Lock 30

Lock 30 of the Enlarged Erie Canal was built between 1838 and 1841 at this location to allow the efficient operation of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the canal over and entirely apart from Schoharie Creek. Before the aqueduct was built, the original Erie Canal entered the creek itself, creating a hazardous crossing when the creek was flooding. Because the aqueduct had to be high enough for Schoharie Creek to flow freely underneath, the Enlarged Erie Canal had to be stepped up to reach the aqueduct’s eastern end. Lock 30 and Lock 29, about a half-mile east, raised the canal the 18 1/2 feet required to reach the level of the new structure.

Florida, New York · United States