The Whitewater Canal, which was built between 1836 (189 years ago) (1836) and 1847 (178 years ago) (1847), spanned a distance of 76 miles (122 km) and stretched from Lawrenceburg, Indiana on the Ohio River to Hagerstown, Indiana near the West Fork of the White River.

As with most transportation improvements during the early nineteenth century, industry paved the way within individual states.

The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 paved the way for improvement projects across the United States and changed the course of American transportation history.

Before the canal, farmers had to transport their goods and livestock to Cincinnati, Ohio on badly rutted and often impassable roads.

[2] The design called for a canal seventy six miles long starting at Nettle Creek near Hagerstown and following the river valley through Connersville, Brookville and into Harrison, Ohio, then back into Indiana to finish at Lawrenceburg.

This a very ambitious route as it was quite steep and required the crossing of the Whitewater over an aqueduct at Laurel as well as several other streams of lesser size.

[3] The Whitewater Canal was a short venture, but it left a lasting mark on the communities it traveled through.

This was a huge sum at the time and investors did not take out many loans due to the prediction that they stood to make considerable profit.

[3] The White Water Valley Canal Company was granted a charter by the Indiana General Assembly of 1825–26.

[4] The company was set up after the State of Indiana could no longer afford to finish the Whitewater Canal system.

Some towpath was bought by the Whitewater Valley Railroad Company and has been used in various train operations over the years.

Hydro power was in use for many decades after the canal was closed as a transportation route and even was used to generate electricity in Connersville in the early part of the 20th century.

They include the Metamora Roller Mill, Laurel Feeder Dam, Duck Creek Aqueduct, and Millville Lock.