GPS- 43.067720, -76.468753
As we come to the edge of the Village of Jordan we come across
a building out of place. It wasn't originally here.
It is the "Locktender's House".
Originally located about 1.5 miles west at Lock 51,
this little building has had quite the journey!
Its Historical Marker
So how did it end up here?
And more importantly,
who is the locktender and why is he so integral to the canal?
The Locktender, probably only second to the water, was the hinge that made the canal run. Every day during canal season, a locktender's job was never done. Between operating the locks, counting boats, and tending equipment, his day was a long one...especially in Onondaga County where the canal traffic was higher due to the confluence of the Oswego Canal and the Erie.
More about a Locktender's day...
And some more info from another canal...
Here is the Locktender's Shanty/Office in the middle at Gere's Lock
.jpg)
Here is another example of a double lock and shanty at the Lodi Locks
And the Townsend Lock 49
And here is Jordan's Locktender's Office
in situ at Lock 51
Note the Locktender!
Here at Mud Lock, the Shanty was on the side.
Mud Lock on the Oswego Canal was a single lock.
And as you headed toward the congestion of Syracuse,
you'd go through the locks by Park St...notice the Locktender's Shanty behind the boat
Locktenders made all of the canal passage possible...
some names have been lost to time...some we know...
like this one: Henry Nestle
So how did they make the lock gate open and close before they were mechanized?
The UK canals give us a glimpse...they use manually operated gates in most areas today and canal boaters operate them themselves!
These style are still used today on Saranac Lake! And a ranger is the locktender!
But Locktender's House is a bit of a misnomer...
they usually lived in a real house by the canal.
The Shanty kept them dry in the rain and was their office...
here at Mud Lock you can see the house next door.
And here's another example of the shanty and...
where the locktender ACTUALLY lived at Gere's Lock
.jpg)
Here is a good diagram distinguishing the two at Lock Berlin 54
(pic by Phil Dutcher)
Most were plain like Lock 51 in Jordan
Lockport had a two story one!
But after the original canal was abandoned for the Modern Barge Canal,
these small structures were among the first things to disappear.
The one in Jordan would have too...
if it weren't for a hermit who lived outside of town who moved it into the woods
and made it into his house!
Louis Girard lived in it until he passed away.
Then it deteriorated in the woods and the local historians decided to rescue it...
And they brought it to the Village of Jordan's Festival grounds
and restored it!
Today it is the only restored, original locktender's shanty of the old canal!
The Drivers and Mule Teams, the Boat Captains, and the Locktenders were the trio who got cargo from Point A to Point B along the canal. To honor them, there is monument to them at Lockport...almost completed, there are a few more statues to be placed
(pic from NYS Canal Corp.)
And today Locktenders still keep the canals going...
their "houses"/ offices are a bit bigger...painted a signature white with blue trim
And their work keeps the canals running during canal season
And boats still going from Albany to Buffalo
And doesn't end with the closing of the canal for winter
(pic by Suzanne Thompson)
We pass this section of the canal along the towpath
where this Locktender's House will one day stand...
we pass a widewaters...
the next village is in sight...
and so is our next story told in stone and water as we head to
our next stop...
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