Finding Aid Search

Title

Reports and recommendations

Series Number

B0221

Summary

These records consist of typed carbon copies of reports and recommendations compiled by Board of Consulting Engineers submitted to the State Engineer and Surveyor. The reports deal mainly with work already performed on barge canal contracts and proposed work. They provide detailed information on construction methods as well as the administrative processes involved in supervising construction progress.

Creator

• New York (State). Board of Consulting Engineers

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Blueprint maps and surveys of land appropriated for canal use by Contract No. 66

Series Number

A4412

Summary

This series consists of blueprint copies of survey maps and related materials of lands appropriated for construction of the Barge Canal. Documents pertain to Contract No. 66 involving land in the Niagara County, towns of Lockport and Royalton. Material includes blueprint maps and survey descriptions; affidavits of service; certificates of service (by county clerk) and notices of appropriation.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal contract final accounts

Series Number

B0220

Summary

This series contains final contract accounts; explanations of extra work; receipts; and resident assistant and division engineers' affidavits to final accounts. Data includes name of contracting firm; date of contract; description of construction project; authorizing legislation; description of items purchased or services performed; quantities and cost of materials; partial payments made to contractors; reasons for alterations; and explanations regarding extra work.

Creator

• New York (State). Superintendent of Public Works

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Aperture cards of canal contracts, plans, and maps

Series Number

B1937

Creator

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

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal engineer's field notes for state canals

Series Number

A1078

Summary

This series consists of field notes from surveys made for the Canal Commissioners (Revised Statutes 1827), which directed that the Commissioners have maps and field notes made for all canals constructed by the state. Field notes in this series were submitted by the Canal Commissioners to the Canal Board for approval, and upon approval were certified by the commissioners and filed in the Comptroller's Office. The Erie, Chenango, Chemung, Crooked Lake, Cayuga and Seneca, and Oswego canals are covered.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Index to Region 2 field books

Series Number

B2075

Summary

This series indexes field books held in the Canal Corporation Region 2 Office in Syracuse, New York. Field books referenced in the index document the construction and maintenance of the Chenango Canal, Black River Canal, the Northern and Southern Reservoirs and Oneida Lake portions of the Barge Canal.

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Plans, blueprints, and drawings relating to the operation and maintenance of the Barge Canal

Series Number

B1353

Summary

This series consists of working copies of contract plans used by the Operations and Maintenance Division of the Department of Public Works and predecessor units. These "office copies" include attachments in the form of maps and plans detailing revisions and updates to original plans. Included are hydrologic data; maps and charts for lake elevations; buoy locations; hydrographs of the Oneida, Seneca, and Oswego rivers; charts of Cayuga and Oneida Lake elevations; and plans and related material for Barge Canal contracts.

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Middle and Western Division survey maps for the proposed 1895 Erie Canal enlargement

Series Number

B1210

Summary

These survey maps for proposed canal improvements of Erie, Champlain, and Oswego canals are particularly valuable for their representation of state-owned land. Maps show measurements of canal length; town, city, and county lines; name of some land owners, or parcel numbers, of property adjacent to the canal; buildings along the canal rout; and parapets, aqueducts, and other related structures.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

Restricted due to fragile condition: use only with assistance of State Archives staff.

Title

Engineers' field books pertaining to the construction of the State's canal system

Series Number

B0730

Summary

This series consists mainly of field books compiled in the field while surveying, constructing, or maintaining the State's canal system. Topics addressed include land ownership and property valuations; property monuments; topography; proposed layouts; bridge inspections; highway locations; daily progress; property deeds; and town and state boundary line surveys. In addition to notes and measurements, many of the field books contain inventories; reports and observations; sketches of various areas and building measurements; property valuations; and deed descriptions.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Monthly time books for work done on the Western Division of the Barge Canal

Series Number

B0693

Summary

This series consists of time books documenting expenditures for labor and materials used in fulfillment of contracts to adapt the Genesee River for use as a spur from the Barge Canal to Rochester, New York. Information usually includes dates, location and description of work performed; names and/or duties of employees; and amounts paid. Also included are field books of rock soundings data and contractor estimates for highway improvements in the Monroe County area.

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Original and preliminary cross sections for 1876 survey of the Western Division of the Erie Canal

Series Number

B0651

Summary

This series consists of hand-drawn cross sectional diagrams produced to determine conditions and needed improvements to the Erie Canal. The diagrams show conditions of the canal bed and riparian decay in portions of the western division of the canal, beginning at Lock 52 at the Wayne County line and ending at the Black Rock Guard Lock. Depicted are the water level, condition of the canal bottom, and the proposed improvement configuration.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal plans, drawings, and blueprints

Series Number

B1567

Summary

This series consists of drawings, blueprints, plans, diagrams, tracings, and maps relating primarily to the state's canal system. Virtually all the state's canals are represented, but the series is particularly strong with respect to the Barge Canal system. Also included is a map of the Genesee Valley Canal Extension from Olean to Mill Grove Pond apparently created by William Rumble from an earlier David Vaughan map. Records are restricted due to severe fire and water damage.

Creator

• New York (State). Superintendent of Public Works

Access Restrictions

Restricted due to severe fire and water damage. Use only under supervision and with assistance of State Archives staff.

Title

Detailed estimates and location maps for proposed construction of gun boat locks on the Western Division of the Erie Canal

Series Number

B0675

Summary

This is a series of location maps and illustrated estimates of raw materials and quantities of excavated material for proposed construction of gun boat locks on the western division of the Erie Canal. The maps show the location of proposed locks; the new and existing canal channels; towpath; existing canal structures; properties, bodies of water, or buildings near the canal; state-owned land; property boundaries; names of land owners; and acreage.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Abstracts of expenditures for engineering

Series Number

B1379

Summary

This series documents expenditures for the construction of the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego Canals. Headings include name of division engineer, geographical division, name of canal, voucher number, date, to whom paid, contract number, amount of voucher, position of payee, services or equipment paid for, subtotals, and totals.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal Commissioners contracts and accounts for construction and repair

Series Number

A1125

Summary

This series consists of accounts submitted by the Canal Commissioners for audit by the Comptroller's office. It includes original contracts made by the Commissioners for the Construction of the Erie and Champlain Canals with their locks, feeders, aqueducts, etc., accompanied by contractors' receipts for payment; check rolls for labor submitted by Superintendents of construction; abstracts and vouchers of the principal engineers and their assistants; and various documents relating to canal finances.

Creator

• New York (State). Canal Commissioners

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Roll maps and plans of the Middle Division of the Erie Canal

Series Number

B0729

Summary

This series consists of roll survey maps for the enlargement of the Middle Division of the Erie Canal. Maps show red lines; blue lines; sectional divisions; old and new channels; profiles; existing structures; names of property owners; and adjacent roads, streets, and buildings. The series also includes approximately 70 linen tracings of earlier maps. These tracings show the relative positions of the Erie Canal and the later Enlarged Canal, and include names of property owners.

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Hudson to Great Lakes Waterway contract plans

Series Number

B1767

Summary

This series consists of linen plans and drawings for contracts authorized by New York State and funded by the federal government. Under terms of a 1935 state-federal agreement, New York State was able to accept federal aid for improvements to the Barge Canal System without transferring the canals to the federal government. As contracts were completed, the federal government reimbursed the state. The project was known as the Hudson to Great Lakes Waterway and the contracts became popularly known as "U.S." contracts.

Creator

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

Access Restrictions

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

Title

State Engineer and Surveyor contractor's monthly estimates

Series Number

B0230

Summary

This series consists of "estimates of work done and material delivered," compiled monthly by contractors who had been awarded canal projects. Estimates provide name of contractor; date of contract; description of the canal project; authorizing statute(s); quantities of materials; description of items; contract and relative prices; and the total estimate figures.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Correspondence files

Series Number

B0225

Summary

These files contain incoming and outgoing correspondence, photographs, reports, blueprints, and maps generated by or directed to the Advisory Board of Consulting Engineers (predecessor to the Board of Consulting Engineers). The files deal with detailed technical matters concerning the location and construction of the Barge Canal, and administrative issues.

Creator

• New York (State). Advisory Board of Consulting Engineers

Access Restrictions

B0225-15: These records have been treated for mold; some researchers may be affected. Selected records are not available for use due to their fragile condition.

Title

Copies of maps of lands appropriated for enlargement of Erie Canal at Lyons and Palmyra

Series Number

B0665

Summary

This series consists of maps showing the appropriation of lands for the enlargement of the Erie Canal through the village of Palmyra and at or near the village of Lyons. These maps contain name of property owner and acreage of land appropriated.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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