The first and only road culvert ever built under the Erie Canal passes directly below this site. It was built in 1823 during construction of Clinton's Ditch, and its cornerstone still exists as part of the foundation of the Vernon Toussaint home at 3704 Culvert Road. The original culvert was dismantled in 1854 and rebuilt in 1855 on the Enlarged Canal's new alignment nearby. Forty years later it was substantially altered during the Nine Million Dollar Improvement of 1895. Construction of the New York State Barge Canal from 1905 to 1918 widened and refaced the road culvert and, however unknowingly, conserved this unique structure, preserving its historical significance for future generations. Cars and trucks still use the Medina Culvert today. Throughout the Erie Canal system, culverts were designed and built to channel streams and stormwater under the canal and into the river, avoiding the possibility of undermining the canal or flooding its banks. They essentially served as cut stone water drains with an opening at either end, though some were double culverts, and the largest exceeded 150 feet in length.
