After a long winter and chilly spring, we are excited to report that Canal Season is nearly upon us, and we have some special events lined up along the way!
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal and its mission to preserve, educate, and have fun while doing so. We invite you to visit the park for an Indiana history experience every Saturday afternoon 1:00-4:00PM, May 25 through September 14.
During Canal Season, there is plenty to see and do, and it is a delightful time for all ages.
- Ride The Delphi, a 54-foot replica canal boat along the only remaining navigable stretch of the Wabash & Erie Canal in Indiana
- Explore the Pioneer Village, complete with artisans and historical interpreters sharing the stories of 19th century Indiana life
- Tour the interactive Canal Museum and learn the story of Indiana's canals from start to finish
- Experience the height of 1850's luxury as you stroll through the Reed Case House
- Hike miles of historic trails along the canal
- And much more!
Park entry, parking, the Pioneer Village, the canal playboat, and the trails are all free, and you can purchase tickets for the museum, Reed Case House, or canal boat ride on our website anytime.
As always, we have to give all credit to the amazing volunteers who generously share their time and talents with visitors. It is because of this community spirit that we can highlight Indiana's canal history, sparking the imagination of all ages and instilling an appreciation for the past.
Events
Here are some ways you can experience Wabash & Erie Canal Park for yourself in the coming weeks!
May 17-18: Coopering Bucket Class, 9AM-5PM EDT. Come make a handmade wooden bucket using historic methods!
May 18: Broom Making Class, 9AM-1PM EDT. Come make your own broom with Bev Larson, our resident broom-making artisan.
May 18: Wool Felting Class, 9AM-1PM EDT. Come learn to make a wool felted cardinal--a delightful skill to add to your decorating inventory.
May 18: Spinning Class, 9AM-1PM EDT. Learn how to spin fibers into yarn as you create textile masterpieces.
May 23: Basket Making Class, 9AM-3PM EDT. Weave your own hen basket, and no hens required!
May 25: Canal Season Opening Day and Plein Air Painting Event, 1-4PM EDT. It is your first chance of the season to experience Indiana history at Wabash & Erie Canal Park! The park will come to life with volunteers demonstrating historic skills, narrated canal boat rides, tours of the hands-on canal museum and the Reed Case House, and more!
"Plein air" means "outdoor," and as a special treat this year, you can see artists painting along the historic canal as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. We look forward to having a variety of visual arts represented as the canal continues to inspire creators of all kinds.
May 29: Pine Needle Bowl Class, 9AM-12:30PM. Come make your own bowl out of materials that literally grow on trees!
New Exhibits Coming to Canal Park
Wabash & Erie Canal Park in Delphi is proud to announce that we will be telling new stories and building new exhibits, inviting the public to engage with history in new and exciting ways. This new attraction is the Delphi Bayou, and it's coming to the banks of the canal.
These new exhibits will expand on parts of the canal story that need to be highlighted outdoors to maximize visibility and accessibility for visitors. These exhibits also relate to stories that are not already covered in-depth anywhere else.
There will be three zones constructed, each telling a different story. These exhibits will be located along the canal frontage across from the Mule Relay Barn and the Railroad Depot.
The first zone to be built will include the Early Settlers exhibit. This area will act as a "prequel" of sorts to the story of the Wabash & Erie Canal. We always tell visitors that the canal transformed life for residents of the Wabash Valley, but what did that look like? What were the living conditions for those pre-canal white settlers, and how did they make a home for themselves in very unfamiliar territory? We look forward to demonstrating the marked difference between this Early Settlers exhibit and the bustling Pioneer Village.
Among other resources, we will use the firsthand account of Magdalena McCain as a guide, and this lends an intriguing new perspective: the role of women in forging a new way of life in Indiana's early history.
The most exciting part of this first exhibit is that Wabash & Erie Canal Park has secured a grant through the Indiana DNR to begin construction in 2024! What a way to celebrate 50 years: enjoying all that volunteers have built in the past while looking forward to future developments. This grant, administered through the Wabash River Heritage Corridor Fund, will supply the initial funding to design the master plan and construct the Early Settlers exhibit.
The other zones will include exhibits on Native American presence and the Canal Builders.
In the Native Americans exhibit, we will highlight those who called this region home long before the Wabash & Erie Canal was built. Indigenous contributions and culture must not be forgotten as part of the canal story, especially considering the dubious treaties and forced expulsions that came with 19th century infrastructure projects. While this story is not easy to tell, it must be included to fully grasp the sweeping changes of the Canal Era.
For the Canal Builders exhibit, we look forward to recreating the feel of a construction site along the canal's path. We want visitors to feel the scope of this ambitious project, taking the engaging fun of the museum to the great outdoors.
When all three zones are completed, visitors will be able to chronologically travel through time from Native American presence through early white settlement into canal construction. And within this sequence, younger visitors will be able to enjoy a unique natural playscape that will encourage physical activity, creativity, and all using natural materials!
One of the best parts of the Delphi Bayou project is that we are reassembling the team of experts who designed our award-winning interpretive museum! Len Mysliwiec, the designer who masterminded the museum with an array of imaginative and fun activities, is creating hands-on learning for visitors of all ages to enjoy. Terry Lacy, the artist who has dreamed up and painted just about all the artwork for our museum, interpretive panels, and lobby murals, will reprise his role in creating compelling visuals. And historian Tom Castaldi, who helped write the text for our museum exhibits and interpretive panels, will assist in wordsmithing these new stories.
We are also enlisting the brilliant assistance of Dr. Chris Moore from the University of Indianapolis. His extensive knowledge of our region's anthropology and archaeology has already proven invaluable, and his students will be conducting some archaeological surveys later this year. We can't wait to see what this new development brings!
As with all our past projects, an essential component of bringing this history to life will be community involvement! This is especially important in the building phases. If you or someone you know would like to participate in building something special to benefit future generations of learners, please get in touch. We welcome assistance from all backgrounds and areas of expertise. You can email director@canalcenter.org or you can call our office anytime: 765-564-2870.
Keep an eye on the Delphi Bayou as it begins taking shape over the course of the coming years! You will be amazed at the stories and people that shaped Indiana's trajectory.