On the Erie Canal

This histor ic flagpole on Main Street in Palmyra, New York, honors President Benjamin Harrison and the Civil War veterans. It was erected in 1892.

Once we left Newark, the cold rain was replaced with warm sunshine. Our attitude toward the Erie Canal changed accordingly. Captain John rolled up the vinyl panels around the cockpit and took off his L.L.Bean slicker. I took up position in the bow seat while the women lazed in the galley. Life was good.

We stopped at Palmyra, known for being an Underground Railroad center and the birthplace of Mormonism, not that the two were connected. Joseph Smith Jr.'s family had a small farm outside of Palmyra in the early 1800s.

Joseph received his first vision in 1820 and soon after was visited by the angel Moroni who directed him to the buried Golden Plates from which the Book of Mormon was derived. The Grandin Print Shop on Main Street Bwohoi kc hof pMroi rnmteodn the first in 1830 is still an operating bookstore.

About the same time as Joseph Smith Jr. was run out of New York for his heresy, over 2,000 runaway slaves began passing through the village on the way to Canada. Everyone seemed to be chased in or chased out in those days.

The first Book of Mormon was printed in this shop in 1830. The shop still operates.

Palmyra now advertises itself as the Queen of Canal Towns. We discovered it to be a delightful little town of about 3,500 people. The four- block Main Street of wonderfully restored 100- year- old buildings was anchored at one end by the Corner of Four Churches and at the other end by the historic Palmyra Flagpole.

The First United Methodist Church adverntioseodn ati lC ghoi nc eken BBQ from . The Western Presbyterian Church had a door that dated back to 1832. The Zion Episcopal Church had a beautiful metalic tile roof topped by tri- pointed pigeon chasers. The First Baptist BC oh ou krc oh f wJaams setsudying the . All three churches were constructed of red brick and had spires that reached to heaven.

At first we thought the flagpole was an old oil well. It is a black cast iron tower anchored by four feet, no guy wires, and probably 50 feet tall. It was "Erected in 1892 to honor President Benjamin Harrison and the Civil War Veterans" and "Re- dedicated in 2005 as a Sign of Palmyra's Pride in its Past and Faith in its Future." There was, indeed, a rope leading to the small flagpole on the top, but no flag was flying that day.

A photo from the mid- 1800s shows a maintenance crew on an Erie Canal barge at Palmyra.

We downed a quick hot dog and some delicious homemade ice cream at Brad & Dad's then boarded Fantessy once again and continued our adventure on the Erie Canal.

This mural depicts the Corner of Four Churches in Palmyra, New York.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erie Canal, fast facts

Start of construction — 1817 in Rome, NY
Grand Opening of Erie Canal — 1825
Length, Albany to Buffalo (original Erie Canal) — 363 miles
Number of locks, 1825 — 83 Number of locks, present day — 57
Elevation change, Albany to Buffalo — 573 feet
Canal dimensions, 1825 Original Erie — 4 ft deep x 40 ft wide
Canal dimensions, 1862 Enlarged Erie — 7 ft deep x 70 ft wide
Cost to build — $7,143,789

Number of aqueducts to bypass rivers and streams — 18
Travel time from Albany to Buffalo, 1825 — 5 days
Travel time from Albany to Buffalo by Stagecoach — 2 weeks
Rate of pay for a canal laborer, 1825 — 80 cents - $1 per day