Baldwinsville & Seneca Canal

Note: Unless otherwise stated, this history comes from Whitford.

When the Western Inland Lock Navigation Company was incorporated in 1792, its officials intended to continue their work of improvement westward through the Oneida and Seneca Rivers along the line of existing natural water communications until they reached Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. At the place which we now know as Baldwinsville, the Seneca River was interrupted by a fall to overcome, which necessitated an independent canal, but the company never performed any work beyond Oneida Lake, and a settler named Jonas C. Baldwin undertook and accomplished privately what the company had planned at this point.

In 1809, after the company had formally relinquished all of its rights west of Oneida Lake, a petition was sent to the Legislature by Dr. Baldwin, in which he stated that at much expense he had constructed a canal and lock to permit navigation around the falls and, therefore, he asked from the Legislature authority to enable him to collect tolls for boats passing through the canal.   The Legislature thereupon enacted a law granting the petition and also giving him authority to build a dam, 7½ feet high at McHarry’s reef, located near the falls, for improving navigation in the river above, provided that he erected and maintained "a canal and lock for the passage of the largest boats usually employed in said river from above said dam, to the still water, two feet deep, below the same, said canal and lock to be at least twelve feet wide, and said lock to be at least seventy-seven and a half feet long within the gates, and with a sufficient depth of water to pass boats, drawing two feet water, when loaded."   The privileges lwere to continue for a term of 20 years.

In 1817, complaints were made to the Legislature that the dam, canal and locks authorized by the act of 1809 had not been built in accordance with the provisions of that law and that navigation in the Seneca River was more difficult than ever.   As remedial action, an act appointed James Geddes, an engineer employed in making surveys and plans for the Erie canal, as a commissioner to examine the works and to report to the Legislature of 1818 whether the allegations were true and what alterations, if any, were necessary to make possible the passage of loaded boats through the canal and locks.   Mr. Geddes inspected the work and reported to the Legislature that portions of the apron of the dam, which was supposed to be so built as to afford passage for rafts, had not been constructed as ordered, and that the locks leaked badly, but he stated that Dr. Baldwin planned to remedy these defects by building new structures.   The complaints had charged that there were numerous apertures in the dam through which flowed so much water that it was impossible to feed the canal properly.   Mr. Geddes reported that this condition had existed for about two months during the dry season of 1816 at which time even after being unloaded, boats were taken through the canal with difficulty.   Mr. Geddes stated that to insure successful navigation a tight dam was necessary, and that at the point where the boats were passed into the river below the falls excavations should be made so as to afford the requisite depth of water, navigation having been impeded at this place also.

In 1819, Dr. Baldwin conveyed his interests in the dam, canal, and all of the privileges secured from the Legislature in 1809 to his sons, Stephen W. Baldwin and Harvey Baldwin, who were accorded by an act of 1827 for a term of 21 years after 1829 the same rights as had been granted to their father in 1809.   By the new act, however, the owners were not required to maintain the canal and lock for the passage of boats around the dam unless the canal board decided that they were necessary for the accommodation of commerce on the Seneca River.   In March, 1831, the canal board passed a resolution to the effect that commerce on the river made it imperative that the canal and locks should be kept in operation in order to connect navigation above the dam with that below in such manner that boats traversing the Erie and Oswego Canals should encounter no difficulty in passing through the canal and locks.   The resolution required the work to be finished by December 1, 1831.   The work was completed within the time limit and at the finish the canal was about ¾ mile in length, having a guard lock that was built at the dam, and a lock with a 10-foot lift at the lower end of the channel, the dimensions of the locks being 90 by 15 feet.

In 1836, steps were taken to properly join this canal with the main branches of the system.   By an act of that year, the canal commissioners were authorized to build a towpath from Mud Lock at the junction of the independent Oswego canal with the canalized Seneca River, and westerly along this river to a suitable place in the village of Baldwinsville.   They were given the right to construct the towpath on either side of the river and to fix the tolls so that the canal would pay 5% on the original investment in addition to the necessary repairs for $4,000.   In 1838, this amount was raised to $15,000.   This towpath was completed in 1839 at an expense of $14,864.26.   It was 5.36 miles long beginning at Mud Lock "by a bridge across the Oswego canal, at the foot of the lock, and [was] continued by a floating bridge across the Seneca river, 367 feet long and 19 feet wide, with an elevation on the northerly side of the river, of the requisite width and height for the passage of boats; and thence by a towing path on the northerly side of the river, extending up to the lock at Baldwinsville."

The Legislature in 1836 also authorized the canal commissioners to examine the Oneida and Seneca Rivers and to report on the practicality of steamboat channels 4½ feet deep with a base of 60 feet, but, as the law contained no provision to pay for the work, the examinations were not made.   At this time, the Baldwins were still operating their canal and in 1848 and 1849 they petitioned the Legislature to renew the act of 1827, which granted them rights for 21 years.   However, they were denied a further extension and in 1850 a bill was passed by which the State assumed possession of the works.   Doubtless this was due to remonstrances signed by more than 400 residents of Baldwinsville, who united in a request that the State should take the works into its own hands, making to the owners a fair compensation.   The bill became law in that year, and besides authorizing the canal commissioners to take possession and appropriating $15,000 for the purchase price, it directed that the canal and locks should be made of such size as to admit the boats at that time navigating the Oswego Canal.

The act also appropriated $3000 for making improvements in the canal and river.   As it was found necessary to take down and rebuild the lift lock, sinking the foundation from 2 to 2½ feet lower than the former foundation in order at all times to obtain 4 feet of water on the lower miter sill, the sum appropriated was deemed altogether inadequate for the work in hand.   It was finally decided to rebuild this lock of wood, which could be done without exceeding the appropriation of $3,000.   This was completed in the spring of 1853.   Under this act also, navigation was opened for 11¾ miles in the Seneca River to Jack’s Reef, being the distance that water was set back by the Baldwinsville dam.   In 1854, an act placed the Baldwinsville Canal and the Seneca River improvement under the control of the canal board and under the same regulations in regard to tolls, superintendence and repairs as the other canals of the State.   In 1862, however, the board said that the Baldwinsville Canal "formed no part of our canal system when the Constitution pledged the revenues to the repairs of the canals and the payment of the Canal Debt.   It is not supposed that the repairs of this canal for lock and dam at Baldwinsville can be paid for out of the canal tolls collected on other canals recognized by the Constitution."   Consequently, the canal was repaired by monies from the general fund.

In 1863, $26,000 was appropriated for changing the location of the locks at Baldwinsville and for rebuilding them of stone.   The construction of a guard gate to take the place of the old guard lock, which was a timber structure and had decayed to such an extent as to render it entirely worthless, was completed in 1866 at a total cost of $10,985.70.   The laws of 1869 provided that whenever it became necessary to rebuild the dam at Baldwinsville, it should be constructed of stone.   In 1870, the Legislature appropriated $6,000 for rebuilding this dam, but when the structure was examined it was found to be in good condition and the appropriation was not used.

This canal was not under repair contract and the result was that the channel was blocked in many places by stone and other material.   In 1871, the floating bridge situated at the junction of Seneca River with the Oswego Canal, which had been maintained at a large annual expense to the State, was dispensed with and in its place a new towpath about ½ mile long was constructed on the west bank of the Seneca River.   This improvement, besides vastly improving navigation, lessened the cost of the maintenance of the canal.

The towpath from Baldwinsville to Jack’s Reef was abandoned in 1888 on account of disuse, and in 1891 the lock at the lower end of the Baldwinsville Canal was thoroughly repaired.   The sides of the lock were taken down to the waterline, new approaches to the lock were built, and four new gates inserted.

Under the laws of 1893, $35,000 was appropriated for rebuilding the Baldwinsville Dam.   Plans were prepared for a stone dam 14 feet in height, 21 feet in width at bottom and 6 feet at the top, with a curved spillway, resting on a rock foundation.   This dam was completed in the fall of 1894.

In general the route of the Barge canal follows the course of the Seneca river from its mouth to its junction with Crusoe Creek.   Thus, the Baldwinsville Canal and the Seneca River towpath was on the line of the main Erie Canal across the state, but with the Barge Canal, the dam at Baldwinsville, which wa raised about f15 inches, was passed by an independent channel on the south side of the river, leaving the existing canal nearly in its present condition to serve as a race for the various waterpowers along its banks.