{"nrhp_refnum":"08000145","name":"Enlarged Double Lock No. 23, Old Erie Canal","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Rice Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rotterdam","county":"Schenectady County","state":"NY","lat":42.82357699900007,"lon":-73.98660119499993,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-03-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A double-chambered limestone canal lock on Rice Road in the Rotterdam vicinity, Schenectady County, New York. It was built in 1841-1842 during the First Enlargement of the Erie Canal and lengthened in 1889-1890.","why_significant":"The lock is significant under Criteria A and C as a well-preserved example of masonry engineering and canal construction from the First Enlargement era. Its modifications reflect the Erie Canal's evolution until the Barge Canal replaced it in 1918. It also has ties to Schenectady's transportation history, including a 1903 General Electric 'electric mule' test nearby.","narrative":"Enlarged Double Lock No. 23 is a limestone canal lock on the eastern side of the Mohawk River in Rotterdam, Schenectady County. Built in 1841-1842 as part of the Erie Canal's First Enlargement, it replaced the single-chamber Lock 26 of the original canal. Two parallel chambers, each 18 feet wide, are divided by a center pier and built of finely cut, mortared limestone blocks. The southwest chamber was extended to 220 feet in 1889-1890 so it could handle steam-towed vessels. The lock has an eight-foot lift. After the Barge Canal opened in 1918, the lock fell out of use and passed from General Electric to the town of Rotterdam. In the 1950s a town water main was laid through the chambers, and the site became overgrown. Since 1999 volunteers, beginning with Union College civil engineering participants, have cleared and stabilized it. The lock is valued for its masonry craftsmanship, its high integrity, and its link to the Erie Canal's transportation history.","period_of_significance":"1841-1918","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The chambers contain no water and the site is listed as vacant/not in use. It was overgrown for decades, and volunteers have worked to reclaim and restore it since 1999.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.015281-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/08000145.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000145/cb2c02db38-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000145/cb2c02db38-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enlarged_Double_Lock_No._23,_Old_Erie_Canal_May_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, New York, United States</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enlarged_Double_Lock_No._23,_Old_Erie_Canal_May_10.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"14000860","name":"New York State Barge Canal","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/new-york/new-york-state-barge-canal-14000860/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321671","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlarged_Double_Lock_No._23,_Old_Erie_Canal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5379048"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/schenectady-county/enlarged-double-lock-no-23-old-erie-canal-08000145/"}