New York State Canal Corporation Barge Canal Photographs and Film

B1909-06: Arranged partly alphabetically by subject and partly by format.

This series consists of photographs and negatives taken to document the construction and operations of the Barge Canal, ca. 1900-1990. Many of the photographs document the Utica Region of the canal from Amsterdam to Oneida Lake, the Black River Canal, and the Northern and Southern Reservoir Systems. Photos typically depict canal structures including locks, bridges, dams; ice and flood conditions; terminals; equipment; shops; damage and repairs; construction progress; and other sites and activities.

Photographs are mostly black and white usually accompanied by negatives and captioned on versos or envelopes. Photographs mostly measure four by six inches or smaller. Some color photos and a very few color slides are present as well as one 16mm motion picture film (date and subject are uncertain). There is also a series of aerial photos documenting the Barge Canal from Lock 10 to Lock 27 taken December 1935 to document federal improvement of the Barge Canal.

Some of the later photos were created by the Syracuse Division of the New York State Thruway Authority, ca. 1984-1994.

B1909-15: This accretion contains photographs, negatives, and motion picture film documenting construction and operations of the Barge Canal. Photographs depict locks, dams, and bridges along the canal. There are five canisters and one box of motion picture film that include canal footage, with some personal footage of employees mixed in.

11833Series 11833, Barge Canal Construction Photographs, 1905-1921, contains photographs documenting work done on the canal system to be reported to the State Engineer and Surveyor

22424Series 22424, Barge Canal Aerial Photographs, and

17672Series 17672, Transportation and State Facilities Related Photographs and Photo Logs, contain related records

B1909-06: Container list is available at the repository.

B1909-15: These records were identified and transferred by principal engineer William Schollenberger of the New York State Canal Corporation in April 2014.

This series was transferred to the New York State Archives from the New York State Museum. The photographs were created in the Utica Region Office (Department of Transportation Region 2). When jurisdiction of the canal system was transferred to Thruway Authority in 1990s, the old canal office in Utica was merged into the Syracuse Division Office of the Canal Corporation. Records from Utica Region Office (Department of Transportation Region 2) were subsequently transferred to Syracuse. The series was later transferred to the New York State Museum from the Syracuse Division Office.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.