Stop 27: Jordan Canal Park and Garden: Park It!

GPS- 43.065765, -76.473371

So what do you do when the state closes your portion of the Erie Canal? 

Some parts are left to ruin as they are located outside the village center, some are paved over and made into roads, and some are filled in with waste and debris. 

But in Jordan, the canal went through the village center...and something more clever had to be done with it! 

A pic from after the canal was abandoned for the Modern Barge Canal to the north.

But lets go back, for in understanding history, does the present make much sense. 

When Clinton's Ditch was widened and deepened to 70ftx7ft, 

the Enlarged Erie required 3x the water than the original. 

More feeders were added including Carpenter's Brook 

and a larger feeder from Skaneateles Creek...

Here behind this blocked in arch is the feeder 

that provided the Jordan Level with more water.

Here you can see the feeder on the right between the two buildings

There is still a "Benchmark" marker located behind what is now a laundromat

Upstream, all that remain of the guard gate for this feeder 

are these beautiful cut stone abutments.

Once a gate system allowed water to flow down, a now it is a buried path, to the canal

This section was always hard to keep sufficient water levels in, so it made sense to stop and let the Jordan Level Plateau drain back once it was no longer needed. The bridges were removed over the ditch, and Main St and Hamilton were made at-grade crossings...for the first time in since Clinton's Ditch first came through town. Here is a pic of the bridge first being put across the canal on Main St

A view of the bridge heading north on Main St

And after crossing the bridge heading south

And here is a pic of it being removed after the canal was abandoned

But what do you do with the rest? 

Enter the WPA...

in the 1930s, the WPA turned a wasteland left by the state 

and turned it into a beautiful park, 

preserving Jordan's canal structures 

so that one day, they would be appreciated for what they are!

 

While the plantings have changed over the years, 

its beauty helps us connect with the past...

down the stairs, with stones from the now unused canal...

...You can appreciate just how much fill 

was necessary to make Main St in Jordan passible again!

It also makes a great sledding hill away from the path of cars!

And provides beauty in Spring and Summer

And views in the fall...

Looking east on Main St today

And looking west on Main St, over 100 years ago, 

you would see

But even this area has a story to tell today...

it is one of the few places Clinton's Ditch 

and all of the Enlargements fell in the same place...

the canal bed just got wider and deeper!

And where canal traffic once moored

Concerts can be heard...

And veterans remembered

The south wall (the pedestrian side) is a cut stone wall 

revetment holding the hill back and the north side was a rubble wall past the bridge

The coursed, cut stone on the south wall holding back the hill

The north side, the Towpath side, had a rubble wall now covered by grass...

but it is under there!

Looking east from Hamilton with the Canal then...

Looking east from Hamilton St today

But we can't tarry long here on our Towpath Trip across Onondaga County,

which is almost done. 

And in case you are wondering, at the end of the Erie Canal's life, 

some motorized boats did travel the canal...a sign of changing times.

A new canal could be needed for a newer kind of boat.

Just like the Old Erie Canal, our time is almost up...

And so, we continue on to our last stop...

about a mile west of here...

 

 

Stop 26- Skaneateles Creek Aqueduct: Creek and Dam

GPS- 43.066311, -76.472306 

After leaving the dry dock, 

it doesn't take long to arrive at the next canal structure: 

The Skaneateles Creek Aqueduct in Jordan...

aka The Jordan Aqueduct...

which allowed boats to safely traverse the creek.

Here is its marker. 

This aqueduct was part of the Enlarged Erie.

One of the tell-tale signs is its limestone construction. 

More about this aqueduct which took 4 years to build starting in 1841

Some more pics

https://www.eriecanal.org/JordanAqueduct.html?fbclid=IwAR0sTmxCQz8DD6JnmZV1Wi3UlibIH4-39EBTBaeYJXIclecdMZrtdb2hahA

One of two aqueducts and multiple culverts that made 

the Jordan Level one giant body of water for miles!

Two common nicknames for this stretch were the Jordan Level or the Jordan Summit!

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=153875

When Clinton's Ditch first came through Jordan, it was in the same location as the enlargement through the village. It was just only 4ft deep and 40 ft wide

Also noteworthy, is on this map from 1834, 

Skaneateles Creek is known as Skaneateles Outlet.

Similar to the naming pattern for the other Finger Lakes.

But, eventually the name morphed into what we call it today: Skaneateles Creek.

But eventually the canal was widened and deepened to 

7ft deep and 70 ft wide and another aqueduct was built to accommodate the widened canal. 

Made of sturdy limestone, it helped hold a trough 

that allowed the water to pass separately over the creek. 

This view is looking south to the dam that slowed the water 

and allowed it to pass under the arches and trough without damaging the trough of the canal.

Another example of a dam at the Chittenango Creek aqueduct that slows and directs water

Water used to pass under all 4 arches. 

The western most arch (on the far right) was used to feed a raceway, 

the other three fed  the creek

Here is the aqueduct in the 1859 map...it was right by the Jordan Dry Dock

Even today the some of the boards which helped prevent erosion 

can be seen close to the dam.

But much is missing or buried, including parts of the uprights 

they were taken down to prevent them from toppling and killing someone.

But if you look closely you can see part of the ledge 

which once helped secure the wooden trough across the creek.

More about aqueduct design:

https://www.eriecanal.org/UnionCollege/The_Aqueduct.html?fbclid=IwAR0jQcQMT0_RI43XszEnuBpRCMb1M7AyIi5lXRdyzup5fsDLmX3MKqy-CDI

Here is probably one of the earliest photos of the Jordan Aqueduct

By the late 1800s Jordan saw a lot of canal traffic come through town...

the actual level of where the water once was here can be seen in this pic!

And in this one...the boat is passing over the aqueduct!

More great pics of Jordan can be found at Jordan Memories:

https://jordanmemories.omeka.net/items/show/13?fbclid=IwAR0sTmxCQz8DD6JnmZV1Wi3UlibIH4-39EBTBaeYJXIclecdMZrtdb2hahA

Another part missing is the height of the canal berm wall east of the aqueduct...

it certainly is no longer 7ft high! 

In fact, the WPA put in steps to get up to the towpath on the aqueduct,

and about 15 years ago, the state helped make a ramp for the official Erie Canal Trail. 

This section wouldn't hold much water anymore!

Important, integral parts like this make it impossible for the old canal 

to be used or reused in most places...infrastructure has been long missing!

Here is a video of the water going under the aqueduct right after 

a heavy rainstorm on October 26, 2021!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/592524657969509/posts/962222550999716/?__cft__[0]=AZUZVj44ElK05KLkHg-K1ZbGCKVnQ2QRdZPt6ExhZ328FWdLQ42UfUGSY1SL4WTVMkuVJTmePj-JSYNkiOz30-sX6cBP9kJamdPSPnbHynefajdPDwku6Rfqh6eNJkmH5IWJC4FnipDZK51nGZcIBYVl&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

And another video at lower water the next day!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/592524657969509/posts/962640217624616/?__cft__[0]=AZVBXL9bbpHDUn4iGs8wthsWKXgmM6Mk3XxwD_MnKJhaHPrvn6VVYiQlGTS8gOr86y_SKLdfmX7JoPVc-raQpyQZwu6JOtdIHkcW7hh2Sgqi-pw9R_O3wURq_bBJkdWpgNLoy-4746t7rsoB7ep0zpi1&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

But why build a 4 arch aqueduct when only two seem necessary? Well, originally they were all necessary. Once, water did flow under all 4 arches! But why doesn't it now? Simple...Syracuse got water right to Skaneateles Lake. Once Syracuse began to use the water, that volume of water was no longer flowing down the creek. One by one mills heading northward to the Seneca River closed...and this is the volume of water that was left. Eventually the creek was directed to flow through the two most western arches and the other two were filled in. This is the water that was "left".

From this view you can see the two grassed-in arches

However, you can still see the skilled craftsmanship of stonemasons long ago...

from the curve of the footers...

To the curved cut, carved, dressed, and placed stones...

To the walls that walls that have withstood little maintenance in over 100 years...

not bad for 180 year old stone wall!

Eventually water will do what water does best: erode...

but until then, it offers some great views year-round!

But we have promises to keep, and miles and miles before we sleep

...as we press on toward our next stop!