Finding Aid Search

Title

Inventory of canal "blue line" maps

Series Number

B2543

Summary

This series contains an inventory of the approximately 1,900 "blue line" maps produced by the State Engineer and Surveyor pursuant to Chapter 199, Laws of 1910 and Chapter 51, Laws of 1917. The maps inventoried depict all state owned lands and property prior to improvements effected for the Barge Canal System; the location of state property appropriated for the Barge Canal; and the location of the old canals and related state property in relation to the Barge Canal.

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

Accounts of Canal Commissioners for expenditures on branch canals

Series Number

A1087

Summary

Included are accounts for the following canals: Oswego, Genesee Valley, Black River, Chenango, Cayuga and Seneca, Chemung and Crooked Lake, as well as the Oneida River Improvement. Each entry provides name of payee; after date; location or type of work performed; and amount due.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Financial and administrative records of canals

Series Number

A0819

Summary

These records document the operation of canals, including: rough tallies of cargo loaded on canal boat "Sovereign" at various ports; auditor's warrants for payments from Canal Fund through the Manhattan Company; and section contracts for enlargement of the Cayuga and Seneca canal, 1859; inventory of furniture in possession of collector of canal tolls at Lockport, 1866; and statements of publication of notices by Commissioners of the Canal fund.

Creator

• New York (State). Canal Commissioners

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

Maps of portions of canal lands belonging to the State of New York

Series Number

B1761

Summary

This series consists of approximately 1900 original linen maps produced by the State Engineer and Surveyor. The maps are popularly known as "Blue Line," "Laws of 1910 Maps," and "Abandonment Maps." The maps depict all state owned lands and property prior to improvements completed for the Barge Canal System; the location of state property appropriated for the Barge Canal; and the location of the old canals and related state property in relation to the Barge Canal.

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 Fund account book

Series Number

A1085

Summary

This volume is a ledger accounts of Commissioners of the Canal Fund for Erie and Champlain Canal Fund and stock, and for stock of the Cayuga and Seneca, Crooked Lake, Chenango, Oswego, and Black River canals. There are also accounts with the Canal Commissioners, Superintendents of Repairs, and banks in New York City, Albany, and elsewhere in which tolls and canal loans premiums were deposited.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Whiteprint copies of maps of portions of canal lands belonging to the State of New York

Series Number

A0867

Summary

The whiteprint copies of original "blue line" maps are arranged geographically by portfolio then numerically by map number. The maps show boundaries of state-owned lands along the Erie, Champlain, Black River, Cayuga, and Seneca Canals and depict old and new canal lines; structures, streets and adjacent roads; and state and privately owned land. Each portfolio includes full titles. The maps depict in minute detail lands acquired for canal purposes.

Creator

• New York (State). Comptroller's Office

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Barge Canal System contract plans

Series Number

B1763

Summary

This series contains original linen plans for Barge Canal System contracts furnished under Chapter 147, Laws of 1903. The law directed the State Engineer and Surveyor to make maps, plans, and specifications prior to assigning contracts. The series is arranged by contract number and contains maps for contracts 1-236. Cayuga and Seneca contracts, produced later and not included in the original Barge Canal contract list, follow an alphabetical order.

Creator

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

Access Restrictions

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

Title

New York State Barge Canal System residency maps

Series Number

B1762

Summary

This series consists of approximately 240 linen maps showing locations of channels, structures, appropriated lands, and terminals of the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga and Seneca Canals, as well as the location of old canals in relation to the Barge Canal System as improved under laws of 1903, 1909, and 1911. The improved canals would become the Barge Canal System. The maps contain information regarding individual structures and appropriated lands not found on other maps of canal lands.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Whiteprint copies of maps of lands permanently appropriated by the state for canal purposes

Series Number

B0252

Summary

This series, known as the "blue line maps," depicts lands acquired for canal purposes up to and including the construction of the Barge Canal. The maps show inner angles of the towpaths on the old canal; state owned property prior to Barge Canal construction; property appropriated for Barge Canal projects; various structures, roads, streets, and other landmarks; and the names of owners of private property adjacent to the canal.

Creator

• New York (State). Department of State

Access Restrictions

Restricted: Some portfolios unusable because of physical condition. Use under supervision or with assistance of archivist due to poor condition.

Title

Map and plan books of the location and construction of the state's canal system

Series Number

B0292

Summary

These volumes address the enlargement of the Erie and Champlain canals; building of the Oswego, Cayuga and Seneca, Chenango, Black River, and Genesee Valley canals; and appropriation of lands for canal use. They contain drawings, maps, diagrams, tracings, and profiles of much of the State's canal system and its related structures and provide detailed information concerning the location, dimensions, specification, and construction of related canal structures.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Survey maps and plans for projected canal alterations

Series Number

A0800

Summary

The maps in this series appear to have been created by the Office of Surveyor General in compliance with legislation of 1827 requiring a complete map and field notes. Most of the maps depict specific sections of the Erie Canal and show locks; bridges; railroad bridges across canals; locations of canal alterations and improvements; aqueducts; and reservoirs and feeders. The series also includes maps relating to the Chemung, Chenango, Sodus, Oneida Lake, Champlain, and Cayuga and Seneca canals.

Creator

• New York (State). Canal Commissioners

Access Restrictions

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

Title

New York State Canal Corporation archived websites

Series Number

B2058

Summary

This series consists of archival copies of the publicly accessible website of the New York State Canal Corporation, which became a subsidiary of the New York State Power Authority on January 1, 2017.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Index to Barge Canal contracts, maintenance contracts, terminal contracts, U.S. contracts, final estimates, structures, and shop drawings

Series Number

B1768

Summary

This series consists of photocopies of indexes used by the New York State Canal Corporation and its predecessor agencies for access to material relating to the New York State Barge Canal system. Indexes to contracts typically include contract number, location, canal, division, section, and a brief narrative description of the work included in the contract. The series includes indexes to Barge Canal contracts through 1936, maintenance contracts through 1992, terminal contracts through 1936, and U.S. contracts through contract number 200.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal Commissioners canal system survey maps

Series Number

A0848

Summary

These survey maps of the canal system in New York State fulfilled a law requiring a complete map and field notes of every canal in the state. The maps show: survey stations for measuring length of the canal; courses and distances (linked by red lines); canal right-of-way (blue line); locks; aqueducts; basins; other hydraulic structures; bridges; mill races; buildings; streams, ponds, and lakes; steep grades; and adjacent county, town, and property lines.

Creator

• New York (State). Canal Commissioners

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Maps, plans, details, and drawings of structures and locations for work on the Erie, Genesee Valley, Chemung, and Oswego canals

Series Number

B0379

Summary

This series documents the planning and estimating work done to various structures along the state's canals. The records include maps and plans of locations and structures for work done on the Erie (Middle and Western divisions only), Genesee Valley, Chemung, and Oswego canals, and at least one sheet relating to the Cayuga and Seneca Canal. The records date from the first canal enlargement through to the start of the canal improvements that became known as the Barge Canal system.

Creator

• New York (State). Executive Department

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Records relating to diverse parts of the state's canal system

Series Number

A4431

Summary

This series consists of materials produced from work done on the state's canal system including the Cayuga and Seneca Canal, the Auburn Extension, and the Erie, Oswego, and Champlain Canals. Records include information for contracts relating to maintenance of terminals; blueprints of land to be appropriated for canal use in Cayuga County (Montezuma); daily journal of work on the Auburn Extension Survey; field books of data (Cayuga County); draft survey descriptions on assessed property values; and weekly observations of river heights.

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Payment book for work on canals

Series Number

A1410

Summary

The series shows accounts of payments to individuals and firms for work on the state's canals. For each account, there is a brief description of the work contracted for, date of payment, payee (mostly "to cash") and payment amount. Amounts are totaled when more than one job is present under the account named. Payments are listed for work on the following canals: Erie; Champlain; Oswego; Cayuga and Seneca; Chemung; and Crooked Lake.

Creator

• New York (State). Bureau of Canal Affairs

Access Restrictions

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