Research


Administrative History

The 20th-century Erie Barge Canal incorporated parts of the older system, particularly in New York State Department of Transportation Region 2. These include the Adirondack Northern Reservoirs (and the associated Black River Canal sections), the Madison County Southern Reservoirs (and the associated Chenango Canal sections) and a still-watered portion of the 19th-century Erie Canal west of New London (used as a feeder).

In 1992 the State's canal offices were transferred from the New York State Department of Transportation [NYSDOT] to the New York State Thruway Authority. In 2017, oversite of the canal offices was transferred from the Thruway to the New York Power Authority. The Thruway Authority regions were Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo. The office in Utica was closed. The records that were in the Utica State Office Building were sent to Syracuse and integrated with those of the canal office from NYSDOT Region 3 (Syracuse), which also had to relocate from the Syracuse State Office Building to Thruway headquarters nearby. The records became very scattered among canal and Thruway properties. Eventually, the field books (both Utica's and Syracuse's) were housed in the canal shops at Lysander.