Baldwinsville in Onondaga County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Site of Baldwin Power and Navigation Canal
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 6, 2026
1. Site of Baldwin Power and Navigation Canal Marker
Dr. James C. Baldwin in 1809
Filled in 1965
This marker stands on
original towpath
Beauchamp Historical Club - 1968
Erected 1968 by Beauchamp Historical Clib.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1809.
Location. 43° 9.499′ N, 76° 19.922′ W. Marker is in Baldwinsville, New York, in Onondaga County. It can be reached from Oswego Street. After you turn onto Oswego Street turn left into the parking lot. There’s a series of shops on the left. At the end of shops you’ll see the marker under a tree. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 30 Oswego Street, Baldwinsville NY 13027, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York, specifically in Central New York, and in the Syracuse Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Sun Never Sets On A Morris Pump (a few steps from this marker); Baldwinsville 4 Corners Mural Project (within shouting distance of this marker); Log Cabin Site (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Presbyterian (about 600 feet away); Grace Episcopal Church (about 700 feet away); New York State Barge Canal Lock 24 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Old Yard (approx. 0.3 miles away); On This Hill (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Baldwinsville.
Regarding Site of Baldwin Power and Navigation Canal. From Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (lcmm.org)
Dr. Baldwin was very much the entrepreneur. In 1809, one of his first initiatives upon moving to Baldwinsville was to purchase the local area rights to the defunct Inland Navigation Company and petition the State for permission to build a dam on the Seneca River to power mills. In conjunction with construction of the dam, Dr. Baldwin also requested
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 6, 2026
2. Site of Baldwin Power and Navigation Canal Marker
After the Erie was opened in 1825, “it siphoned off most of the through-Seneca River traffic but the Baldwin Canal was vital to the Baldwinsville community”. In 1831 the canal was expanded to make it capable of handling the larger Erie boats then in operation. By then, Dr. and Mrs. Baldwin had passed away (within weeks of each other in 1827), and their sons were running the Baldwin empire. There was enough resistance to the continued Baldwin family domination of the dam and canal rights that a petition was submitted against its extension and the State took over the rights themselves.
In 1863 the State rebuilt the lock in stone. With the coming of the new Barge Canal, however, the old canal was eventually relegated to a raceway and in 1967 was filled in by the village.
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 6, 2026
3. Site of Baldwin Power and Navigation Canal Marker
Photographed by Susan A. Dalaba, August 6, 2026
4. Site of Baldwin Power and Navigation Canal Marker - Looking At Row Of Shops
Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2026, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 10, 2026, by Susan A. Dalaba of Cortland, New York. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
