatness. In a sense, they did. But in another, more inconvenient sense, they didn’t.
The Sandy and Beaver Canal was the boldest dream of all. Unlike the north-south routes that made a sort of muddy sense, this one cut east-west, a 73-mile, hundred-lock boondoggle ending in a tunnel longer than anyone in America had ever thought to dig. Fredericktown perched on the western end like a cat waiting to pounce on trade. And for one brief, exultant season, the boats did come. The villagers could almost hear the cash registers jingling in the general store, though they hadn’t yet been invented.
Unfortunately, progress is a cruel traveling companion. The Panic of 1837 slowed the digging. Railroads began puffing into the landscape before the canal was finished. By the time Fredericktown saw its first triumphant canal boat, the whole business was already yesterday’s idea. A dam broke in 1852 and took what remained of the dream with it. The entire project may have enjoyed less time in service than the average county fair.
Today the locks and aqueducts still sit in the weeds, picturesque reminders of what happens
when you place your bets on the future just as the future changes its mind. You can see them along the Little Beaver Creek valley, or in the odd curves of city streets that once obediently bent to the water. They are history’s way of shrugging: here today, ruined tomorrow.
Fredericktown itself never quite disappeared, which may be the real lesson. Dreams collapse, dams fail, railroads outpace you, and still the town endures. For Beaver County, where we are forever told salvation lies in some new canal, pipeline, fiber line, or AI wonder, the message is familiar. By all means dream boldly.
Just remember: nothing goes out of fashion faster than the future.
Weekend Getaway: Explore Fredericktown and the Lost Canal Route
Getting There from Beaver County
- Drive Time: About 20–30 minutes
- Route: Take Route 68 south or Route 51 west toward East Liverpool or Lisbon, then follow signs toward Fredericktown (St. Clair Township, Columbiana County).
- Nearby Landmarks: The area lies just west of Ohioville and Glasgow, PA, near the Ohio- Pennsylvania border where Little Beaver Creek flows into the Ohio River.
What to See & Do
- Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail – Hike or bike along this peaceful path that traces parts of the old Sandy & Beaver Canal route. Look for canal lock ruins, the Big Tunnel, and interpretive signs.
- Gaston’s Mill and Pioneer Village (Beaver Creek State Park) – Restored 19th-century gristmill, log cabins, blacksmith shop, and picnic areas.
- Lusk Lock – Also known as Simon Girty Lock, it’s one of the best-preserved sandstone locks on the canal and a scenic hiking destination.
- Covered Bridges – Don’t miss the Teegarden-Centennial or Gaston’s Mill Covered Bridges, both great photo spots.
Where to Stay
- Barnett’s Motel (Lisbon) – Budget motel: Clean, local option just minutes away.
- The Stables Inn & Suites (Salem) – Boutique hotel: Cozy rooms, bar & grill on-site.
- Camping at Beaver Creek State Park – Tent/RV: Great for families or nature lovers.
Itinerary Snapshot
- Saturday Morning – Arrive early and hike the Greenway Trail or explore Beaver Creek State Park.
- Saturday Afternoon – Visit Gaston’s Mill and take photos at a covered bridge.
- Sunday – Hike to Lusk Lock, grab lunch in Lisbon or East Liverpool, and head home.
Tips
- Bring a camera and bug spray!
- Stop at Gavers General Store for snacks and small-town charm.
- Check local trail conditions at the Beaver Creek State Park website.
