Lock 35

Lock 35 is a historic Ohio & Erie Canal lock just south of Station Road Bridge. Stop for the old masonry and a graphic panel about the Murphy family who farmed here. This is a small history stop that pairs well with a Towpath walk. To reach it, park at Station Road Bridge Trailhead at 9141 Riverview Road, cross the bridge and walk south on the Towpath Trail. It is listed as wheelchair accessible, though the directions do not give the walk's distance or describe the trail surface.

Locks controlled water levels and worked like hydraulic elevators, raising or lowering boats between stretches of canal. The Ohio & Erie Canal connected Ohio farms with growing East Coast cities; small farms in the valley shipped their products by canal.

The Murphy family had a farm here. Paul Murphy wrote about growing up beside the canal, including his family's escape during the Great Flood of March 1913. The flood hit Ohio hard and helped bring the canal era to a close. The interpretive panel uses quotes and images shared by Murphy's descendants, giving the old lock a personal story alongside its transportation history.