Schenectady, N.Y (May 29, 2001) – It was the busiest lock
on New York State's Erie Canal, Lock 23 in the town of Rotterdam. In its heyday
around 1880, it served 47,000 vessels a season on the Empire State's most
famous waterway – that's one boat every four minutes through its gates. The
busy task of keeping the canal traffic flowing fell to the locktender, whose
job it was to manually operate massive gates to control the flow of water
through the lock.
On Thursday, May 31 at 2 p.m., students and faculty from Union College's Civil Engineering
Department will erect a replica “locktender's hut” on the original site at Lock
23 in Rotterdam. The 10' by 12' hut, whose design is based on an existing,
authentic structure in Fort Byron, NY, is part of the Civil Engineering
Department's ongoing restoration of Lock 23.
“Locktenders were, next to the
canal boat captains, arguably the most important people working on the canal,
and they needed shelter from the elements,” Civil Engineering Professor Andy
Wolfe said. “The huts were built on site making the operation very efficient.”
In 1999, Wolfe began to uncover Lock 23 by clearing trees, shrubs and other debris from the site. Last year,
the lock was featured as part of Union's exhibition celebrating the 175th
anniversary of the Erie Canal; Professor Wolfe lead tours of the lock for
hundreds of area residents and alumni of the College. Also, Wolfe discussed the significance of Lock 23 on a special
hour-long History Channel special on the Erie Canal.
Union has developed an ambitious proposal to restore the Lock 23 site, which includes re-building the lock gates
and mechanisms, dredging the soil from the canal route and flooding the canal,
building a working replica of a canal boat, and establishing a classroom and
interpretive facility adjacent to the lock.