For Immediate Release: September 21, 2005
CANAL CORPORATION PARTNERS WITH LOCAL GROUP TO HELP RESTORE HISTORIC LOCK
Carmella R. Mantello, Director of the New York State Canal Corporation, today announced that the Canal Corporation will clear the area around old Lock E-56 in Lyons, Wayne County, paving the way for eventual restoration of the historic site by local volunteers. Employees from the Canal Corporation will use large and small equipment to remove brush and other vegetation which has obscured the structure and made it difficult for volunteers to access the area.
“Preserving our past is absolutely critical to enhancing our future,” Director Mantello said. “Just as Lyons was once a beginning point for products shipped on the Canal such as peppermint and other exports vital to the economic growth of the Empire State, it is today a beginning point for a new concentrated partnership dedicated to preserving and promoting our wealth of cultural and historic resources.”
State Senator Michael Nozzolio said, “I envision that, as heritage tourism continues to attract larger numbers of people to this great State, historic sites like Lock E-56 will play a pivotal role in the economic development and quality-of-life enhancement efforts in our Canal communities. I thank the Canal Corporation for their essential part in this important collaboration.”
Assemblyman Bob Oaks said, “Too often we have lost our most significant historic sites to decay and obscurity, and in the process lost sight of what can be accomplished if we work together. Through Governor Pataki's vision for the Canal System, we have been reversing this trend over the past decade, and this is another important milestone in that effort. I thank Carmella Mantello and the Canal Corporation for reminding us what can be achieved when people come together to work toward a common goal.”
Lyons Town Supervisor Jimmy Fabino said, “We applaud the Canal Corporation for stepping up to the plate on something that will really make a difference in Lyons and surrounding communities.”
Lyons Village Mayor John Cinelli said, “This wonderful lock is an integral and celebrated piece of our past, one which will be more widely enjoyed through the assistance of the Canal Corporation.”
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission Director Frank Dean said, “This historic Erie Canal Lock, is an integral part of the nationally significant story which needs to be told. Our federal program looks forward to working with the Canal Corporation and the dedicated volunteers to coordinate all of our efforts to ensure that this critical piece of the past is preserved.”
Lock E-56 Committee Volunteer and founder of Erie's Restoration Interests Everyone (E.R.I.E) Mark DeCracker said, “We couldn't be more excited about the opportunity for more people to access and appreciate this remarkably intact historic site. We consider this just the tip of the iceberg, and look forward to additional partnerships with the Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor which may yield even more exciting developments in the future.”
Built as part of the 1835 to 1862 Erie Canal enlargement, Lock E-56 gives visitors a true appreciation of what life was like on the mule-era Canal System. The double lock allowed longer tows of boats to pass through the lock through the northern chamber, while allowing for two way traffic at once. Adjacent to the site, a structure which served as a grocery at the site still stands. During the heyday of the Erie Canal in the 1800s, businesses frequently located near locks to serve the boatmen as their tows waited to pass through.
In late May 2005, Governor Pataki unveiled his vision for establishing the Erie Canal Greenway and, ultimately, the Empire State Greenway, connecting the Niagara, Erie and Hudson River Greenways. The Canal Corporation and an interagency task force will conduct an outreach campaign to gather input and ideas, and develop a comprehensive set of recommendations to create the new Erie and Empire State Greenways and examine certain roles and responsibilities currently assigned to the Canal Corporation. The recommendations will be delivered in a report to the Governor by December 2005.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.
For more information about news and events along the New York State Canal System, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.state.ny.us.
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