Lockington's Lock 1 Restoration Project

After years of planning and more than a year’s worth of labor, the Ohio History Connection will unveil the complete restoration of historic Lock 1 South in Lockington during a rededication ceremony Thursday, August 21, 2014 at 4 p.m. The ceremony will be held at the intersection of Museum Trail and Cross Trail roads in Lockington and is free and open to the public. Ceremony speakers include Burt Logan, Executive Director and CEO of Ohio History Connection; Glenda S. Greenwood, President of the Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees; Randy Chevalley, Deputy Director of District 7, Ohio Department of Transportation; Andy Hite, Lockington Locks Site Manager; and Mike Morthorst, President of the Canal Society of Ohio.

The project included the complete dismantling of the lock, installation of a concrete mat footing, reconstructing the walls, and grading. The entire structure was taken apart with each stone numbered so it could be put back in the original position. Only 50 stones were replaced and 100 repaired in this massive project.

The Ohio History Connection partnered with the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Village of Lockington, Spieker, Inc., McMullen Associates (Vienna, Virginia) and DGL Consulting Engineers.

Funding came from a Transportation Alternative Grant of $1,900,000 and matching funds from state of Ohio totaling $899,534.

The extensive stair-step canal lock walls, among the best preserved in Ohio, were part of the Miami and Erie Canal System, which opened for navigation in 1845 and connected Cincinnati and the Ohio River to Toledo and Lake Erie. For decades, the canal provided Ohio with valuable transportation and waterpower.