The Schuylkill River Greenways map is divided by Trailheads, Trail Towns and Places to Visit.
Fricks Locks National Register Historic District is open for tours every other Saturday from May through October. Check back for 2018 tour schedule.
About Fricks Locks Village
The restored village began as a family farm. In the early 1800s, the Schuylkill Navigation Company built locks as part of the canal system that went through the property. A small village developed, supported by the commerce from the canal. Later, residential properties were built to house canal workers and supporting businesses. However, after railroads supplanted the canal, the town’s economy faltered. Then, in 1969,the entire village was purchased by PECO, as part of the “exclusion zone” for the the Limerick Nuclear plant, which was constructed nearby. The homes were boarded up, and for years the abandoned village sat as a ghost town, it’s buildings falling into ruin.
In 2013, a $2.3 million restoration, funded largely by Exelon, rehabilitated the exterior of nine buildings. While the village is not generally accessible to the public, tours are given periodically, taking visitors through the evolution of Fricks Locks from a small farming community to a flourishing village.
Eventually, the Schuylkill River Trail will pass through the former village.
National Register of Historic Places