Following the Flow- A Canal Splash Event August 13, 2011 Last year the three “canal” Historical Societies, Weedsport, Port Byron and Montezuma, participated in the State-wide Canal Splash event. This year, we are doing it again, with a slightly different schedule.
As usual, Old Brutus HS in Weedsport will open the doors of it’s building from 9am-3pm for tours. Tours of canal sites will begin at 11am at Lock 51, the lock one mile west of Jordan on Rt 31. There we will begin “Following the Flow” of canal water down the hill to the Seneca River at Montezuma. The old Erie had a couple of high points or bumps along it’s route between Albany and Buffalo, and the section in Cayuga County flows a bit backwards. It makes for an interesting tale of how Cayuga County was a difficult place to build a canal. We will spend about 30 – 45 minutes at Lock 51.
We will then head west to Port Byron, where we will make a quick stop at the St. John’s Church parking lot at 12:30. From this one spot, a person can learn a lot about the canals of Port Byron. We will talk about the two canal routes, the old mills, the use of the Outlet and early settlement of the village.
Plan to be in Montezuma at 1:30pm for a walking tour of canal sites. We will start at the Byron Lapp trailhead next to the firehouse in the hamlet. From there we will walk west toward the river, finishing the journey of the canal water as it reached the bottom point of the little dip in the canal route. We will talk about the Heritage Park plans for Montezuma, and visit the Seneca River Aqueduct, old Lock 62, view the junction of the Erie and Cayuga Seneca Canals and maybe even Lock 11.
Plans are still being made, so keep coming back here for more details as the date arrives.
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