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Schoharie Crossing State Historic Park

The Schoharie Creek Aqueduct

The Schoharie Creek Aqueduct spans Schoharie Creek 4/10 of a mile south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and between locks No. 30 and No. 31. Consisting of 14 stone arches for the towing path and a timber trunk for the boat channel, it was designed in part by John B. Jervis and built by Otis Eddy. It replaced the slackwater crossing of the creek afforded by a series of dams, all of which proved inadequate to cope with the annual flooding of the creek. Construction of the aqueduct was begun in 1839 and completed in 1841, and it was put into service in 1845. A new timber trunk was built in 1855 and again in 1873.

The aqueduct is now only partially intact -- all but the nine arches at the southwest end were demolished in 1915 to reduce impedance to stream flow when the canal was abandoned upon completion of the Barge Canal. Since that time, due to collapse, the number of arches has been reduced to six, the latest collapse occurring on August 16, 1998.

Remains of the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
-- Photographs taken in 1969, from the Historic American Engineering Record of the Library of Congress, HAER,NY,29-FORHU,2A-

(click on the image below to see the full-size version)
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y.  
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y.


Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, looking east from the west bank of the creek Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, looking west from the east bank of the creek
Photographs to the left
and below are from the
National Park Service site
(http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/
NHLS/ Photos/66000530.pdf).
Those below were taken Oct.
1983 by Charles H. Ashton,
Heritage Studies, Inc.
"Erie Canal - NHL, Montgomery County, NY, Schoharie Aqueduct" -- Looking east from the west bank of Schoharie Creek ; taken Oct. 9, 1960. "Schoharie Aqueduct - Erie Canal - extending east from west bank of Schoharie Creek" -- taken in 1975.
Particularly evident in the 1975 photograph above is the poor condition of the aqueduct. As can be seen in the photograph below left taken in 1983, the easternmost arch collapsed between 1975 and 1983, and the next arch was in danger of following it.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, looking east from the west bank of the creek Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, detail, looking southeast Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, looking east across the top of the aqueduct
"Erie Canal National Historic Landmark, [Towns of] Glen and Florida, Montgomery Co., NY, ... View E across Schoharie Creek of aqueduct." "Erie Canal National Historic Landmark, [Towns of] Glen and Florida, Montgomery Co., NY, ... Detail of aqueduct, W end." "Erie Canal National Historic Landmark, [Towns of] Glen and Florida, Montgomery Co., NY, ... View E across top of aqueduct."
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Left: Photographs taken in 2004 by Patrick Chefalo
 
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct - Panoramic view of the remains, 2006
The Schoharie Creek Aqueduct (1841) and the site of the Schoharie Creek Dam (1820), looking north -- from: A Preliminary Proposal for a New York State Canal Museum and Lock Restoration Project, 1955 -- facing leaf 7. Panoramic view of the remains of the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct, looking south up Schoharie Creek -- taken in 2006. Comparing this photograph with the one at the left clearly indicates that the aqueduct continues to deteriorate. This picture and the ones on the left below show the results of the collapse which occurred on August 16, 1998. This was the third arch to collapse since the 1955 photograph to the left.
Below: Photographs taken in 2006 by Howard Ohlhous.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y. Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Part of the top rail of the tow path, which has the name of the contractor and the date of construction carved into it.		 Schoharie Creek Aqueduct remains, Fort Hunter, N.Y.
Below: Photographs taken in April 2007, before the annual spring refilling of the canal
Looking northwest, from the eastern bank The 4th and 5th arches, looking south
Looking northwest, from the eastern bank. The 4th and 5th arches (from the western end), looking south.
The collapsed center section, looking south The western end, looking south
The collapsed center section, looking south. The western end, looking south.
Below: Photographs taken in September 2007
Aqueduct interpretive sign Looking northwest, from the eastern bank
Interpretive sign on the east bank of Schoharie Creek. Looking northwest, from the eastern bank.
Looking west at the remains of the aqueduct The east side retaining wall looking south The east side retaining wall looking north
Looking west at the remains of the aqueduct. The towpath arches are on the right (seen end on). The east side retaining wall --
This is all that remains of the aqueduct on the east bank.
Left: looking south ; Right: looking north.
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