The National Canal Museum is set to debut a new exhibition for the upcoming summer season.

“What the Rivers Saw: Mapping 200 Years of the D&L Corridor’s Living Landscape will open on Saturday. The exhibition explores the changes in landscape and development within the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. The region’s transformation is focused on three key areas: Lehigh Tannery, South Bethlehem and Falls Township, Buck County.

Historic maps, photographs and artifacts will be on display. Touch-screen computer kiosks will be available for visitors to interact with additional historic maps and photographs.

After visitors participate in What the River Saw exhibition, they can view the art exhibition “Frank Wyso: Colors in Bloom.” The art exhibition runs through July 28.

The museums opening also signals the start of mule-drawn canal boat rides aboard the Josiah White II, hourly from noon to 3 p.m. The 48-ton canal boat plies the waters of old Section 8 of the Lehigh Canal pulled by mules, Hank and George. Each 45-minute cruise is narrated by an authentically dressed crew member, who brings to life the story of the anthracite canals and the people who worked and lived on them.

Located in Easton’s Hugh Moore Park, the National Canal Museum is open on weekends from June 1-8, 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will open Wednesday through Sunday starting June 12.

This year, the museum has joined the Blue Star Museums initiative to provide free admission to active duty service members and their families.

Additional information about the museum can be found at www.canals.org.

History of Navigation

Maps, historic drawings and photographs will help tell the story of the Lehigh Navigation, a river and canal water transportation route. Martha Capwell-Fox from the National Canal Museum will present this program to the Historical Association of Tobyhanna Township on June 13.

The navigation system brought anthracite coal from the mines in Carbon and Luzerne Counties to markets in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. Capwell-Fox will also show how the men who built the navigation then introduced anthracite-fueled iron-making, triggering the birth of the American Industrial Revolution. Capwell-Fox is a graduate of American University, and is the Archives and Museum Coordinator for the National Canal Museum in Easton. She has worked at National Geographic and Rodale as a senior editor, and has published seven books of historical content. She is a longtime resident of the Lehigh Valley.

This HATT program is being held at the lodge in the Blanche D. Price Park in Pocono Pines, starting at 5:30 p.m. The park is accessed from State Avenue in Pocono Pines, through the Tobyhanna Township Government Center Parking lot at 105 Government Way.

Call 570-580-5353, or visit www.TobyhannaTwpHistory.org.