The first notable canal in Pennsylvania was built in 1797. Boats needed to get around Conewago Falls on the Susquehanna River near York Haven. The privately built, 1.25 mile canal had two locks to help boats over a 19 foot elevation. Using the canal, boats could now traverse the Susquehanna both downstream and upstream. Before the canal, most boats traveled south only and stopped at Middletown to unload their goods, which then were shipped by wagon 100 miles to Philadelphia. After the canal was built both Middletown and York Haven became important flour milling centers, turning the raw wheat that came down the river from farms into flour before it traveled downstream to Columbia, where it shipped to Philadelphia on what became US Rt 30.
In 1824 the legislature approved the construction of the "Main Line of Public Works", which was a canal system throughout the state. By 1834 the Public Works was transporting people and goods from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, 391 miles through a system of canals, railroads and inclined planes.
The Susquehanna Division of the canal was located north of Harrisburg at the mouth of the Juniata River and ended at the canal basin in Northumberland.
There are PA Historical markers on Rt 15 north of Amity Hall and on Rt 15 north of Liverpool.
The Wiconisco Canal also started near the mouth of the Juniata at Duncans Island, but traveled 12 miles to Millersburg, overcoming a 35 foot elevation change and enabled easier transport of coal from the Lykens Valley.
By 1850 the railroads were starting to take more and more business from the canal systems. In 1857 the state sold the Main Line to the Pennsylvania Railroad. By 1859 the state was completely out of the canal business. The railroads continued to use the canals to move freight and even formed the Pennsylvania Canal Company in 1867. By 1900 most canals in Pennsylvania were no longer in use.
