History of the Canal The Lewes Rehoboth Canal is ten miles long and connects the Delaware Bay with Rehoboth Bay. It was built so that agricultural products could be shipped from the area around Rehoboth Bay to the Delaware Bay and then on to Baltimore and Philadelphia. A canal was first proposed in 1803, but actual construction did not begin until 1866 when excavation was done for about two miles from Rehoboth Bay toward Lewes. In 1912, with the backing of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Congress approved funding to complete the canal. The partially completed canal was opened for business in 1916, but it was not fully completed until 1923. Most of the construction was performed using a suction dredge. A suction dredge works like an underwater vacuum cleaner. A hose sucks up stream bed material and delivers it to a container on the shore. The debris is then taken away. Panel funded by University of Delaware/Sustainable Coastal Communities Initiative Historical content courtesy of Rehoboth Beach Museum

, Rehoboth Beach, DE, United States