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Images of the Erie Canal in the Pittsford and Bushnell's Basin area

"N.Y.C.R.R. Bridge and Erie Canal, Pittsford, N.Y." (S.G. Crump, Pittsford, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmark undecipherable ; approximately 1908? [CSNYS]	"Erie Canal, Pittsford, N.Y." -- Real Photo Postcard ; approximately 1910?	"Berm Bank of Erie Canal, Pittsford, N.Y." (S .G. Crump, Pittsford, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked Apr. 4 [1911]
"Barge Canal Contract No. 63. View of the completed concrete trough upon the Irondequoit creek embankment." -- from: Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of the State of New York for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1911 (Albany : Argus Co., printers, 1912) -- facing p. 20.	"Barge Canal Contract no. 63. Concrete trough at the Irondequoit creek crossing, as repaired for use after the serious break of 1912, a temporary wooden trough being employed" -- from: Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of the State of New York for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1913 (Albany : J.B. Lyon Co., printers, 1914) -- facing p. 292.	"View on Erie Canal, Pittsford, N.Y." (Ess an Ess Photo Co., New York, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked Jun. 13, 1917. [CSNYS]
"Channel in concrete trough, across Irondequoit valley" -- from: History of the Barge Canal of New York State / by Noble E. Whitford; supplement to the Annual report of the State Engineer and Surveyor for the year ended June 30, 1921 (Albany : J.B. Lyon Co., printers, 1922) -- opposite p. 336.	Views of the Grand Embankment over the Irondequoit Creek valley between Pittsford and Bushnell's Basin in 2003-2004.

For photographs of the remains of Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 62 at Pittsford
see Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 62 in the Traces section of this web site.

 

Images of the Erie Canal in Fairport and Perinton

Note: The images noted * below are from the Perinton Municipal Historian collection of Rochester Images of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County.

"D.B. DeLand buildings, Fairport, N.Y." -- Photograph : b&w ; 6 x 11 in. ; approximately 1860-1870?* -- An exterior view of the facilities of D.B. DeLand & Co., manufacturers of baking soda and other products. The buildings were on the east side of North Main Street.	"Canal scene in Perinton" -- Photograph : b&w ; 3 x 5 in. ; about 1900* -- The Erie Canal in the Town of Perinton, looking east, with the towpath on the left.	"Erie Canal near Fairport, N.Y." ([Hardick & Fellows, Fairport, N.Y.]) -- Postcard ; postmarked Jan. 22(?), 1903. -- The location is just south of the Fullamtown (Church Street) bridge.
"Erie Canal, Fairport, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard (UNDB) ; not postmarked ; approximately 1905? [CSNYS]	"Main Street Bridge over Erie Canal" -- Photograph : b&w ; 7 x 10 in. -- Looking south across the Main Street Bridge in Fairport from North Main Street in 1907. This bridge, which spanned the Erie Canal, was built in 1888, and was replaced by a new bridge in 1914.
"Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern R.R. Bridge over Erie Canal, Fairport, N.Y." / C.R. Cramer (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; postmarked Jun. 17(?), 1907.	"R.Sy.&E. Trolley Bridge, Fairport, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Real Photo Postcard ; approximately 1907?	"Erie Canal - R.S.&E. R.R. Bridge, Fairport, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1907? [CSNYS]
The Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern R.R. Bridge was just east of Turk Hill Road. Construction of this high-speed double-track electric railroad began in 1904. The first section was completed by 1906. The entire line was finished in 1908, but was only used until 1931. The bridge abutments are now used to support a pedestrian bridge for the Perinton trail system.
"Baker's and Trolley Bridges, Fairport, N.Y." / C.R. Cramer (1391E -- Owens Bros. Co., Boston) -- Postcard ; not postmarked (other versions are postmarked Sep. 3, 1908? and Feb. 22, 1910 -- Baker's Bridge foreground) was replaced by the Turk Hill Road Bridge ; the Trolley Bridge in the background is the former RS&E Bridge.	"Erie Canal East of Fairport, N.Y." [looking east] (A81622 ; No. 117 -- Hardick & Fellows, Fairport, N.Y.) Postcard ; postmarked Sep. 11, 1910.	"New York Canner's Assn., Fairport, N.Y." -- Looking southeast across the Erie Canal in the village of Fairport. On the far left is the Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Railroad bridge that carried the electric railroad across the canal. On the right are the buildings of the New York Canners Inc., formerly occupied by the Cobb Preserving Company. -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1910?*
"Lift bridge at Fairport, looking east" -- Photograph ; approximately 1905-1910? (from: New York State Archives / Photographs - Miscellaneous Preliminary: Erie Canal, Western Division, vol. 2) [CSNYS]	"Fullamtown Bridge, built 1902" -- Photograph : b&w ; 4 x 6 in. ; approximately 1911?*	"The Fullamtown Bridge over the Erie Canal, constructed in 1912" -- Photograph ; b&w ; 3 x 5 in. ; approximately 1913.* -- Looking north.
The Fullamtown Bridge was located at the west end of West Church Street in the area known as Fullamtown or Fullam's Basin (named after early settler Elisha Fullam), now part of the Village of Fairport. The two images on the left above were of the bridge built in 1902; the one on the right was the fifth bridge on the site, built in 1912. Earlier ones were built ca. 1820, ca. 1840, and in 1884. The 1912 bridge was built for the Erie Barge Canal, and was in use until 1974, when it was replaced.
"Barge on Erie Canal in Fairport" -- Photograph : b&w ; 3 x 3 in. ; about 1912?* -- Taken from the Main Street Bridge, looking southeast.	"Winter scene, Fairport" -- Photograph : b&w ; 3 x 4 in. ; approximately 1912?* -- Looking west towards Fairport's Main Street Bridge from the Erie Canal. This bridge was built in 1888, and was replaced by a new bridge which was constructed from 1912-1914 (see below).

From 1912 to 1914, the Enlarged Erie Canal was again enlarged to create the current Erie Canal (called at the time the "Barge Canal"). The new canal followed the old course through Fairport, so the wider canal bed required the removal of many buildings on the south side of the old canal. The 1888 Main Street Bridge was removed, and the new (and current) Fairport Lift Bridge was constructed in 1913-1914.

Below are some photographs of the process of the widening of the canal, and the removal of the 1888 bridge. All images below are from the Perinton Municipal Historian collection of Rochester Images of the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County. For historical and recent photographs of the Fairport Lift Bridge, including its construction, see the Fairport Lift Bridge page.

"Enlargement of Erie Canal, [Fairport, N.Y.]" -- Onlookers watch the process of enlarging the Erie Canal in the village of Fairport. A large piece of machinery works from the canal bed to widen the south bank. [Feb. 1913.]	"Construction, Main Street Bridge" -- Excavation into Main St., Fairport, looking North, Feb. 5, 1913.	"Widening the canal in Fairport" -- This view shows the reconstruction of the south wall of the canal near Main Street, March 7, 1913.
"Construction scene, Main Street Bridge" -- Onlookers inspecting the temporary wooden bridge used during the construction of the Main Street Bridge. This view looks northwest in March(?) 1913.	"Construction, Main Street Bridge" -- Looking northwest at the construction site of the Main Street Bridge in Fairport, May 1, 1913.	"Dismantling of 1888 Main Street Bridge" -- A crane dismantling the Main Street Bridge in Fairport. The view is looking northwest from the south bank of the canal, mid-1913?

[Fairport Lift Bridge] -- approximately 1915-1920? -- Looking west.	This June 13, 1921 photo shows the tug Lorraine and barge no. 101 docked on the south side of the canal just east of the Main Street Lift Bridge in Fairport Village.	Left: "Two boats, Erie Canal, Fairport" -- Looking west from the Main Street Bridge at 2 vessels traveling east along the Erie Canal. Image dated June 13, 1921.

 

Images of the Erie Canal in Macedon and Palmyra

"Macedon, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Real Photo Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1904? [CSNYS]	"The Locks, Macedon, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Real Photo Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1904? -- Lock 61?, looking west. [CSNYS]	"Level between Locks 29-30, Erie Canal" [between Macedon and Palmyra, N.Y.] (No. 2 - Brown Bros.) -- Postcard (UNDB) ; postmarked Jul. 5, 1909.
"Erie Canal at the Aqueduct, Palmyra, N.Y." (F.L.Hislop) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1910? [CSNYS]	"Aqueduct, Palmyra, N.Y." (Smith & Ziegler, Palmyra, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked Aug. 9, [1913?]	"Scene on Erie Canal, Palmyra, N.Y." (217827 - The Valentine Souvenir Co., New York) -- Postcard ; postmarked Jan. 20, 1915.
"Old Erie Canal, Palmyra, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1916? [CSNYS]	"Scene on the Erie Canal, Palmyra, N.Y." (217888 -- The Valentine Souvenir Co., New York) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1917?	"Steel Bridge and New Barge Canal, Palmyra, N.Y." (217878 - no publisher information) -- Postcard ; postmark undecipherable ; approximately 1918? [CSNYS]
"[Palmyra Aqueduct and New Barge Canal Power House]" (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1918? [CSNYS]	"Barge Canal, Palmyra, N.Y." (45365-C - no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1919? [CSNYS]	"Mud (Ganargua) Creek, Palmyra, N.Y." [Aqueduct] (Wayne Co. Planning Office) -- 1971.

For photographs of the remains of the Enlarged Erie Canal in Macedon and Palmyra,
including Lock No. 60, the Mud Creek Aqueduct and the Aldrich Change Bridge,
see the Traces of the Erie Canal in Macedon and Palmyra page in the Traces section of this web site.

 

Images of the Erie Canal in Port Gibson

	"Erie Canal, Port Gibson, N.Y." (3149) -- Real Photo Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1905? [CSNYS]

 

Images of the Erie Canal in Newark

"Middle Lock," [Lock 58] Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." -- Postcard ; approximately 1905? -- From Rochester Images, Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County.	"Middle Lock [Lock 58] on Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (United Art Publishing Co., New York City) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1908?	"Erie Canal & Main St. Bridge, Newark, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; dated 1906. [CSNYS]
"Bridge over Canal, Newark, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Real Photo Postcard ; not postmarked. [CSNYS] A color version of this postcard (H.B. Rogers ; United Art Publishing Co., New York City) is dated Nov. 19, 1908.	"Canal and Locks, Newark, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1908? [CSNYS]	"Lower Lock [Lock 57] and West Shore Bridge, Newark, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1908? [CSNYS]
"Lower Lock [Lock 57], Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (62154 - H.B. Rogers, Newark, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked Jan. 3, 1909.	"Lower Lock [Lock 57], Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (H.B. Rogers, Newark, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1909? [CSNYS]
"Middle Lock, Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (62156 - H.B. Rogers, Newark, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked Aug. ?, 1909? [CSNYS]	"Middle Lock [Lock 58], Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (C2156 - H. B. Rogers, Newark, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked May 30, 1910.	"Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." -- Postcard ; approximately 1907-1914? -- From Rochester Images, Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County.
"Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (no publisher information) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; approximately 1910? [CSNYS]	"Barge Canal Contract no. 76. Completed lock No. 28-B at Newark." -- from: Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of the State of New York for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1913 (Albany : J.B. Lyon Co., printers, 1914) -- facing p. 284.	"Barge Canal Contracts nos. 76 and 89. Completed canal, dockwall and approaches to dock at Newark. Also East avenue bridge, a heavy type of bridge" -- from: Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of the State of New York for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1914 (Albany : J.B. Lyon Co., printers, 1915) -- facing p. 286.
"Erie Canal from Canal Lock, Newark, N.Y." (Valentine Souvenir Co., New York) -- Postcard ; postmarked Aug. 18, [19]14. [CSNYS]	"Canal Lock [No. 28-B], Erie Canal, Newark, N.Y." (218087, The Valentine-Souvenir Co., New York) -- Postcard ; postmarked Feb. 23, 1915.	"Barge Canal Lock [No. 28-B], Newark, N.Y." (A-59376 - C.T. American Art) -- Postcard ; not postmarked ; 1930s?.
"Barge Canal Lock No. 28, Newark, N.Y." (517, Wm. Jubb Co., Syracuse, N.Y.) -- Postcard ; postmarked Aug. 22, 1955.

The hamlet of Lockville was first settled around 1805 about three-quarters of a mile east of what used to be known as Miller's Basin. It was called Lockville due to the three locks built near the settlement on the original Erie Canal. The three original Clinton's Ditch era Erie Canal Locks 70, 69 and 68 were dismantled for construction of the Enlarged Erie Canal, and were replaced by Enlarged Erie Canal Locks 59, 58 and 57 in 1839-1841. In 1853, the communities of Newark, formerly called Miller's Basin, and Lockville merged to become the present Newark, New York.

The remains of the former Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 59 (also called the Upper Lockville Lock) are located along North Clinton Street across from the current Erie Barge Canal Lock 28-B in Newark, just off N.Y. Route 31. It is a double-chamber, single-length lock built in 1841, and had a lift to the west of 7.88 feet. The remains of the former Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 58 (also called the Middle Lockville Lock) is a few blocks east off Lyons Street, but one of the chambers is roofed over and being used by a scrap company. Volunteers have cleared the other chamber as part of a canal trail project. The lock is a double-chamber, single-length lock, with a lift to the west of 7.93 feet. The former Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 57 (also called the Lower Lockville Lock) was dismantled for construction of the current Erie Barge Canal.

All three Enlarged Erie Canal (Lockville) Locks were never lengthened, as the Canal made a relatively sharp curve, leaving no room for lengthening. In 1890, a proposal was made to reduce the curvature by moving the canal to the north and replacing the three locks with a new larger lock (see the map below). This proposal was never adopted, and the curve remained until Lock no. 28-B was put into use in 1914 with the completion of the Erie Barge Canal.

Left: Map of the Erie Canal, Lockville, Wayne Co. - proposed new canal and combined lock -- from: Annual report of the State Engineer and Surveyor for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1890 (Albany : James B. Lyon, state printer, 1891) -- facing p. 44.

For photographs of the remains of Enlarged Erie Canal Lock Nos. 58 and 59 at Newark,
see Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 59 and Enlarged Erie Canal Lock No. 58 in the Traces section of this web site.

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