The National Canal Museum and Hugh Moore Park complex came into being in 1962 when the City of Easton acquired six miles of land along the Lehigh River that had been owned by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. The late Hugh Moore, founder of the Dixie Cup Company, had a vision of preserving the industrial and transportation heritage of our region; he helped the city purchase the 260-acres of land which today is a National Register Historic District. This area contains the now-restored Section 8 of the Lehigh Navigation canal and three sites of extensive industrial ruins from the period 1832 to 1910.  

     In 1966 the Pennsylvania Canal Society was formed as a statewide organization to preserve artifacts and materials relating to Pennsylvania's canal era. The society's colletion was in temporary storage until 1970, when, through a cooperative agreement with the Pennsylvania Canal Society and the City of Easton, it was placed in a renovated canal-era industrial building which served as the canal museum from 1970-1996. This facility and collection continued to grow through the 1970s with an ever-widening scope that included not only the state of Pennsylvania but also a New Jersey and New York regional context.

     During the late 1970s, programs and exhibits were expanded with the help of additional professional staff to re-orient the facility into a national museum of cnalas. In 1976, a non-profit coporation was formed - the present-day Hugh Moore Historical Park and Museums - to provide greater community and regional support to both the museum and historic park complex. This organization grew rapidly and in 1984 took over all the functions of museum management and collecting.

     The museum was first accredited by the American Association of Museums in 1992. Prior to applying for accreditation, the Board of Trustees and staff took part in a rigorous self-study and examination of the museum's operations. The accreditation process helped the museum achieve standards of quality and professionalism.

     In June 1996, the National Canal Museum relocated to Two Rivers Landing, an adaptive reuse of an historic commercial building in downtown Easton. Two Rivers Landing is home to the relocated and expanded National Canal Museum, The Crayola Factory, and National Heritage Corridor Visitors Center. The move expanded the museum's exhibits 10-fold. In 2000, the museum opened the fourth floor mezzanine as a temporary exhibit gallery. In 2001, construction begins on the Center for Canal History and Technology in Hugh Moore Park.