Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Order a flight of infused ya dong shots.
Tep Bar
Thai-Chinese makes up Bangkok’s largest diaspora.
Nai Ek Roll Noodle
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
6 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
6 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
7 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
9 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Ohio Carroll Lockville Ruins
AO Edited

Lockville Ruins

See the nearly two-century-old ruins of pre-railroad America at the former site of a lock on the Ohio and Erie Canal.

Carroll, Ohio

Added By
nspeelman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  nspeelman / Atlas Obscura User
  nspeelman / Atlas Obscura User
  DoggsObscura / Atlas Obscura User
The lock   baschneider67 / Atlas Obscura User
Lockville Information   baschneider67 / Atlas Obscura User
  DoggsObscura / Atlas Obscura User
  45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
  nspeelman / Atlas Obscura User
  nspeelman / Atlas Obscura User
  nspeelman / Atlas Obscura User
  45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Canals made Ohio in the early 19th century the way railroads would later make the West. Water routes from Lake Erie to the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico made it possible for towns and cities to spring up from frontier forests as freight and, by extension, wealth began circulating through the state.

Most of those canals are long gone, but their ruins still dot the Ohio landscape in many places, including the remnants of a lock at the imaginatively named Lockville Park in the town of Lockville.  

It's pretty bare bones and relatively small as rural parks go, maybe five or six acres, and about as wide as the canal's former right-of-way, stretching for about a quarter-mile along the now empty channel.  There are some benches and tables along what were the banks, and a covered bridge spans where the canal once stood, having been moved there long after the canal was out of service.

The star of the park, though, are the ruins of Locks #11,#12, and #13. Three pairs of thick, stone walls dug into the earth, divorced from context you could be forgiven for mistaking them for the remnants of a moat from medieval Europe. But in context, they offer an extraordinary sense of history. You can almost hear the gentle lapping of the water against the massive sandstone bricks as coal makes its way from the mines of western Virginia to the growing industrial powerhouses of Toledo and Cleveland. Or are those the hushed tones of refugees from south of the Mason-Dixon as they travel, hopefully undetected, in the hold of a canal boat, seeking freedom in Canada.

Ohio in general, and Central Ohio in particular, can often feel like a place without history. It sometimes feels like the Columbus Metro area sprang fully formed from the postwar boom of the mid-20th century. Sparing indigenous burial mounds, the ubiquity of which makes them easy for locals to overlook—these ruins are some of the oldest structures you'll find in the area. And they are almost certainly among the most impressive. 

Community Contributors

Added By

nspeelman

Edited By

NedTheTraveller, baschneider67, 45rpm, HTM Photo...

  • NedTheTraveller
  • baschneider67
  • 45rpm
  • HTM Photo
  • DoggsObscura

Published

September 17, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Ohio_and_Erie_Canal
  • https://www.ushistory.org/us/25a.asp
  • http://npshistory.com/brochures/cuva/remembering-underground-railroad.pdf
Lockville Ruins
6079 Pickerington Rd
Carroll, Ohio, 43112
United States
39.820425, -82.739961
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame

Canal Winchester, Ohio

miles away

Motts Military Museum

Groveport, Ohio

miles away

Watlao Buddhamamakaram Temple

Columbus, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ohio

Ohio

United States

Places 232
Stories 22

Nearby Places

The National Barber Museum & Hall of Fame

Canal Winchester, Ohio

miles away

Motts Military Museum

Groveport, Ohio

miles away

Watlao Buddhamamakaram Temple

Columbus, Ohio

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ohio

Ohio

United States

Places 232
Stories 22
Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.