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the first floor on the Norton Building
as an art gallery with exhibits on
various themes or artists. The massive
limestone building dates to 1850 and
was built as a grain warehouse that
collected and shipped grain and milled
flour via the canal. One block east, on
State Street, the 1837 frame building
built as the headquarters of the I&M
Canal Commission is now home to the
Will County Historical Museum (www.
willcountyhistory.org, (815) 838-5080).
A short walk south of the Norton
Building leads to the remaining stonework
of Lock #1. The canal had 17 locks
along its path that controlled water flow,
necessary due to the 140-foot decline