The History
Early Settlement – Water as Foundation
Metamora began as Duck Creek Settlement after pioneer David Mount purchased land
through the Cincinnati land office and established a homestead along the Whitewater River in
1811. Mount selected the site specifically for its fresh, moving water.
Whitewater Canal Construction
It provided an abundance of resources, including water power, transportation access, fertile soil, and timber. By 1812, he had constructed four river-powered mills, creating a productive industrial hub in
what had been frontier wilderness. These mills served travelers and nearby homesteads,
making the settlement an early center of activity in the region.
River Challenges
Yet the same river that powered industry also created challenges. Its water levels fluctuated dramatically; floods destroyed mills, while low water halted transport. Its water levels fluctuated dramatically; floods destroyed mills, while low water halted transportation.
The Solution
During the 1830s, Indiana began constructing the Whitewater Canal. Built along the natural contours of the valley, it contains the steepest gradient of any major canal in the United States, requiring an extraordinary concentration of locks, embankments, culverts, and water-control structures, including the Duck Creek Aqueduct. The full Whitewater Canal stretched approximately 76 miles, and Indiana contained roughly 472 miles of canals in total, demonstrating how vital canal construction was to connecting early regions of the United States before railroads became dominant.
Metamora is platted
The Duck Creek Settlement, the community was formally platted as Metamora in 1838. Once the
route was confirmed, development accelerated. Mills, warehouses, stores, and homes
clustered along the towpath, creating a town physically organized around engineered water
rather than the original riverbank settlement. Yet despite its controlled appearance, the canal
still relied on water from the Whitewater River, making it an engineered extension of a natural
freshwater system. Ultimately, nature proved more powerful than the infrastructure built to manage it. Floods repeatedly washed out towpaths, locks, and aqueducts, contributing to the canal’s decline and eventual abandonment, a shift that ushered in the next era of transportation, the railroad.
The Aqueduct
The first Duck Creek crossing was a simple open-trough wooden aqueduct built in 1843.
Uncovered and exposed, it lasted only three years before a major flood in 1846 destroyed it,
severing transportation through the valley. To quickly restore the canal, builders adapted a
partially constructed covered bridge, incorporating its Burr-arch trusses into a new aqueduct
design. The enclosed timber structure protected the water trough from rain and sunlight,
significantly extending its lifespan.
