Research

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of a small card file which apparently references storage locations of documents relating to the Barge Canal era. It is not known who originally prepared the file, but it would logically have been maintained by the Superintendent (later Department) of Public Works in the course of administering canal work, perhaps serving as a historical record of work on certain sections of the canal.

The bulk of the references are to maps and plans, the majority of which appear to concern the Oswego Canal (or River) and the areas of Fulton, Phoenix, and Minetto, New York. There are references to many canal structures and documents (e.g. details, cross sections, culverts, dams, feeders, profiles, etc.) as well as a few place names and proper names (perhaps of property owners).

The 3" x 5" cards generally give a very brief description of the item referenced and a case letter, drawer number, and what may be an item or document number. A few cards include dates and/or contract numbers. Some tracings and blueprints referred to in the file date in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1870s, but the majority of the cards seem to refer to material from the period 1909-1915.