Welcome to Hugh Moore Park! In addition to being a lovely place to visit, the park has a fascinating history that this series of caches will explore.
This cache brings you to Guard Lock #8. The Lehigh Canal is formally known as the Lehigh Navigation, because it is comprised of sections of canal interspersed with lengths of the Lehigh River made navigable by dams (like the nearby Chain Dam). This lock “guarded” the entrance into one of the sections of the Lehigh Canal and helped protect it from flooding on the Lehigh River. The lock was operated by the locktender and his family who lived in the nearby red house (constructed in the 1920s). The lock gates and wickets would be hand-cranked open and closed with the assistance of a clever gearing system. Also nearby is the feeder gate, which to this day, is how water flow is controlled from the river into the canal.
Tours of the locktender’s house are often available on the weekends in the summer and fall. Check in the National Canal Museum’s Welcome Center for details.
Cache is placed with the permission of the City of Easton's park manager.