Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site facts for kids
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Erie Canal
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Nine remaining arches of the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct with the footpath on the left and the remains of the canal crossing on the right
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 Location in New York
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| Nearest city | Fort Hunter, New York |
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| Built | 1841–1845 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000530 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | October 9, 1960 |
The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is a special historical place in Montgomery County, New York. It is also known as the Erie Canal National Historic Landmark. This site includes the old ruins of the Erie Canal aqueduct, which was like a bridge for the canal over Schoharie Creek. It also has a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) long part of the original Erie Canal.
This site was the first part of the old canal to be named a National Historic Landmark. This happened before the entire New York State Barge Canal was given the same honor in 2017.
Contents
History of the Area
Early Days: Tiononderoge and Fort Hunter
Long ago, a Native American village called Tiononderoge stood where the Mohawk River and Schoharie Creek meet. Its name in the Mohawk language means "the meeting of the waters." People lived here from about 1710 until the American Revolutionary War began in 1776. Around 1713, about 360 people lived in the village. Europeans called it the Lower Castle because it was the main eastern (downstream) settlement of the Mohawk people.
In 1710, Peter Schuyler, who was the mayor of Albany, invited three Mohawk chiefs and one Mohican chief to visit Queen Anne in England. This trip helped make their trading friendship stronger. The Mohawk chiefs asked for help against the French. They also wanted Anglican missionaries to teach their people, as many Catholic Mohawk had moved to the Saint Lawrence River valley near Montreal.
The Mohawk also offered land near the Schoharie to help German refugees. These Germans had just arrived in New York and were working in English camps. Later, some of them settled in the Schoharie Valley.
Because the Mohawk asked for help, Queen Anne allowed Fort Hunter to be built. It was named after Colonial Governor Robert Hunter. The fort was finished in 1712, right where Schoharie Creek flows into the Mohawk River. It was a 150-foot square fort with a strong building at each corner. A wooden chapel, named after Queen Anne, was built in the middle.
In 1741, Queen Anne's Chapel was rebuilt using strong limestone blocks found nearby. By 1775, about 600 Christian Native Americans lived at Fort Hunter.
Soon after, the American Revolution started. The Mohawk people joined the British, as they had for many years. They fought in battles like the Battle of Oriskany. However, many Mohawk became unhappy with how the British managed the fighting. They left to join their relatives in the Saint Lawrence Valley.
In 1780, Mohawk warriors joined Sir John Johnson and Joseph Brant to fight against the American colonists. They took part in raids known as the "Burning of the Valleys." During one raid, a group of men got Queen Anne's special gifts, which had been buried at Fort Hunter. Today, these gifts are shown in Canada.
After the American Revolution, Queen Anne's Chapel was used as a tavern and stable for a while. Many people were moving west through the valley. The chapel was later taken down when the Erie Canal was built. The canal was completed in 1825.
The First Erie Canal
Building the Erie Canal started on July 4, 1817, in Rome, New York. The part of the canal that went through Fort Hunter was finished by 1822.
The original canal crossed the creek in a calm pool of water. This pool was made by a dam of logs and stones. You can still see parts of this dam when the water is low. Boats would be pulled across this pool, while the mules and horses that pulled them were ferried over. Later, a bridge was built for the mules, but boats still had to make the risky crossing.
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is one of the few places where you can still see parts of the original Erie Canal. This section runs from the Schoharie Creek to the Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 29. Along this path, you can find some important old structures.
- A guard lock was built on the east side of the Schoharie Creek. This lock did not raise or lower the water level. Instead, it protected the canal banks from the strong and often wild waters of the Schoharie Creek. The Fort Hunter guard lock is the only one left from the original canal. People say it was built using the limestone blocks from Queen Anne's Chapel.
- Further along the canal, near the Enlarged Erie Canal Lock 29, is the Original Erie Canal Lock 20. This is the only lift lock remaining from the original canal. It was carefully filled with gravel in the early 1980s to keep it from falling apart. This lock shows how big the original canal was compared to the Enlarged Erie Canal.
Both Lock 20 and the guard lock were filled with gravel in 1980 to help keep them stable.
The Enlarged Erie Canal
Soon after the first Erie Canal was finished, it became too small for all the boats. By the 1830s, people decided the whole canal needed to be made bigger to handle more trade. The Enlarged Erie Canal was built between 1836 and 1862. During this time, the canal became shorter, and there were fewer locks. The canal locks were "doubled," meaning two lock chambers were built side by side.
In Fort Hunter, the canal's path was changed so a large aqueduct could be built over Schoharie Creek. Construction on the Schoharie Aqueduct started in 1839 and finished in 1841. This aqueduct had fourteen arches and was 624 feet long. It carried the Enlarged Erie Canal and its towpath across Schoharie Creek from 1845 until 1916.
In the 1940s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers removed the six easternmost arches of the aqueduct. This was done to help prevent ice jams. A seventh arch fell during a flood in 1977, and an eighth collapsed in 1998. Today, six arches are still standing.
The aqueduct was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960.
The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site has many other parts of the Enlarged Erie Canal.
"Yankee Hill" Lock 28 and Putman's Canal Store are located near Queen Anne Street. The lock was built when the canal was enlarged in the 1840s. Putman's store was built in 1856 by the Putman family. It was used as a canal store until the early 1900s. Inside, there is a small exhibit about canal stores from that time.
"Empire" Lock 29 is just east of East Church Street in Fort Hunter. James Ott built it in the 1840s. It is one of the best-preserved locks from the enlarged Erie Canal.
Lock 30 was built by James Stewart in the 1840s. In 1956, this lock was filled in and paved over to make way for a road change.
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Today
In the 1950s, a group called the Fort Hunter Canal Society was formed. Their goal was to protect the old Erie Canal ruins in Fort Hunter.
In 1966, the state land at Fort Hunter was given to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This is when Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site was officially created.
Over the years, many changes and improvements have been made to the site.
The Visitor Center opened in 1987. It is located at 129 Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter. When the parking lot was first built, parts of an old stone wall were found. People believed these were from the original Fort Hunter and Queen Anne's Chapel. During the flooding from Hurricane Irene in 2011, the parking lot was washed away. This revealed the actual foundation of Fort Hunter from the mid-1700s.
A new exhibit called "Pathway to Empire: How the Erie Canal Helped Build America" opened in the Visitor Center in 2018. This was part of the canal's 200th anniversary celebration. The exhibit tells the story of the Erie Canal and Fort Hunter. It shows how the canal system in New York developed, from its first idea to its construction and how it is used today. The Visitor Center also has restrooms and a gift shop.
The Yankee Hill Lock Picnic area is located on Queen Anne Street, near Lock 28 and Putman's Canal Store.
There is also a boat launch and picnic area at the end of Dufel Road, on the west side of the Schoharie Creek.
