Locks were the highway interchanges of the Canal Era. While locks and highway interchanges have different functions, both help travelers through key transitions. Interchanges allow cars to enter and exit a highway. Locks allow boats to move up and down through changes in elevation. Lock 32 was one of 44 locks on the Ohio & Erie Canal between Lake Erie in Cleveland and the Portage Summit in Akron.

As with highway interchanges, locks became places where businesses concentrated. Locks forced travelers to pause for a minimum of 20 minutes while a boat locked through. This wait provided time to visit local businesses. McBride’s Grocery served canallers at Lock 32.

With the opening of the canal, Boston boomed. It grew from a small frontier hamlet to a bustling canal town. In time, stores, a tavern, hotel, blacksmith shop, boatyard, brickyard, lumberyard, broom factory, and warehouses would grow in the village.

Boston is still a lived-in village, as evidenced by the houses to the west. Go up the steps and over the top of the lock to access the Valley Trail or continue exploring the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail to the north or south. The heart of the village of Boston lies less than a tenth of a mile to the south.