Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Here & There Column 5-22-12


Baldwinsville Lock 24

  The history buff in me always comes out when I see an historical project from the Erie Canal days still functioning today as part of the  modern Erie Canal.
  While traveling in the Syracuse-Fulton and Oswego area several weekends ago we secured motel rooms in Baldwinsville and after checking in asked the location of a nice restaurant.
  The motel desk clerk quickly without hesitation gave us directions to the Lock 24 Restaurant at 33 Water Street.
  Upon arriving at this location we immediately recognized that we were at a location with significant historical background. 
  Directly opposite the Lock 24 Restaurant was the Erie Canal (now referred to the Barge Canal) Baldwinsville Lock No. 24, a structure we amazingly have never seen before and after 100 years the lock is still lifting and lowering boats.
  Although the canal is now only open from May 1 through November 15, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, in the summer, our memory took me back to the days we read about and were taught the workings of the Erie Canal. 
  The 100th anniversary of Barge Canal Lock 24 was celebrated last summer and although traffic on the canal is very different from the Erie days this waterway sees only a few commercial boats but pleasure boating is brisk. The canal system stretches 525 miles from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. 
  It takes a million gallons of water to "lock" a boat and the lock is all-electric, powered by 240 volts of direct current and folks in the restaurant noted that the "gates rumble mightily when they open."
  This artificial waterway and the locks that control it are an historical event with Lock 24 being one of the busiest along the canal system where nearly 20,000 boats lock-through in a season.
  Don't have a boat but would like to do some cruising on the canal. Go to these websites, lockportlocks.com, canalcruises.com, midlakesnav.com 
  Oh yes, before we forget, if in the area treat your pallets to outstanding food at the Lock 24 Restaurant. 
  Additional photos are posted on our Web page, http://bght.blogspot.com 

                                                                

Identification of photo

The historic Erie (Barge) Canal Lock No. 24 at Baldwinsville near Syracuse. 

                                                    

  

                                                    

No comments: