Delaware & Raritan Canal is still intact along much of its 45-mile length.
They remain a great reminder of not only mind, but muscle, over matter.
The canals of the 19th century linked cities the way interstates do today. They were water highways to transport coal, grains and other goods from the mountains and farmlands to urban areas back East.
New Jersey's Delaware and Raritan Canal was nearly 45 miles long, 75-feet wide in most places and deep enough to allow weighted barges to float along pulled by draft horse or mules. It was dug by hand - make that the raw, blistered hands of laborers. They did it in four years, including a 22-mile long feeder canal system to keep the water levels of main transport canal high enough for buoyancy.
The canal linked the Delaware River at Bordentown to the Raritan at New Brunswick, and many structures, including the lock-tenders' homes, are still intact.
The railroads usurped the canals beginning in the 1880s but, believe it or not, the D & R remained an active transportation waterway until 1932, falling just short of its centennial birthday.
Today, much of the canal is a state park and villages that sprung up along it at Griggstown and Millstone are largely intact. It is just another example of the rich history found along the backroads of New Jersey.
Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.