Stop 16- Gere Building: The Businessman

GPS- 43.055510, -76.186161

 For this next piece of our canal tour, we will be diverging from the Empire State Trail, to stay of the path of the original Erie Canal. These two paths will join up again in Solvay. The Empire State Trail takes its path into the Inner Harbor and around the western side of Onondaga Lake. You'll bike through industry, the old salt flat area, and roughly follow the scenic path along the lake. Who knows? Maybe you'll see and eagle or two. 

But this is not the path of the Erie Canal.

Once you leave the Amos Mills, the path of the Erie Canal is...drum roll, please....

 Erie Blvd West! 

This road is built over the Erie Canal. 

Cleverly named, isn't it?

As you follow the road, you'll pass the old railroad yard used by the New York Central and tracks still used by the Susquehanna and Western on your left, pass by old factories and forges until the Erie Canal, once again, meets up with its older friend, the Genesee Turnpike. Some of the oldest streets in the City of Syracuse retain the names of their origins from times-past. Salina St (think saline) running north/south, dividing the city east/west was the route to the early salt blocks. The Genesee Turnpike retained its name under Genesee St and The Erie Canal became Erie BLVD, both crossing Syracuse east/west, essentially dividing the city into four quadrants. The canal last saw its old friend, the Genesee Turnpike, in Clinton Square, But it took the higher paths, and the Erie Canal the lower ones. So every so often, they crisscross

c1810 map James Geddes

During the canal days, the strip of land where you see the Byrne Dairy store had varied uses that lasted through the mid-1900s. 

First, where you see the Byrne Dairy, is where Botanic Hospital was. 

The first hospital, in what would eventually become Syracuse, the Botanic Infirmary offered natural herbal cures to patients

"Significance: Built as the first hospital in what is now the city of Syracuse, this building derives its name from the use of botanical ingredients, such as gum of myrrh, Indian tobacco, undistilled whiskey, and cayenne pepper to treat illnesses." ~LOC

Considering the treatments available at the time, these were a far gentler way to treat illness, at the least, usually doing no harm.

In the above illustration, you could arrive by road or by boat and seek treatment for your ailments within your wall.

Location, Location, Location!

Some more info here:
https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/collections/g/GreekRevivalInSyracuse/1430WestGeneseeStreet.htm?fbclid=IwAR3B632OA8kPIIE0330HOiJDL6gtdAf9OKSC81Fe1ewrvVpweSRNc16tFNY

Then next, following Erie Blvd on this small piece of land...

...as you float by in your packet boat, you'd find manufacturing!

A bicycle factory (seen behind the Botanic Infirmary above)

And...Onondaga Pottery which later changed its name to 
Syracuse China

https://www.cnyhistory.org/2017/01/syracuse-china/?fbclid=IwAR0XUG0hDkQFNnarpgtw44h6zQtuPi13Z5EP6swzJl3xMegCFbO8kCkuua4

 

This maker of fine china...

had humble origins as Farrar's Pottery.

It changed hands many times and built around the original works.

And during WW2, Onondaga Pottery changed its lines 

to make ceramic land mines for the war effort!

More about Syracuse China

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syracuse_China?fbclid=IwAR0OTGMq41mocU9P5s7IwQlZYeayuWYqB0sxB1a_K354rq_yFkkOARarx_Y

So why did these places build around here?
It was the ideal spot: Location, location, location!

Not only did the Erie Canal flow by its eastern side, the Genesee Turnpike at its southern side, the railroads ran right past as well! 

The railroad line you just followed, went past this little industrial hub.

c1852

Without the businessman, the canal would have been little use to a growing country.

Without someone to see and need and fill it, the canal would have had no customers.

Without the businessman, the canal would have been 

little more than an expensive artificial water feature.

So savvy businessmen took advantage 

of these three modes of transportation 

and set up shop here.

But with all these goods being manufactured, 

where were all these goods going to be stored before they went to market?

Enter the Businessman, Robert Gere who saw the potential of money 

to be made in so many aspects of the canal.

Who was Robert Gere?

"He was involved in the salt, lumber, iron and railroad businesses. He was superintendent of Salt Springs 1848-1851, and built locks on the Oswego Canal. He organized the Geddes Core Salt Company with Hamilton White and Horace White."

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69336398/robert-gere?fbclid=IwAR1P5gxAuPzf9Kk5V0dosdoUy113CR7jfXXGlK1DuBXbPi65gMBFPif_2wU

He built the large brick building on the northern end of this strip of land,

seeing the need of housing goods before they went to market and filling it.

On the parapet, 

After the canal, the Gere Block was the home of Sanford Trucks

They specialized in Fire Equipment

And Haverly Milk Coolers Co. occupied one end of the building

from the 1920s-1940s

before becoming a paint manufacturing plant known as 

Strathmore Paints 

After Strathmore closed, the building sat idle waiting its next job...

 

...soon to be a mixed use facility.

But hiding behind this building, on its east side, is the only 

above ground piece of the Erie Canal in Syracuse...

...this section of the Erie Canal wall!

Syracuse was at such a low point in the canal that literally everything is buried, 

except this section of retaining wall from the canal.

It stands a testament to time about 

this bustling piece of land,

the businessman, 

and the many opportunities to be found along the Erie Canal.

Two hundred years have seen quite the changes: from stage to canal boats 

to railroad to bicycles to cars and more!

What changes will the next 200 years see on this piece of land? 

Who will be the new entrepreneurs to set up shop to fill a need?

But we can't stop long to ponder this future we haven't arrived at yet, so we journey on with our packet boat...we picked up our order at Onondaga Pottery,

 dropped off an order at the Gere Building ...

And so we head onto our next stop...

 

.

Stop 15- Amos Mills: The Mill and the Disaster

GPS- 43.050723, -76.158248

This unassuming brick building that once stood on the banks of the Erie Canal

has a story that goes back to before the founding of Syracuse...

before Syracuse was barely a crossroads to the catalyst to update the Erie Canal and its infrastructure that would lead to the Erie Canal through Syracuse being abandoned through Syracuse for the Modern Barge Canal we use today.

So let's step back in time...a time where water power would be necessary 

to help grow a community...

On the 1810 James Geddes map, you can see mills already along the creek

On this 1834 map, several mills had been along Onondaga Creek, harnessing the power of  the creek to mill grain, wood, and anything else that needed the power of water to move.

Enter Syracuse Mills, then Empire Mills, then still later Amos Mills

The original owners of the mill not only saw the waterpower potential to grind grain, but the ready made market of both producers (local farmers) and consumers (locals, canalers, and breweries)
It's next store neighbor, Greenway was a ready-made client

...As was Bartels!

When Clinton's Ditch was enlarged to accommodate larger boats, 

a new limestone aqueduct was replaced the original sandstone one in 1838.

Years went by, but as time passed, the canal infrastructure aged along with it.

The mill was so successful under Amos in the late 1800s, he built a fancy new office!

The Canal Corporation knew the old canal was aging. 

Even with regular maintenance each fall winter and spring, it really needed to be rethought. 

Boats were getting too big to fit into locks. Things were breaking or in danger of breaching.

The railroads were dominating the transportation of goods. 

But people wanted to hold onto the past...
But on July 30, 1907, a section of one of the arches in the aqueduct gave way. Twice the amount of water that is is in the Westcott Reservoir today, drained from the canal in a matter of a couple of hours. It was reported that the force made the water appear to flow upstream in Onondaga Creek. The water drained from Lock 48 in Lock Square to Gere's Lock to the first lock on the Oswego Canal...it was a huge disaster!

It was a disaster of unprecedented proportions! 

Part of the north facing wall of Amos Mills collapsed. 

Canal boats were destroyed!

Water flowing from the mill races still poured into the hole from 
Onondaga Creek

It was a HUGE mess!

Slowly the canal bed had to be cleared of debris, 

broken boats were burned to get them out of the way, 

and then the repair could begin!

Boats were backed up to the east and to the west and to the north 

of Syracuse for SIX WEEKS waiting for the repair to be completed. 

It couldn't have happened at a worse conjunction.

Some more info:
https://reflections.eriecanalmuseum.org/towns-people-city-dwellers/the-great-canal-break-of-1907/?fbclid=IwAR1pMosLind3u_FvMmIg53yof2dYlhOohZLbfnvrSqoRJUERzkORU01EaL8

And that repair remained in place for over 100 years. This bridge graduated from carrying boats to carrying cars on the "new' Erie BLVD. Over time, this stone structure needed repairs once more by 2014 so it could continue to carry loads across the creek.

https://www.syracuse.com/kirst/2014/10/in_syracuse_the_most_beautiful_erie_canal_bridge_no_one_ever_sees.html?fbclid=IwAR1tqMLgbSNtbzk7gFPEyFDvVa0MdthYo_0xjinNICXaoy6knmo4g8wFhuw

Eventually the aqueduct was patched with concrete and metal patch and reopened in September, leaving only about one month for canal captains to complete their work 

until the canaling season closed for the winter.

If you look closely, you can see where Amos Mills' brick was repaired as well. 

Over 100 years later, it still looks good

The walls were trussed for stability.

And still has a place to tie up your boat!

But after this disaster, and with mechanized boats being commonplace, 

engineers and surveyors began to look seriously into utilizing and connecting natural waterways to transport goods across the state.

And so with this disaster, the beginning of the end of the Erie Canal was set in motion.
In less than 10 years, the Modern Barge Canal would replace this one,

 and the Erie Canal would be buried under the streets of Syracuse.

But for now, we continue on the Towpath to our next stop...

 

Stop 12: Mule and Driver: Why Mules?

GPS- 43.050895, -76.148949

The mystique of the young lad walking along side the canal boat 

has been ingrained in our collective memories through art and son. 

This is a statue titled "Mule & Driver" that is installed 

across from the Weighlock Building

Created by Tom Tischler in 1987, the texture and detail on this piece
"Mule & Driver" is amazing...a detail of the mule's harness.

Mules pulled the boats, often in teams, before boats were motorized.
This is was only possible because the canal, by design, 

had no current the mules had to pull against.

So why Mules?

Three Reasons:

1- Mules could easily fit on a packet boat for the night in their own stall. They could also get out of the weather if the weather took a turn for the worse.

2- Mules ate half the feed of horses: Less food to pack, more room for cargo!

3- While horses loved you and would go and extra mile or two for you then drop dead from exhaustion, Mules did not love you. They would stop after about 15 miles on the towpath, i.e. 15 miles on the Erie Canal. Union rules, they were done for the day!

Sometimes it was young boys who were mule drivers. 

But often it was a family ordeal!

Some drivers were young, some were older

One boy's experience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7oNKkYFZm8

And you could be a girl!

https://www.canalmuseum.org/the-snubbing-post/in-her-words?fbclid=IwAR0OG7xIuJlkp7S2P-ZwwUhatX6ycvm_PmfcWyX1nRBN-vM2IdLGzL9TNuA

Also, during the canal's lifetime, the term hoagie was not used for them.
It was later term. They were referred to as drivers.

Getting a boat to go through the canal, over aqueducts, through locks, 

and keeping the boat from colliding with others, 

all the while keeping your cargo safe and on a timely pace to its destination took skill!

And so we tip our hats to this duo...

without which, boats would have gone nowhere!

And head onto our next stop...