In the late 1800s, the boatyard at Chittenango Landing was a busy complex filled with boats, shops, people, horses, and mules. Its center was a three-bay dry dock where canal boats were repaired, while new boats were built on the ground beside the dry docks. The complex also included a dry goods and supply store, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill, a woodworking shop, stables, and a boarding house for workers, making it much like a thruway stop for canal travelers. From 1865 to 1880, 15 to 20 men worked at the dry docks at any given time, laboring ten-hour days for an average of $1.63 a day, or about $45 a month, more than some other skilled workers such as shoemakers, blacksmiths, cabinet makers, and tailors. On August 30, 1889, a boat with a hole in its side sank before reaching the dry docks, and another boat trying to pass became stuck, blocking the canal and forcing more than 100 boats to stop for over 15 hours. After this section of the canal closed in 1917, the dry docks became a dumping ground until the people of Chittenango rediscovered the site in 1985 and began restoring the buildings and docks.