Research


New York State Department of Public Works Blueprint Copies of Maps of Lands Permanently Appropriated by the State of New York for the Use of the Barge Canal


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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:
This series documents the responsibilities of the Superintendent of Public Works relating to the appropriation of land for canal use. It includes appropriation maps; descriptions of appropriated lands; certificates of filing; and notices and affidavits served on property owners. Maps provide a detailed view of the property to be appropriated; and a detailed narrative description of lands to be appropriated, including the names of property owners and often those of adjoining property owners.
Title:
Blueprint copies of maps of lands permanently appropriated by the State of New York for the use of the Barge Canal
Quantity:

15.1 cubic feet

5320 maps

Inclusive Dates:
1905-1925, 1942
Series Number:
B0214

Arrangement

B0214-83: Numerical by contract number.

B0214-85: Numerical by contract number and therein alphabetical by name of property owner.

B0214-99: Arranged by canal division and therein geographical by "book" area.

Biographical Sketch

Chapter 147 (Section 4) of the Laws of 1903 empowered the State Engineer and Surveyor to appropriate any lands, structures, or waters deemed necessary for canal use. In so doing, the State Engineer and Surveyor was required to execute an accurate survey and map, to which a certificate was affixed stating that the lands therein described had been appropriated by the state for canal use.

Duplicate copies of maps were filed at the office of the Superintendent of Public Works, which was responsible for serving the notices of appropriation as well as filing at the county clerk's office duplicate copies of the notices of appropriation, maps, certificates of service, and descriptions.

Scope and Content Note

This series documents the responsibilities of the Superintendent of Public Works relating to the appropriation of land for canal use. The series consists of county clerks' certificates of filing notices to be served on property owners; affidavits of service; duplicates of appropriation maps; and descriptions of lands to be appropriated.

Because all of the maps in this series are duplicates and there are no certificates of appropriation, these are probably the files maintained by the Superintendent of Public Works office. Location of the originals is unknown.

County clerk's certificates of filing contain the names of the county, town, and county clerk; date; map number; owner's name (of appropriated land); location (town, city, or village and county) and types of documents filed in the office. Affidavits of service provide name of county; name and signature of person who served the notice of appropriation; date of serving; name of person to whom the documents were served; title, if any; signature of notary public; and date notarized. Notices to be served on property owners inform them that the State Engineer and Surveyor has filed with the Superintendent of Public Works office the necessary documents for appropriating the land, and that copies of such documents are attached. The notices are addressed to the property owner. They also provide the date when the State Engineer and Surveyor filed the necessary documents with the Superintendent of Public Works.

Maps are blueprint copies of original tracings and provide a detailed view of the property to be appropriated. Each map includes the names of property owners (or reputed owners) and often the names of adjoining property owners; a detailed narrative description of the lands to be appropriated, written directly onto each map; a standard title that includes the town and county of the land to be appropriated; a scale equating inches to feet; the direction of true north; a signature block of persons who made, traced, and checked the maps, sometimes dated; and signed and dated certifications that the duplicates are authentic.

In addition the maps sometimes include land acreage; statements relating parcels to numbered line stations; an indication of iron pipes (from which parcel measurements were taken, as mentioned in the narrative description); the monumented base line (a line parallel to the center of the improved Erie Canal); and lines designating proposed pipe lines, the old Erie Canal, the improved Erie Canal and other features, such as railroad lines.

B0214-83, 6 cu. ft. (42 volumes containing ca. 2,040 maps : folded blueprints ; 19 x 21.5 cm or larger within volume size of 21 x 33 cm.: Contract and parcel numbers are filled in on preprinted lines found in the upper right corner of each map. Maps and accompanying documents in the 1983 accretion are held together by string passed through punched holes, and thus bound between cardboard covers. Each of these has on its center cover a contract number, and a consecutive number (sometimes with a letter) appears in the upper right corner of the cover. At times another number, pencilled in blue, appears over the main contract number; its significance is not known. The maps are usually tri-folded and generally range from 19 x 21.5 cm to 19 x 91 cm within the bound size of 21 x 33 cm.

B0214-85, 8 cu. ft. : folded blueprints ; ca. 2,800 maps 15 x 30 cm or larger folded to letter size folders: Contract and parcel numbers are often written in pencil on the folders containing the maps (or often on the back of the map). Maps and accompanying documents are filed by contract number and therein alphabetically in folders by last name of property owner. They are usually tri-folded from sizes ranging from 15 x 30 cm to 15 x 139 cm to fit letter-size folders. The bulk of these maps measure 19 x 91 cm.

B0214-99, 1 cu. ft. (ca. 475 maps) : blueprints ; 8 1/2 x 11 in.: This accretion consists of approximately 475 blueprint maps (ca. 8 1/2 x 11 inches) mounted on linen backing. The maps are divided according to the traditional canal divisions (Eastern, Middle and Western) and then organized into so-called "books" by the specific canal name. Each "book" includes a key map of the geographic area it covers. Individual maps show the right of way of the Barge Canal and the property acquired by the state for its construction, including name of property owner, claim number, and acreage of the parcel. Most maps are drawn to the scale of 1 inch = 500 feet.

B0214-11: This accretion consists of five blueprint maps of lands appropriated in the Town of Cicero, Village of Brewerton for use by the Barge Canal under the Laws of 1934, Chapter 688, which authorized New York State to receive federal monies to improve the Barge Canal, and the Laws of 1939, Chapter 542, entitled "an act relating to canals, constituting chapter five of the Consolidated Laws."

Related Material

B1808 Maps of Lands Permanently Appropriated by the State of New York for the Use of the Barge Canal, 1897-1969, contains the original paper and linen maps for items in this series

A1277 Notices of Service Upon Owners of Land Appropriated for the Barge Canal, 1905-1916, and

22561 Barge Canal land appropriation files, all contain related records.

Access Restrictions

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

Access Terms

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Detailed Description

Contents Box

Accretion: B0214-11
Onondaga County, Town of Cicero, Village of Brewerton (File No. 2764, Parcel Nos. 6057-6061, U.S. Contract No. 65) 1

Accretion: B0214-83
Contract 1 1 1
Contract 2 1 1A
Contract 14 1 2A
Contract 15 1 3
Contracts 25, 26, 27, 27A, 27B 1 4
Contract 14 2 2B
Contract 14 2 2C
Contract 14 2 2D
Contract 14 2 2E
Contract 20A 2 3A
Contract 20C 2 3B
Contract 20 2 3D
Contract 18A 2 3E
Contract 20B 3 3C
Contract 19A 3 3F
Contract 19 3 3G
Contract 19 3 3H
Contract 19 3 3I
Contract 18 3 3J
Contract 17 3 3K
Contract 20D 3 3L
Contract 20D 4 3M
Contract 29A 4 4A
Contract 23A 4 4B
Contract 25 4 4C
Contract 23A 4 4D
Contract 22 4 4E
Contract 22A 4 4F
Contract 23 4 4G
Contract 21A 4 4H
Contract 21 4 4I
Contract 39 5 5A
Contract 35 5 5B
Contract 37 5 5C
Contract 38 5 5D
Contract 31 6 5E
Contract 30 6 5F
Contract 30 6 5G
Contract 56 6 8
Contract 30 6 5F

Accretion: B0214-85
Contract 4 1
Contract 5 2
Contracts 10, 10C 3
Contract 12 (A-H) 4
Contract 12 (I-Z) 5
Contracts 15-20 6
Contracts 22, 22A 7
Contract 28 8
Contract 35 9
Contract 37 10
Contract 37 11
Contract 39 12
Contract 39 (A-K) 13
Contract 39 (L-Z) 14
Contracts 39, 39A 15
Contracts 42, 42A 16
Contract 43 17
Contract 44 18
Contract 45 19
Contract 46 20
Contract 47 21
Contract 48 22
Contract 50 23
Contract 51-53 24
Contract 55 25
Contract 57 26
Contracts 78-80-85 27
Contracts 90-100 28
Contracts 101-116 29
Contracts 132-208 30
Contract H 31
Contract I 32

Accretion: B0214-99
Champlain Canal - Eastern Division Contracts 1, 3, 15, 25, 26, 27, 54, 56 1 1
Champlain Canal - Eastern Division Contracts 1, 68, 69, 70, 70A, 71, 71A, 72, 73 1 2
Erie Canal - Eastern Division Contracts 2, 2E, 11, 20D, 8, 8A, 14 1 1
Erie Canal - Eastern Division Contracts 14, 17, 20B, 20C, 20D 1 2
Erie Canal - Eastern Division Contracts 20A, 18, 30, 31, 29 1 3
Erie Canal - Middle Division Contracts 42, 42A, 43, 44, 4 1 1
Erie Canal - Middle Division Contracts 12, 45, 57, 5, 46 1 2
Erie Canal - Middle Division Contracts 50, 51, 55, 123 1 3
Cayuga/Seneca Canal - Middle Division Contracts A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L 1 4
Oswego Canal - Middle Division Contracts 10, 35, 37, 37R, 39, 53, 78, 79, 80, 85, 103, 104 1 5
Erie Canal Western Division Contracts 47, 48, 76 1 1
Erie Canal Western Division Contracts 49, 63, 77 1 2
Erie Canal Western Division Contracts 23, 21,6, 60, 61 1 3
Erie Canal Western Division Contracts 62, 9, 65, 64 1 4
Erie Canal Western Division Contracts 66, 67, 40, 19, 83 1 5