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Port Byron in Cayuga County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Tanner's Dry Dock

 
 
Tanner's Dry Dock Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, May 19, 2017
1. Tanner's Dry Dock Marker
Inscription. About two hundred feet from here was once the location of the D. B. Tanner Dry Dock, built in 1863 on the former Clinton's Ditch alignment. Craftmen built and repaired canal cargo boats in the dry docks that carried grain, coal, lumber and the produce of the west to eastern markets. Tanner's was one of several dry docks that operated at different locations on the Enlarged Erie Canal.

When the current system opened in 1918, Tanner's and many other dry docks on the Enlarged Erie Canal were abandoned.

A dry dock was a basin connected to the canal by a narrow entrance. Similar to a lock, a gate or set of gates - with small valves called wickets mounted near the bottom to admit water into the lock - would allow a boat into the basin after it had been filled. After the wickets had been shut, and the dry dock sealed off from the main canal, the basin would be slowly drained. The boat would come to rest on wooden supports placed at regular intervals, allowing any necessary repairs to be made. After work was completed water would again be admitted into the basin and the vessel refloated and removed.

Dry docks were also used to store boats over the winter. In 1904 Tanner served 300 boats, with storage fees ranging from $2 to $4 depending on the boat's size.

Lock 52 and the Tanner Dry Docks (1 & 2) on the Schillner
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map, c. 1896.
 
Erected 2016 by New York State Thruway Authority / Canal Corporation.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceWaterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Erie Canal series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1863.
 
Location. 43° 2.224′ N, 76° 38.11′ W. Marker is in Port Byron, New York, in Cayuga County. Marker can be reached from Interstate 90. The marker is within the Erie Canal Heritage Park, an historical interpretive site / rest area off eastbound Interstate 90. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Byron NY 13140, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Erie House (within shouting distance of this marker); The Erie Canal in Port Byron (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Blacksmith Shop and Mule Shed (about 400 feet away); Port Byron's Lock 52 (about 400 feet away); Glaciers, Drumlins, and High Level Lakes (about 400 feet away); Henry Wells (approx. 0.2 miles away); Brigham Young (approx. 0.6 miles away); Amos S. King (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Byron.
 
More about this marker. No restrooms or concessions at the park.
 
Tanner's Dry Dock Marker & Lock 52 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Anton Schwarzmueller, May 19, 2017
2. Tanner's Dry Dock Marker & Lock 52
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on May 22, 2017. It was originally submitted on May 22, 2017, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 315 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on May 22, 2017, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.

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Mar. 19, 2024