The Brakeman’s house is probably the original plane tender’s house for Plane 9 West.

What is called the Brakeman’s House at Plane 9 West is probably the original plane tender’s house. When the plane was originally built with an overshot waterwheel at its summit, this building Would have been conveniently located near the operating mechanism for the plane. It was a frame structure with hand-hewn timbers built on a stone foundation. It had a stone chimney that served open hearths, unlike the later plane tender’s house, which was built to use stoves. Although this house was occupied after the newer plane tender’s house was built, it was in poor condition when the canal was dismantled. It was pulled down in 1970 because it had become unsafe.