History

In the mid 1980s, a small group of visionaries came upon an overgrown, rubbish-strewn parcel of land along the old Erie Canal at Chittenango Landing. With the help of an 1895 map, a photo, and archaeology surveys, the “dreamers” learned of the site’s history and the possibility for preservation, restoration, and reconstruction.

These visionaries looked back over one hundred years and could see canal cargo boats being built on land and others being repaired within the dry docks. They envisioned boat builders shaping the wood timbers, they could hear the blacksmith’s hammer striking the anvil and the boarding house cook calling the men to the noon day meal. Young mule drivers, called hoggees, could be seen tending to the needs of the tired animals and then running into the store-warehouse for penny candy.