Question: This fine group of ladies gathered in 1945 to have their photograph taken. They were the board of directors of one of the oldest organizations in the state. That organization is still going strong after 202 years of operation. Do you know its name and the identity of any of these women?
Last week’s answer: The photo from last week showed the opening ceremony on June 8, 1908, connected with the first shovelful of dirt taken out of the area that was destined to become the Barge Canal. Today we know it as the Erie Barge Canal, but be aware that it is not part of the original Erie Canal. That ran south of here.
The original Erie Canal was becoming outmoded so the state surveyed for a new water avenue. This would follow natural waterways, as much as possible. The cost would be $100 million. By taking the Seneca River route the new canal would pass through Baldwinsville. Scott Brothers & Faulconer had the contract to construct Section 45 of the new waterway, reaching from the foot of Downer Street to the paper mill point (today’s Paper Mill Island). This was a comparatively short stretch when considering the whole length of the canal, but the project included a set of locks, a bridge, dike and a long retaining wall. Over 65 buildings which stood in the path of the canal had to be either removed or demolished. The dirt removed was hauled to a swampy area that today is Meadow Street and the land behind St. Mary’s. One side of Water Street was taken out to facilitate the new project. It originally went from its current location all the way over to what is now the Red Mill Inn. (In those days it was a working mill known as Mercer Mill.)
In 1910, Baldwinsville’s Lock 24 became the first lock to open on the new canal. The whole project across the state was finally completed in 1918. In the early years of the Barge Canal system a great deal of freight moved on its waters, but this has now changed almost exclusively to pleasure boating.
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 332 with your guess by noon Friday. If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s newspaper, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
