Mission Statement
To preserve, maintain and appropriately restore the Schuylkill Canaland its surrounding lands and manmade structures; to encourage wide public use of the area and an appreciation of its natural environment; to seek ways to further general education in the area's history through programming and interpretation; to provide facilities and enhanced settings for various kinds of passive recreation; to seek support of individuals and private organizations, and of local, regional, state and federal governments, to achieve these goals; and to solicit, receive and expend funds for such purposes.
Description
The Schuylkill Canal Association has come a long way since its beginnings as a township advisory committee. It is now one of the major players in the statewide project of transforming the Schuylkill into a recreational and economic asset. It is credited throughout the region with having created the most complete restoration project to date along the river. The area is still leased by the township from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Abandoned Mine Reclamation, but discussions are under way to bring the ownership closer to home.
The Schuylkill Canal Association’s management of 60 acres of grounds, its encouragement of extensive public use and enjoyment of the site, and its policies of providing rich community programs and major reconstruction projects all depend on the participation of a great many people. Its members and volunteers provide routine maintenance, specialized skills and major planning. SCA is a community enterprise.
Currently, some 25,000 people a year visit the area for recreation or for historical interest. Fishing, canoeing, bicycling, picnicking, hiking and jogging are all easily accommodated along the canal. Literature in the kiosk and in the Locktender’s House provides answers to their interest in the place’s history.
The Association organizes and empowers residents, corporations and governmental bodies to participate in the preservation of this unique resource.
