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Note the excavator in the lock. The restored lock opened May 31, 2025.
Ohio State Parks
posted ten photos with the comment:
🚤 History is flowing once again on the Muskingum!
Today [May 31, 2025] we celebrated the grand reopening of the full navigation route along the Muskingum River Parkway, restoring uninterrupted passage from Marietta to Zanesville for the first time since 2020!
With the reopening of Rokeby Lock #8, boaters can once again travel through Ohio’s only operational hand-operated lock system—a rare experience that brings 19th-century engineering to life on one of our most scenic waterways.
At today’s event in McConnelsville, families enjoyed free pontoon rides, a look back at the region’s rich river history, and a celebration of a legacy that dates back nearly 200 years.
Whether you’re boating, picnicking, or camping at Ellis Lock #11, this National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark offers a one-of-a-kind way to explore Ohio’s past and present—all from the water.
🛶 Come rediscover the Muskingum River Parkway State Park—where history moves with the current.
[The following are hot links. Please access the "posted" link to access these links.]
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio, The Heart of it All
America 250-Ohio
Zanesville Times Recorder
WHIZ
[The are more photos in the comments on this post.]
Ron Bishop
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| Digitally Zoomed |
Feb 2026: McConnelsville Dam has been replaced
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Mike Tewkesbury posted
The new McConnelsville, Morgan County, Ohio dam is a concrete stepped structure designed to reduce downstream erosion and intended to eliminate hydraulic rollers at the toe of the dam, which provides a significant public safety improvement in the event that a boat or person were to travel over the dam. Working in and around water always presents special challenges, specifically ensuring crew safety, managing flow and protecting the environment. Dismantling structural components and restoring the river channel by the use of heavy equipment, including long-reach excavators, hydraulic breakers and material handling was required. Materials included riprap and recycled concrete materials for causeway access and final stabilization. Fortunately, the elements have not been a major issue for crews. Temporary access causeways were engineered and built to support the heavy equipment and maintain safe operations. Final sitework includes grading and erosion control to ensure long term stability on both sides of the Muskingum River. The overall project will wrap up almost a year ahead of schedule, with final landscaping for the new dam set for spring (2026). Photos of the very unique old dam will be posted in the comment section. |
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Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
From the town side. I took this winter shot in 2015. It features the unusual shape of the gravel, sand and concrete filled sheet pilings placed across the river. The taller pilings have been saved to be used as a fishing pier. |
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Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
Working to replace the old McConnelsville Dam on the Muskingum River. After withstanding numerous repairs and many seasons of dry spells and endless stages of flooding, the existing dam has reached the end of its lifespan. Originally completed in 1841, work began in 1837 on a system of locks and dams that would turn the river into a series of 11 pools to allow boats to travel the entire length of the river. During the 1890s, the McConnelsville Dam was replaced by another that was damaged in a series of floods. Built in sections beginning in the 1940s, the current dam was completed by the late 1950s. The unusual design is a cellular sheet pile structure, each cell filled with sand and gravel and topped with concrete. The new dam has a step design incorporated into it to help reduce the speed of the water flowing over it. Plans called the construction to be completed within three seasons but after only two years have passed, it is nearly finished. |
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Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
From the west side |
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Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
Looking west |
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Mike Tewkesbury commented on his post
The water level is up somewhat here |
It looks like the new dam is being built where the old downstream dam was. On the left we see the pilings left as a fishing pier.
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