Durham Furnace Canal

Kayak Access

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission maintains an access point at the Durham Furnace historic site. The site provides boat access to both the river and the Delaware Canal. Durham Furnace, now little more than a few houses and businesses, was once a bustling community busy making pig iron out of iron ore. The earliest furnaces in the area were located several miles from the river, and operated from 1727 to 1789.

In 1840 the first anthracite coal burning furnace was developed, and gave new life to the Durham area. Two of the new furnaces were constructed at the mouth of Durham Creek in 1848, enabling deliveries of iron ore and anthracite coal from the canal. Much of the pig iron and finished products produced at Durham Iron Works were shipped to Philadelphia and elsewhere via the Delaware Canal. The Durham Iron Works closed in 1908 and was dismantled in 1914.

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Durham Furnace Canal

Kayak Access

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