Old Erie Canal State Historic Park at Kirkville Road

Old Erie Canal State Historic Park at Kirkville Road. . The Old Erie Canal State Historic Park is a 36-mile trail following the canal's towpath from DeWitt to Rome. This scenic trail passes through a variety of natural and cultural landscapes, including open farmland, dense woods, and old canal communities. Originally part of the Enlarged Erie Canal that ran from Albany to Buffalo, this section now serves as a feeder for the New York State Barge Canal., The Enlarged Erie Canal , Workers began the construction of the original Erie Canal in 1817 on the flat Oneida Lake Plain between Syracuse and Rome. This section of the canal was known as the "Long Level" and did not require the construction of locks. Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal was an immediate commercial success. , Increasing traffic soon made it necessary to enlarge the canal. The "Enlarged Erie Canal" was finished in 1862 and was deeper, wider, and straighter than the original. In some places, the Enlarged Canal was built directly on top of the original. In other places, a new course was laid to eliminate unnecessary twists and turns. The New York State Barge Canal opened in 1918, and the "Enlarged Erie Canal" was abandoned., Background photograph of Erie Canal ca.1890, courtesy of Fort Hunter Canal Society.