By: Stan Jordan
Police Chief George Clemens took the boss and I up past his animal farm to the crossing of the railroad over the canal. The railroad was erected in 1855 and the canal was used from 1844 until about 1880, but the canal use was mostly logs and lumber for Antwerp factories. At this time both of them were busy. As I understand, Antwerp was doing well with nearly ten factories and three or four hotels. I only know of one bridge over the canal, the one down on South Erie Street. The boss thinks it was a swinging bridge.
After having a few days to think about it, I think that tunnel was made by the railroad for the workers to get back and forth across the canal, because if it was for cattle to use to get to market, after using the tunnel they would still be on the south side of the canal.
When the railroad and the canal reached Antwerp, the canal was about 3 blocks to the south of the railroad., the cattle pens and loading chutes.
Mr. Ehrhart lived out in that area for a while, but we never talked about the tunnel. Maybe he didn’t know it was there.
See ya!
