May Program: An Evening with "Captain Mick"

By: Dylan Bowman, HAHS Board Member

May 24, 2026

"Captain Mick" (Mike McWilliams) stands with his Boatman's Reunion and Picnic pin collection. McWilliams has the largest, most complete collection of the pins known (even more than the American Canal Society itself), with only 4 pins left to acquire to make the collection complete. The rarest ribbon of the collection, the first year of the event in 1915, is in his left hand.

Our Canals

The Pennsylvania Canals have long posed one of the deepest and most studied histories in our region, culminating hundreds of years of history and many thousands of documents, photographs, stories, and historians to make for a truly thrilling category of Central PA's historical significance.

Last night, the Halifax Area Historical Society hosted a Saturday program evening with "Captain Mick" (Mike McWilliams), former President of the Northumberland Historical Society and Pennsylvania Canal (PC) Historian.

The passion and knowledge of this gentleman, sporting period dress for the occasion, was clear from the start, and a large range of photographs, maps, and tales to astonish were shared throughout the evening, bringing the era of the PA canals into the limelight. I for one often forget about the canal system in our region, mainly because it is not my particular historical passion, but every time I am reminded of it's existence (especially seeing photos of the ruins where limestone, steel, and wood planking stand in abandoned forested areas), my interest is immediately resurrected.

As the state with the most canals, Pennsylvania was known not only for its fame in shuttling coal, lumber, passengers, and other materials up and down the waterways of the state, but also for its picturesque beauty as opposed to New York. Ours was a long and complex system of transportation infrastructure improvements, including canals, dams, locks, tow paths, aqueducts, and viaducts, with construction of the first PA canal, the Union Canal, being started in 1792 and completed in 1828. A fantastic documentary on one of PA's most famous canals, the Schuylkill River Navigation System, can be watched here.

Top: This map is from a 1969 leaflet. Like the Shank map, it also shows the Junction Canal and the never built Chenango Extension. Document procured from American Canal Society.

Bottom: Before and after of a canal boat in a lock (left), and the modern ruins of the North Branch Canal at Northumberland (180 ft. long, lifted boats 11 ft. [center]) and the Mahantango Lock on the Susquehanna Canal, made of sandstone (right). Photographs provided by Mike McWilliams.

Those Ruins Untouched

The evening brought out a large crowd for a Saturday; 46 visitors and at least 10 new faces that the Society was very pleased to meet and chat with as refreshments were enjoyed by all. As expected, the Saturday scheduling was an overall success!

We would like to thank Mike McWilliams once again for joining us for the evening and making a powerful presentation on the PA Canals. As he spoke and visitors asked how they can assist in preserving the canals for future generations, McWilliams made it clear that since the PA Railroad now owns the land where nearly all of the canals sit, their ruins are not allowed to be touched by well-meaning hands.

To me, this was a sorrowful thing to hear...that there are entities out there (with their own deep history as well) who would restrict the preservation and hands-on education of our past, for whatever reason they may have. Though we may not be able to help preserve the canals due to corporate oversight and restrictive ownership, I for one feel ever more fired up by situations like these to preserve what we can, when we can. If we don't, entire pieces of the past will remain as ruins in the forest, unseen and untouched, until one day they may be lost and forgotten forever.

Now's the time...let's make history.

"Captain Mick" describes the PA Canal boats and their importance to Pennsylvania commerce, travel, and infrastructure in the past. Photographs by Dylan Bowman.