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Aug 31, 2023

Explore Genesee Valley Canal lock on National Trails Day

Friends of Genesee Valley Greenway State Park Photo People are seen walking in

Friends of Genesee Valley Greenway State Park Photo People are seen walking in Canal Lock -2 on the Genesee Valley Greenway. The lock was once part of the Genesee Valley Canal and is the best preserved on the 90-mile historic trail.

Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway will celebrates Canal Lock -2 on June 3 as part of a celebration of the 31st annual National

Trails Day.

The lock is part of Genesee Valley Greenway State Park.

The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway will host a special program at the Greenway's circa 1840 Genesee Valley Canal Lock -2 in Chili. This lock, the best preserved on the 90-mile historic trail, can be easily reached by walking or bicycling less than a mile south from the Greenway's Brook Road parking area on newly improved stone dust trail.

At 11 a.m., Christopher Romanchock, a public historian and adjunct professor at Alfred University, will present some of his recent research on the building and operation of the Genesee Valley Canal.

"The Genesee Valley Canal was the most technologically challenging canal constructed in America," Romanchock said. "It was the highest canal ever attempted, with a summit level nearly 1,000 feet above the Erie Canal in Rochester. Although it was never a financial success, its construction was a herculean task accomplished with simple hand tools."

The Canal closed in 1878.

Romanchock, and mason and Alfred State College of Technology Professor Stephen Richard, will lead a walk through the lock's 90-foot long, 15-foot-wide chamber. Marvel at the massive hammer-dressed cut stone blocks that were somehow lifted into place without the aid of power tools, learn how the wooden doors worked to let water in and out, and see the remaining hinges that made the doors open and close. All the Genesee Valley Canal's locks were planned to be built like Lock -2, but only 28 dressed-stone locks were in place before a financial crisis in the 1840s forced canal builders to construct the rest of the canal's 106 locks of rough-cut stone lined with wooden planks or entirely of wood.

The National Trail Day Lock -2 presentation will also offer an opportunity to discover more about the life of a lock tender and the lock tender's house which once stood next to the lock.

Records indicate that in 1838 a contract was signed for a house to be built to the east of Lock -2 at a cost of $318.61.

As part of a recent federally funded trail refurbishment project, the lot where the house once stood has been planted in grass and marked with newly pointed trees.

"Genesee Valley Greenway State Park offers something for everyone and a unique trail experience - enjoyable walking and bicycling in beautiful natural surroundings as well as an opportunity to experience and discover more about the transportation history of our region," said Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway President Joan Schumaker.

The Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway was founded in 1992 to assist New York State Parks in the development, protection, promotion, and maintenance of Genesee Valley Greenway Park. The Friends have participated in National Trails Day activities each year since the American Hiking Society first organized the event in 1992 to celebrate and advocate for trails across the nation.

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