Hannibal Locks and Dam

Maneuver boat 35 on display. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The bow of maneuver boat 35. The crane was used to lift the wickets up from the river bottom and lock them in position. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A close up of the crane base and the forward deck. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The levers that were used to operate the steam powered crane. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A view from the starboard side of the boat looking at the wickets from the dismantled Lock 15 dam. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

Several different hooks were used to move the wickets. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The interior of maneuver boat 35 as seen through a window. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The old Lock 15 wickets from the first Hannibal dam are displayed by the newer Hannibal dam, completed in 1975. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The wicket on the left is partially raised, the ones on the right are fully raised. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A concrete pad was built in the river bed to support the wickets. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The wickets held back enough water to create a pool behind them, which kept the river from running dry in the summer. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

A wicket in the lowered position. The wicket boat hooks fit in the end of the wicket. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

Wooden timbers called spuds were driven into the river bed to hold the wicket boat in place. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

The stern of maneuver boat 35 at Hannibal, OH. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

An illustration of a wicket laying on the river bottom. US Army Corps of Engineers

Ahuntley (Atlas Obscura User)

A partially raised wicket. US Army Corps of Engineers illustration.

A fully raised wicket. US Army Corps of Engineers

Ahuntley (Atlas Obscura User)

The entrance to the maneuver boat 35 exhibit and the dam itself. rbt45769 (Atlas Obscura User)

From 1910 to 1929 a series of movable wicket dams were constructed along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Paducah, Kentucky. This early effort at canal building resulted in a stable depth along the river’s length.

The wicket dams were made of movable planks that could be raised as needed. When water levels were high enough, boats could pass right over them. When the water was low, steam-powered work boats would raise the dams to allow passage. The dams enabled year-round use of the entire river. Before they were built, boats couldn’t operate during parts of the summer due to low water.

Starting in the 1950s, larger concrete fixed dams were built to replace the wicket dams. And as the old dams were retired, so were the maneuver boats. The last two remaining wicket dams near Paducah, Kentucky were replaced by the new Olmsted Lock and Dam in 2018.

In 2016, the Ohio Valley River Museum and the Pittsburgh District Army Corps of Engineers to renovate and reopen the Hannibal Locks and Dam Visitor’s Center, which had been closed since 2001. A maneuver boat and wicket dam are on display, along with other information about the history of the Ohio River.

Know Before You Go

You can reach Hannibal Locks and Dam via Ohio State Route 7 or by crossing over the Ohio River via the New Martinsville, West Virginia bridge, which is a few hundred feet downstream of the dam.

The exhibit is outside the Hannibal Locks and Dam Visitor’s Center. Turn off State Route 7 at the Army Corps of Engineers sign and drive toward the dam. The exhibit sits in a grassy field. Admission is free, but visitors may not enter the boats. Maneuver boat 35 is currently undergoing restoration.