Memoir on the Rise, Progress, and Present State of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal: Accompanied With Original Documents and Maps (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Joshua Gilpin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0265256135 ISBN 13: 9780265256138

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2017

Synopsis

Ancient plans, public papers, and original maps illuminate a pivotal American canal project.

This edition presents the rise, progress, and present state of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, anchored by Joshua Gilpin’s writings and accompanied by original documents and maps. It offers a window into 18th‑ and early 19th‑century efforts to link waters, boost trade, and unite neighboring cities.

This book gathers early surveys, route discussions, and the debates that shaped a major public work. It traces Gilpin’s role as a canal advocate and the work of Philadelphia’s Philosophical Society, showing how ideas evolved from first sketches to organized plans and provincial exhibitions. It also includes later reports and correspondence that reflect ongoing public interest and legal steps toward support.

• Learn about the three main routes considered for a direct water connection and the practical concerns of building a canal in that era.
• See how original surveys, field notes, and letters informed decision making and policy discussions.
• Explore the companion maps and appended documents that illustrate routes, elevations, and passages.
• Understand the long arc of public investment, legislative action, and citizen involvement in a major infrastructural project.

Ideal for readers of early American engineering, public works, and regional history who want insight into how a key transport project began and evolved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0265256135
• ISBN 13: 9780265256138
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 138