Delaware & Raritan Canal Watch’s annual meeting is set to feature a “visit” from the canal’s engineer.
Actor Bob Gleason will portray Ashbel Welch, who led the construction of the D&R Canal following the death of the first engineer, Canvass White.
A longtime Lambertville resident, Welch was a lifelong innovator, developing new methods of canal building and at the same time improving conditions for the laborers who built the canal, who faced devastating cholera epidemics.
He later became chief engineer of a number of regional railroads including the Camden and Amboy, the Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad and built the Belvidere and Delaware Railroad.
Welch’s invention of the block signaling system was adopted by all American railroads and reduced the threat of collisions. His port facility on the west side of the Hudson River sped the transfer of freight and opened up the New York harbor to rail traffic from the south and west.
A brief business meeting will precede the presentation. Light refreshments will be served.
The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. June 8 in the lower-level meeting room of the original Lawrence Municipal Building, 2207 Lawrence Road, Lawrence.
D&R Canal Watch is a nonprofit organization that aims to help promote, enhance and preserve the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park.
