Enlarged Double Lock 23, Old Erie Canal

Enlarged Double Lock 23, Old Erie Canal. . , Listed on the National Register of Historic Places 2008, Within a decade of opening, the Erie Canal's massive success required new, larger locks to accommodate the increase in both size and volume of vessels passing through. The visible stonework you see here is all that remains of Enlarged Lock 23, built in 1842 to replace the original Erie Canal Lock 26., Known as "Alexander's Lock," 23 was an expanded, double-chamber design, allowing boats to travel from either direction at the same time. The first lock west of Schenectady, it was known as the "Gateway to the West." At its busiest, it moved boats through every five minutes (about 47,000 lockages per season)., Built entirely of large cut limestone blocks, Lock 23 was a major transfer point. Many passengers chose to disembark here, traveling overland to Albany, while freight caught up a few days later, passing through 22 locks between here and the Hudson River., New York State would again lengthen Lock 23 in 1889 for steam barges, but the 1918 opening of the larger Barge Canal put the lock out of service. It was eventually replaced with Lock 8, seen a few hundred feet from here., A Second Life for Lock 23 , Many sections of the original Erie Canal were abandoned once the larger Barge Canal opened in 1918. Lock 23, however, continued to play a vital role, both locally and around the world., General Electric first purchased the section and kept water running from its main plant (visible about 3.5 miles east on the trail) until the mid-1950s. Engineers used the canal to test GE products, including "Electric Mules" that pulled ships through the Panama Canal. , Later, the section was donated to the Town of Rotterdam, which ran a new water main directly through the lock chambers. More recently, students from Union College (about 4 miles east along the trail), cleaned up the area, constructing the Lock Tender's Hut and Wooden Pier replicas you see., [ Photo Captions ] , - A diagram of double locks, used to expand the Erie Canal., - Original Erie Canal locks (see left were replaced or expanded to accommodate larger vessels, moving from both directions at the same time., [ Postcard Caption ] Electric Mule for Canal Transportation. Built by the General Electric Company, Schenectady, N.Y