On April 23, 1823, the D&H Canal Company was incorporated in New York State, and a little more than two years later ground was broken for one of the most transformative projects in American history. Sullivan County, which just happened to be in the way geographically, would be immeasurably impacted.

The 108 mile long waterway that connected the coal fields of northeastern Pennsylvania to the lucrative New York City market via the Hudson River – and Sullivan County – opened for business in 1828. In the first 20 years of the canal’s operation, the population of Sullivan County more than doubled – from the 12,364 recorded in the 1830 census to 25,088 in 1850. The completion of the canal made possible the rise of both the tanning and bluestone industries here in the mid-19th century and contributed mightily to the growth of a number of communities from Barryville to Phillipsport.

There are many interesting stories about the D&H Canal, but none more fascinating – and up until recently none more under-reported – than the story of the hoggees.

No one seems certain of the origin of the term for the canal worker, typically a child, who was responsible for taking care of and leading the horses or mules used to tow the boats on the waterway. Most historians say the word comes from the commands “haw” and “gee” used to get a horse or mule to stop or go, but there are some who insist the word is a bastardization of hogler, the old English term for a low-level laborer, while others prefer some different etymology. Whatever the origin of the term, it became popular during the early days of the Erie Canal and entered the popular lexicon through its usage in ditties of the day, supposedly sung by the boys and girls to help pass the time as they walked mile after mile hour after hour: “Hoggee on the towpath/Don’t know what to say/Walk behind a mule’s behind/All the live-long day.”

And the work of these children was indispensable on not just the Erie Canal, but virtually all of the canals of that era.

The story of the role that children as young as seven or eight years old played in the D&H operation is one that is only recently drawing attention. The non-profit history education group, The Delaware Company, and in particular its Executive Director, Debra Conway, has been leading the way in telling that part of the canal’s story, and has recently taken a big step toward memorializing it. 

Partly inspired by a romanticized painting by E.L. Henry called “On the Towpath,” The Kate Project is the group’s three-phase undertaking that includes construction of a half-mile extension of towpath along the Delaware River just south of Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, the creation of seating areas to include stone benches and interpretive signs, a canal snubbing post, and a bronze sculpture of a hoggee and mule.

“The project is intended to tell the canal’s lesser-known stories, such as the bluestone industry in the river valley that utilized the canal for a time and later developed connections to Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall,” Debra Conway explains. “And we want to especially highlight the role of the children, some of them orphans adopted out of the overcrowded foundling homes in New York City and put to work tending the mule teams that pulled the boats. These boys and girls woke up early to feed and outfit the teams, walked 18-20 miles a day alongside them, and then prepared them for ‘bed’ at the end of the day. It has been said that the mule teams were often treated better by the boat owners than the hoggees, because they were more expensive to replace.” 

Phase one of the project – the selective clearing of a viewshed along the Delaware River and the route of the hiking path – was completed in 2020, and phase two, which will entail all of the remaining work except for the sculpture, is expected to be completed this year.

The stories of the D&H Canal, the hoggees, and the Kate Project will be among the topics covered on Sunday, April 27, when this columnist, your Sullivan County Historian, hosts a History Hike on the Kate Project Trail beginning at 2pm. The History Hike is an annual event timed to coincide with the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Celebrate Trails Day, which is commemorated nationwide the day before. It is free and open to the public. No pre-registration is necessary.

Hikers should meet at the Eagle Observation pull-off on Route 97, approximately four miles north of Barryville. Just look for the giant piece of anthracite coal. The History Hike will proceed to Roebling’s Delaware Aqueduct, passing underneath, and will culminate on the aqueduct itself.

In the case of inclement weather, contact this columnist via email on the morning of the hike to see if it is still on.

For more information about The Delaware Company and the Kate Project, or to donate, visit The Delaware Company’s website, thedelawarecompany.org.

John Conway is the Sullivan County Historian and a founder and president of The Delaware Company. Email him at jconway52@hotmail.com.