In 1907, Jesse Swain moved into the House as lock tender, and the family has lived there ever since. The family operates the lock, as well as a boat and bicycle rental business, and a refreshment stand. It now has all the amenities of modern life, but the bucolic surroundings recall a bygone era. Fred says that his part of the Canal suffered a significant blow as a result of the recent floods, but restoration work has been so successful that it is in even better shape than before. Bass and crappie are abundant, both in the river and, because of underground springs, in the canal.
Fishermen are abundant too, and apparently fairly demanding.
Beverly Swain, Fred's wife, told me that is not unusual for her family to be awakened by an impatient angler in need of bait or a snack at 2 or 3 a.m. Locks 5 through 27 still remain in Montgomery County. Culverts and aqueducts were also built to allow the canal to navigate over small and large streams. A lock raises or lowers the Canal's water about eight feet. Back in 1898, this took about 10 minutes.