The Archivist's Corner
Take a journey to a different time and place where tales of our collective eco-cultural heritage are presented to inform, educate and inspire.
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The Story of Summer Snow
Restoring a Lost Ecosystem [ read / listen]Have you ever wondered, if there was ever a "Perfect Tree" which one would it be? For the answer we need to look back in time. Nature has already given us the perfect answer!
Learn more about this amazing tree and listen to The Story of Summer Snow.
The Queen's Chair
Adirondack Ingenuity [ read / listen]Adirondack Ingenuity
There was a small chair. It was hidden in a dimly lit corner. It probably hadn't been moved for half a century. It was dusty and a little dirty. Still there was something magical about it.
The humble little chair, with all of it's 58 dowels and hand tooling marks seemed to have a story that wanted to be told. It did not seem right to let the story lay in a corner for another century.
What could a century old STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) driven chair teach us about the value of ingenuity today?
Learn more about the rare artifact we call The Queen's Chair
Small Town, Big Pride on Memorial Day
National Treasure Series | Stories Across America [ listen / watch]Do You Like Stories You Can Feel?
The Setting: the small town of New Haven near the beautiful shore of Lake Ontario in upstate New York.
A Rare Moment in Time: a request for the Vietnam Veterans Moving Memorial Wall was honored.
What Happened: it has been said this heart warming ceremony may have been more powerful than larger celebrations across the United States.
Why it is Important: to preserve a moment in time that reflects on what it means to be an American on Memorial Day.
Listen to an Overview
Watch On DemandAchieving the Impossible
Largest Canal System in the World [ listen]An introduction to the underlying motivation for creating the largest canal system in the world at the time. The Erie Canal is a 524 mile navigable waterway stretching across New York State. It is credited with so many important factors that shaped our nation, it has been declared a National Historic Landmark.
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A National Honor
Erie Canalway becomes National Historic Landmark [ read / listen]It has taken 200 years of hard work, vision and stewardship to reach this historic moment in time. As our National Parks and Historic Landmarks turn into living laboratories, places of comfort, recreation and pride – our work has just begun. After all the news cameras left and the Commission convened, a message from one man’s perspective was delivered to the Commission and Board of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
Loading the player...-- Message delivered by John R. Grala 2017-01-18 --
A quick survey revealed many residents along the Erie Canalway National Historic Corridor (ECNHC) seemed unaware of the recent National Historic Landmark designation and what it means to them.
Since the cameras had left and there was no audio transcript, Mr. Grala was urged to record his message for all to hear. No band played while Mr. Grala spoke. The patriotic background music was added to reflect the festive occasion. The Commission and Board did provide a resounding applause though!
For convenience, an excerpt of the original ECNHC / NPS posting is provided below, with direct links to source document information.
Opens in new window Ref: Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
Opens in new window Ref: U.S. Department of the Interior## Below Reference Source 1/11/2017: Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
A National Honor
On January 11, 2017 Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park Service Acting Director Michael T. Reynolds announced the NYS Canal System has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The designation places the currently operating canal system among the premier historic sites in the United States.
The NYS Canal System is remarkable in its span, scope, and historical integrity. The National Historic Landmark designation includes 450 miles of navigation channels and 552 contributing structures and buildings that operate today largely as they did when the system went into operation in 1918.
The New York State Barge Canal
Built between 1905 and 1918, the Barge Canal is the direct descendent of the Erie Canal and a network of connecting waterways that have been in continuous operation since 1825. For nearly 200 years, commercial and pleasure vessels have used the canal system to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
New York’s canals were enormously successful and had to be enlarged repeatedly during the 19th century to accommodate larger boats and increased traffic. The Barge Canal, constructed 1905-18, is the latest and most ambitious enlargement. It has 57 massive concrete lock chambers with steel gates and valves operated by electric motors driven by power generated onsite. When opened, the Barge Canal passed boats with more than ten times the capacity of its predecessor. It also featured innovative designs for lift bridges, fixed bridges, and movable dams.
Compared with the Panama Canal, which was under construction at the same time (1904-14), New York’s Barge Canal was more than ten times longer, required nearly ten times as many locks and many more bridges and ancillary structures, and involved about 60 percent of the excavation and concrete.
Today, navigable portions of the system include the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. This network of canals, canalized rivers, and lakes allows commercial and pleasure vessels to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The system is owned and operated by the New York State Canal Corporation, a state agency.
National Historic Landmark Documents
The comprehensive documentation compiled for the National Register listing and NHL designation now serves as a valuable public record. The detailed statement of significance, as well as descriptions of all canal system features, including locks, dams, bridges, and other structures...
##The Stories Are About You
The American and Canadian Experience [ listen]Press the play button in the center of the image below to listen to Journey of a Lifetime | Capturing the Magic. A heart warming tribute to the American and Canadian experience.
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