Finding Aid Search

Title

Card index of locations of documents relating to the Barge Canal

Series Number

A4422

Summary

The series references storage locations of documents relating to the Barge Canal era. Included are maps and plans associated with the Oswego Canal (or River) and the areas of Fulton, Phoenix, and Minetto, New York. References to canal structures and documents as well as a few place names and proper names are also included. The 3" x 5" cards describe the item referenced and a case letter, drawer number, and what may be an item or document number.

Creator

• New York (State). Superintendent of Public Works

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Card index to documents relating to the Oswego Canal

Series Number

A4423

Summary

This series consists of a card file that apparently indexes documents relating to building and/or maintenance of the Oswego Canal, which ran from Syracuse to Oswego, New York. Most cards are undated and are pre-printed with the title "Barge Canal Field Books," They give canal name, contract number, geographical area, or type of structure; a description of the item indexed; and an "original number" and a "file number." Cards cover surveys, cross-sections, structures, and hydrological data.

Creator

• New York (State). Superintendent of Public Works

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal equipment inventories

Series Number

B1795

Summary

This series consists of cards documenting inventories of equipment used in all operational aspects of the New York State Barge Canal System. Cards include specific details on item types, makes, models, where equipment was used on the canals, equipment life cycles, and dates of equipment operation.

Creator

• New York (State). Department of Transportation. Division of Waterways Maintenance

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Engrossed minutes and index

Series Number

A1077

Summary

The Commissioners of the Canal Fund managed both revenues and debts associated with the development of the state's canal system. Subjects documented in this series include disbursement of funds, stock purchases, redemption of canal stock by individual stock holders, and the Erie Canal enlargement fund. These are final minutes of the Rough Minutes in series A1076. Series B0316, Index to Minutes indexes this series from 1817-1854.

Creator

• New York (State). Commissioners of the Canal Fund

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Expense records and receipts from granting ice permits

Series Number

B0335

Summary

This series contains receipts and other financial records related to the granting of ice permits on canals in the Eastern Division of the canal system. The volume includes receipts for payments from individuals and businesses to which the Superintendent of Public Works granted permits to cut ice from canals and waterways. Also included are records of expenses for surveying the canals.

Creator

• New York (State). Superintendent of Public Works

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Abstracts, check rolls, and vouchers for canal expenditures

Series Number

A0013

Summary

These monthly and bi-monthly abstracts, check rolls, and vouchers were submitted to the Canal Commissioners by Superintendents of Repairs. Arranged by canal starting with Erie, then chronologically by year, and alphabetical by name of Superintendent of Repairs, the records provide detailed information on labor performed (including laborers' names and wages) and expenditures on construction or repair projects on the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, Cayuga and Seneca, Chemung, Crooked Lake, Chenango, Genesee Valley, and Black River canals.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Division of Canals and Waterways water elevation records

Series Number

B1796

Summary

This series documents efforts to quantify canal water levels. Records include mean daily elevations of water surfaces at specified gages; mean daily discharges of water surfaces; and quarterly reports, which display similar information in a slightly different format. The information in the series is typically presented through charts.

Creator

• New York (State). Division of Canals and Waterways

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Committee on Canals of New York State correspondence

Series Number

B2458

Summary

The Committee on Canals of New York State was a special body established by order of Governor Theodore Roosevelt in order to plan for the modernization of the state's canal system, culminating in the construction of the Barge Canal. Most of the correspondence found in this series was sent to and/or received from individuals involved in transportation, construction, or commerce. Subjects include descriptions of waterway construction and transportation; port commerce; prices of construction materials; lock conditions; and canal boats.

Creator

• New York (State). Committee on Canals of New York State

Access Restrictions

Partially restricted due to water damage and fragile condition of the materials.

Title

Card file index to Western Division Barge Canal contracts, structures, and appropriations

Series Number

A4426

Summary

This series consists of a card file that indexes contracts, structures, and related appropriations for work on the Western Division of the Barge Canal. The file is arranged into eastern and western parts of the Western Division. Eastern section cards relate to many different contracts (numbers appear in the upper left corner of cards) and appear to be arranged by "general" and specific types of contracts. Western section cards relate primarily to contracts 40, 48, 76, 47A, 49, and 77, and index contracts for borings done in Wayne County, New York.

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Card index to abstracts, check rolls, and vouchers for canal expenditures

Series Number

B1846

Summary

This series indexes bundled expenditure records in Series A0013, Abstracts, Check Rolls, and Vouchers for Canal Expenditures. The index is arranged by canal, then by year, and then by name of superintendent of repairs.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Assorted administrative files

Series Number

B1798

Summary

This series consists of various files of the Canal Corporation related to water control, canal structures and contracts. Included are contract materials, memoranda, correspondence, reservoir and lake water elevations, power house manuals, canal permits, water reports, emergency action plans, Barge Canal and Terminal estimate books, transportation progress reports, and assorted plans and ledgers.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Engrossed minutes of the Canal Commissioners

Series Number

A0872

Summary

This volume consists mainly of resolutions of the canal commissioners, who were established by Chapter 188 of the Laws of 1811. The resolutions give date, people present; resolution; and vote.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

New York State Engineer and Surveyor unidentified canal records

Series Number

A4433

Summary

This series apparently originated in work of the State Engineer and Surveyor. There is no clear relationship among the records; neither is it known who brought the records together, or for what purpose. Included are statistical data from the Office of the State Engineer and Surveyor, field notes pertaining to the canal's Western Division, correspondence, copies of indentures of property and related blueprint maps, blueprint copies of estimates for materials, and notes of an inventory of canal contract materials.

Creator

• New York (State). Executive Department

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Accounts of payments on vouchers for Barge Canal work

Series Number

A4427

Summary

This series consists of accounts of payments made to companies on vouchers for equipment, supplies, materials, and services used on work done in the Western Division of the Barge Canal. Companies include parts manufacturers; insurers; foundries; carters; realtors/rental agents; tool and machine makers; railroads; apparel/clothing stores; munitions dealers; and producers of raw materials. For each company the accounts show date; brief description of order; number/quantity; item, voucher and payment numbers; and total of costs per voucher.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Daily lock reports

Series Number

B1792

Summary

This series consists of a variety of traffic related forms and paperwork recording activities at a canal lock. Statistics derived from the forms were used for budgeting, planning, and determining staffing patterns. Records include daily reports of passages, boats, and lockages; weekly reports of detained vessels; navigators' reports of obstructions, hazards, or collisions; and violation and incident reports. Reports generally include location, date, climatic data, vessels, operating personnel or individuals involved in incidents, and narrative accounts of incidents.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Superintendent and lock operator's records for Section 2 and Locks E-2 to E-10 and Locks C1 to C5 of the Barge Canal

Series Number

B2295

Summary

This series documents the Waterford office's primary status in the Barge Canal's eastern region. Records include water gauge reports, bridge logs, daily lockage reports, correspondence, and administrative files such as payroll and personnel records. The records provide an excellent sampling of the diverse types of responsibilities that came through the section offices. Of special note are correspondence files documenting the development of the office's bureaucratic structure.

Creator

• New York (State). Department of Transportation. Division of Waterways Maintenance

Access Restrictions

Personnel records found in boxes 12 and 13 arerestricted to protect personal privacy.

Title

Pattern index

Series Number

B1791

Summary

This series consists of index cards created by the Division of Canals and Waterways and its predecessor agencies to itemize and index individual machinery patterns for canal operation. Arranged by location and structure type, patterns typically encompass a broad range of objects, from complete bridges to individual bushings and washers Information on the cards usually includes pattern mark number, name of structure, part, manufacturer of part, and state contract number (Barge Canal contract number).

Creator

• New York (State). Division of Canals and Waterways

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Land management files

Series Number

B2296

Summary

This series consists of files documenting discussions of land permit and land abandonment issues throughout the Barge Canal System. Records consist chiefly of correspondence between the main canal office and Department of Transportation Regional Offices (later Canal Corporation Divisional Offices). Background documentation, such as maps, is also sometimes included.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Administrative reports of Champlain Barge Canal Lock No. 2

Series Number

B1799

Summary

This series documents the daily operation of Champlain Barge Canal Lock No. 2 (Mechanicville). The bulk of the series consists of daily lockage reports detailing information about traffic passing through the lock and weekly chief operator's reports. The daily lockage reports include information about boat type, name, and direction as well as weather observations, lock water levels, and shift personnel. Additional records include reports (lock inspection; apparatus; water obstructions; float violations); supply and station logs; temporary clearances; and equipment inventories.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Superintendent and lock operator's records for Section 6 and Lock 28B of the Barge Canal

Series Number

B1363

Summary

This series consists of records of the superintendent of Section 6 of the Barge Canal at Lyons, New York, and lock operator's records for Lock 28B in Newark, near Lyons. The records document the work routine and environment along this section of the canal system and the working relationships among the state, commercial, and private sectors in the economy. Records include statistical summaries; reports; invoices; personnel records; permits; maps; incoming/outgoing correspondence; maintenance records; lock station sheets; navigation and weekly reports.

Creator

• New York (State). Division of Canals and Waterways

Access Restrictions

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