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NYS Canal Corp. and Erie Canal Museum Launch Free Lock & Powerhouse Tours

Jul 8, 2022

First Tour is Saturday at Lock E-28B in Newark, Wayne County;

Additional Tours Scheduled Throughout July Across the Canal System

Date: Saturday, July 9, 2022

Times: 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.

Location: 116 N Clinton St., Newark, NY 14513 (Lock E28B)

Event: The New York State Canal Corporation and the Erie Canal Museum are offering free guided tours of Lock E-28B in Newark this Saturday, providing an opportunity for the public to learn about canal operations and infrastructure.

Each one-hour tour will begin with a brief presentation on the Canal's history, followed by a guided tour of E-28B's lock and powerhouse. The tour will showcase the working components, such as the miter gates, valves, and electrical systems, that allow boats to change elevation as they travel on the canal.

Participants will also have an opportunity to look inside the one-hundred-year-old powerhouse that initially provided power to the lock when it was constructed and still has most of its original equipment intact.

Additional free lock and powerhouse tours will be offered at the following locations:

  • Saturday, July 16, 2022, 11am & 1pm
    Champlain Canal Lock C-5
    121 US 4N
    Schuylerville, NY 12871
  • Saturday, July 23, 2022, 11am & 1pm
    Erie Canal Lock E-15
    84 Otsquago Club Rd
    Fort Plain, NY 13339

The Erie Canal Museum will also offer free guided tours of the Syracuse Weighlock Building on Friday, July 22, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. The building located at 318 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13202, is a historic structure where boats traveling on the canal were weighed and tolls collected. The building's first day of operation was July 22, 1850.

Members of the public interested in attending the free tours can RSVP online here.