Hidden History

Erie Extension Canal

PA18 at Platea

Along PA Route 18 in Platea, just behind the Erie Extension Canal historical marker, lies the quiet remains of this once-mighty transportation artery.

This stretch of canal, completed in 1844, was part of a 136-mile system connecting Pittsburgh to Lake Erie, and it played a vital role in Erie County’s early industrial development. Platea, originally known as Lockport, was founded at the site of a dramatic engineering feat: 28 locks in just two miles, designed to lower boats bound for Erie. Though the canal was abandoned in 1871 and eventually replaced by railroad lines, traces of its channel still ripple through the landscape. The photos taken at this site capture the subtle contours and overgrown banks that once guided barges through northwestern Pennsylvania—offering a glimpse into the region’s layered past and the quiet persistence of history beneath our feet.

Historical blue plaque sign about Erie Extension Canal, with trees in the background.

A view of a railway track running through a lush green area with trees on both sides, electrical poles alongside the track, and a few houses and cars in the background under a clear blue sky.

An upward view of a railroad track running alongside a small, shallow creek with green vegetation on both sides.

A view of train tracks running through a green, wooded area with a small water channel on the side, power lines and industrial buildings in the background, and a rusty railing in the foreground.

View from a high bridge showing rusty metal railings, old railroad tracks, and a narrow waterway lined with wooden planks and surrounded by green bushes and grass.