Lonesome Lock
German immigrants built a 328-mile canal by hand to connect Lake Erie in Cleveland to the Ohio River in Portsmouth. This canal is called the Ohio & Erie Canal. Boats traveled along the waterway, pulled by horses or mules on a path beside the canal. In places where the water was hard to navigate due to uneven land, locks were added. Locks are watertight chambers with doors that fill with water from nearby streams. When a boat enters a lock, the water level changes to raise or lower the boat, depending on its direction. Once the water level adjusts, a worker opens the exit door to let the boat back into the canal.
Thriving towns like Peninsula and Boston grew along the canal. Between these two towns, in a remote area, there was Lock 31, also known as Lonesome Lock. The towpath along the canal was useful for more than just canal boat drivers; it also connected residents from town to town. However, in isolated areas like Lock 31, thieves might hide and attack travelers, stealing money, mules, and horses. At some point during the canal’s operation, a traveler on the towpath was ambushed and beheaded by robbers at Lock 31. After that, his ghost was said to wander the area, searching for his head. Many canal boatmen refused to pass through the lock after dark, choosing instead to stop at docks in Peninsula or Boston for the night and continue their journey the next morning.
Parking/Trailhead
Lock 29 Towpath Trail
1648 Mill Street W
Peninsula, OH 44264
Parking: (41.243401, -81.549976)
Trailhead: (41.243155, -81.550397)
The trailhead begins at Canal Lock 29 and a kiosk near the parking area. Hikers can head north on the gravel towpath trail paralleling the beautiful Cuyahoga River to the ruins of an old canal lock. It is an easy one mile, one-way to Lonesome Lock with interpretive signs.
Hiking the Trail
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Nearby Visits:
The Village of Peninsula serves as a prominent gateway to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, strategically situated along the Cuyahoga River. This location is surrounded by some of Ohio’s most cherished parks and trails. One notable walking route is along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, which leads south to Deep Lock Quarry Park. This site features an intriguing abandoned 19th-century Berea sandstone quarry that offers opportunities for exploration.
As you continue along the towpath trail, you can access various points of interest, including the Peninsula Python territory, Everett Swamp, the historic Everett Covered Bridge, and Indigo Lake.
For those heading north along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from Peninsula, there is the Lonesome Lock, a site reputed to have ghostly legends associated with it.
Additionally, nearby attractions include the distinct trails available at Blue Hen Falls, accessible from the Boston Mill Visitor Center, and Brandywine Falls, both of which offer scenic views and hiking experiences.