Finding Aid Search

Title

Erie and Champlain canals topographic survey maps

Series Number

14068

Summary

Arranged by canal, these maps depict lands adjacent to the Erie and Champlain canals during the time of their enlargement and improvement as the Barge Canal. Included are lines for State-owned land; the towpath; a new channel line; potential flood lines; land elevations and water depths; and boundaries of specific work contracts. Some maps show property lines, owners, and parcel numbers; outlines of buildings; existing canal structures and railroad and telegraph lines; and swamps.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

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

Accounts of monies paid to contractors and others for construction, repair, and enlargement of the Erie and Champlain canals

Series Number

A1267

Summary

This series consists of accounts of monies paid to contractors and others for construction, repair, and enlargement of the Erie and Champlain canals. Each account contains: name of contractor; number of contract; location of work (section or lock number); date; and amount of payment. Also included in each volume are statements of payments for miscellaneous expenses and damages.

Creator

• New York (State). Office of the Auditor of the Canal Department

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Sectional maps of the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego Canals

Series Number

B0253

Summary

This series of maps (commonly referred to as "Schillner Maps") depict land along the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego canals acquired by the state. Each map provides detailed information on state owned property, and shows the locations of the 1825 canal alignment and related structures such as locks, slips, dams, bridges, and roads which have since been obliterated. In addition they show municipal boundaries, bodies of water, property lines, names of owners, streets, railroad lines, businesses, and civic landmarks.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

Restricted: Maps are fragile and may not be photocopied because of size. Use with supervision of archivist.

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

Estimates of work done and material delivered on Erie, Champlain, and Black River canals

Series Number

A1098

Summary

These booklets contain estimates submitted to the Canal Commissioners by the resident engineers for various improvements on Erie, Champlain, and Black River canal sections, locks, dams, docks and piers. Entries include location of improvement; quantity and value of material used; name of contractor; and labor performed.

Creator

• New York (State). Canal Commissioners

Access Restrictions

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

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

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

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 damage awards by Canal Appraisers, Board of Claims, and Court of Claims

Series Number

B0602

Summary

This series consists of certified copies of awards by the Canal Appraisers (through 1883) and by the Board of Claims (1883-1897), and of judgments by the Court of Claims (1897-1953). These awards were made for damages to lands adjacent to state canals. Many such damages were sustained by private persons when their lands were appropriated temporarily or permanently for repairs or enlargement of the Erie Canal, for the so-called $9,000,000 improvement at the turn of the century, and for construction of the Barge Canal system.

Creator

• New York (State). Department of Audit and Control

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Resident engineer's notebook

Series Number

B1736

Summary

This series consists of a notebook kept by the resident engineer at the Utica Canal Office, Information includes estimated costs for enlargements of the Erie Canal and Moses Kill Lock, Champlain Canal; costs of cutting stone for the North Lock of Lock No. 24, Whipples iron bridges and farm bridges; a water color of washers for Whipples bridges; pencil sketches of tunnel cross sections and railroad tunnels; notes on tunneling; and a sketch of pile driving at the Fort Edward Aqueduct.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Daily administrative lock reports

Series Number

A4410

Summary

This series consists of daily reports on the operation of locks on the Erie and Champlain Barge Canals. These reports document day-to-day traffic on the canal as well as specific information on the lock. Records consist primarily of daily lockage reports; weekly operation work force logs; records of rainfall and snowfall; river and climatological observations; phone logs; station logs; and status logs.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

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

Superintendent and lock operator's records for Sections 1 and 2 of the Barge Canal

Series Number

B1878

Summary

These series documents activities carried out during the operation and maintenance of the canal. The record consist primarily of lock operator's weekly reports and includes construction and maintenance contract files, inventories, work reports, work schedules and reports, floating plant reports, gage charts and reports, subject files, and correspondence.

Creator

• New York State Canal Corporation

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Abandoned canal lands and blue line survey files

Series Number

B0215

Summary

These files, arranged by name of municipality where lands were located, consist of maps, correspondence, memorandums, reports, resolutions, descriptions of lands, appraisers' reports of encroachments, revised land appraisals, permits, and records pertaining to "blue line" surveys. Also included is financial information about land value and notes and descriptions regarding structures illegally built on state-owned lands. Land descriptions and appraisal reports contain detailed descriptions and measurements of lands and names of adjoining property owners.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Releases upon commutation for farm bridges over canals, with related correspondence and documents

Series Number

A1380

Summary

Canal commissioners were required to construct and maintain road and street bridges over the enlarged Erie Canal and to construct farm bridges to accommodate landowners. This series consists of releases, vouchers, receipts, title searches, parcel maps, and resolutions authorizing commutations to claimants and owners for rights to bridges built over the Erie and other branch canals. Information includes name and residence of landowner; parcel description; sum paid by the state; and landowner signature.

Creator

• New York (State). Office of the Auditor of the Canal Department

Access Restrictions

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

Title

State Engineer and Surveyor monthly summaries of payment for improvement of the Erie, Champlain, and Oswego Canals

Series Number

B0363

Summary

This series consists of a volume of monthly summaries of payment for the improvement of sections of the Champlain, Erie, and Oswego Canals. The forms in this volume detail expenditures by various offices and the pupose of each payment.

Creator

• New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor

Access Restrictions

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

Title

Canal system contract agreements and specifications

Series Number

B0216

Summary

Consisting of state contracts for canal improvements prior to the construction of the Barge Canal, included are agreements and specifications, financial statements of bonding companies, general contracts, maps, tracings, drawings, correspondence, and bid proposals. Most of the contracts deal with: lengthening of locks on the Erie and Oswego canals; attempts to enlarge the Champlain Canal; introduction of electricity to towage; second enlargement of the canals; and early stages of Barge Canal construction or the third enlargement.

Creator

• New York (State). Superintendent of Public Works

Access Restrictions

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