The Lehigh Canal was constructed to carry anthracite from the upper Lehigh Valley to the urban markets of the northeast, especially Philadelphia. With the discovery of large deposits of anthracite coal, the Lehigh Coal Mine Company was formed to transport the coal down the Lehigh River to the Delaware River and on to the growing consumer markets in Philadelphia via a connection with the Pennsylvania Canal (Delaware Division) in Easton.Andthe Lehigh Canal, designed by Canvass White, an engineer of New York's Erie Canal, was constructed between 1827 and 1829.