Chenango Canal Considered for Historic Register

A lock along the Chenango Canal in Chenango Forks is being recommended for addition to the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places.

Officials said a 1.3-mile section of the Chenango Canal in Broome and Chenango Counties including the Towpath and Walker’s Lock 106 should be included for its historic significance in the forming of the economy of the region in the 1800s before competition from the railroads closed down commerce on the canals. 

The Chenango Canal that connected the Erie Canal at Utica to the Susquehanna River in Binghamton was built between 1834 and 1836 and included 116 locks along its 97 miles.  The canal also had 19 aqueducts, 52 culverts, 162 bridges and a reservoir system and parts of the canal system are still evident in areas along the riverbanks. 

Once the historic designations are approved by the State Historic Preservation Officer, the nominated sites are sent to the National Register of Historic Places for review.