Whitewater Canal bills of lading
Collection — Folder: S2631
Identifier: S2631
Scope and Contents
This collection includes two original bills of lading from W. C. Davis and Co. to James O'Hair of Laurel, Indiana during October and December, 1849, for the shipping of cooking stoves, sheet iron, stove pots, and a stove plate.
Dates
- 1849 October-December
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Historical Note
The Whitewater Canal was built between 1836 and 1847, connecting Lawrenceburg, Indiana, at the Ohio River, with Hagerstown, Indiana, 76 miles away. The canal furthered the role of the Whitewater River Valley area as an early gateway for the settlement of Indiana. With headquarters in Connersville, Indiana, the Whitewater Canal provided commercial activity for Laurel, Metamora, and other ports along the canal’s course, whose prosperity was to rise and fall with the fortunes of the canal as a carrier of freight and as a source of transportation. The canal is credited with the expansion of the cities of Brookville and Lawrenceburg in Indiana. After financial hardship, ownership of the project and the canal was transferred to the White Water Valley Canal Company. Due to the steepness of the canal, it required 56 locks and seven dams to operate efficiently and had issues operating during periods of high water levels. In November 1947, the Whitewater Valley flooded and many sections of the canal were broken or washed out, never to be fully restored.
Sources:
Burden, Donald R. "The Whitewater Canal Historic Corridor Guide: Abstract." Master's thesis, Ball State University, 2006. Accessed October 7, 2024. http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/20.500.14291/188223.
Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “Welcome to Whitewater Canal.” Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.indianamuseum.org/historic-sites/white-water-canal.
Sources:
Burden, Donald R. "The Whitewater Canal Historic Corridor Guide: Abstract." Master's thesis, Ball State University, 2006. Accessed October 7, 2024. http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/20.500.14291/188223.
Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “Welcome to Whitewater Canal.” Accessed April 1, 2024. https://www.indianamuseum.org/historic-sites/white-water-canal.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from Ruth Hair on 1950/12/08.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing and finding aid completed in 1998 by Philip N. Williams. Reprocessing completed on 2024/03/17 by A.J. Chrapliwy. EAD finding aid created on 2024/04/01 by A.J. Chrapliwy.
- Title
- Whitewater Canal bills of lading
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
