{"nrhp_refnum":"76001274","name":"Champlain Canal","other_names":["See Also:Northside Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Extends N from Troy to Whitehall","address_restricted":false,"city":"Troy","county":"Saratoga County","state":"NY","lat":43.187395492000036,"lon":-73.54733357801027,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-09-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The old Champlain Canal is a historic canal district running roughly 76 to 80 miles from Troy and Waterford north to Whitehall, through Saratoga and Washington Counties, New York. It was completed in 1823 and linked Lake Champlain to the Mohawk River, the Hudson and the Erie Canal.","why_significant":"The canal's completion in 1823 spurred development north of Albany, turning small hamlets into centers of trade and industry. It carried agricultural, forest and manufactured goods from New York and Vermont, plus trade with Canada. Its construction also served as an early American school of engineering and gave work to immigrants, especially Irish laborers.","narrative":"The old Champlain Canal is a stretch of abandoned waterway of roughly 76 to 80 miles in Saratoga and Washington Counties, New York, running from Troy and Waterford north to Whitehall. Opened in 1823, it joined Lake Champlain with the Hudson, the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. It used locks, aqueducts and culverts, and followed stretches of Wood Creek and the Hudson. The canal turned small hamlets into trade and industry centers, with mills and warehouses appearing along its banks. It carried timber, iron, marble and farm goods from New York, Vermont and Canada, and provided work for immigrants, especially Irish laborers. Building it also served as an early school of engineering. By 1856 it was the most productive canal in the state system. Rerouting under the Barge Canal in 1903 left the old route abandoned. Parts survive, including locks at Waterford and masonry in good condition, while other sections have been lost to dumping or later construction.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1823)","architect_builder":"Erie Canal engineering staff: Benjamin Wright (principal engineer), James Geddes, Canvas White, Nathan Roberts, all under John B. Jervis","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition rated fair to ruins. The route is largely intact from Waterford to south of Mechanicville, though parts are lost or obliterated. One portion is used as a dump and the rest is abandoned land. Lock masonry is in good preservation.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.496205-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/76001274.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001274/19872f745a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76001274/19872f745a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Mwanner at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Champlain_Canal_1980s.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Mwanner at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Champlain_Canal_1980s.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321556","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champlain_Canal","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2935911"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/saratoga-county/champlain-canal-76001274/"}