Current Exhibit

Open through October 31st:

Barge Into Baldwinsville

Celebrating 100 years at Lock No. 24

Lock No. 24 became operational on May 9, 2010. It was the first working lock on the "new improved Erie Canal". On that date the gates were manually opened and closed for work vessels passing through to continue construction of the new canal.

Approval for the new canal had followed a lengthy political battle. The project would cost $101 million - more than "a tidy sum". Working under time and material constraints and the pressure of raging World War I, the completed canal was hailed as "a remarkable feat" when it opened on its targeted date of spring, 1918.

Construction in Baldwinsville began in 1908. The new canal would replace sections of several streets. Residences, shops, stores, and factories would be moved or demolished to make way for the canal channel. Even the railroad bridge across the river was removed. Many residents were given only a few days notice that their homes must be vacated as excavation was nearing. The local population was swollen to capacity as scores of canal workers moved into town. The resulting chaos was a breeding ground for numerous fights, many thefts, and even a murder.

Construction of the lock chamber was a major engineering feat. A steam shovel, derrick, and a small train were used - as well as horses, dump wagons and hundreds of shovels, picks, and wheel barrows. Sidewalk superintendents were abundant.

The cartoon seen here was drawn by John Stanton in 1908.. The image was one of several Stanton cartoons that quickly became popular local postcards.

The exhibition includes vintage photos of canal construction in Baldwinsville as well as "before and after" views of streets and structures that were in the path of the channel. Additional highlights include schematics of the lock, maps, memorabilia and a model of a lock.

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