Category Archives: Historic Assets

Public Has Spoken!

29 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by in Byway Administration, Historic Assets, Nature along the Byway, recreational assets, tourism experience

≈ 1 Comment

True: the Mohawk Towpath Byway is a unique driving route from Waterford, Cohoes and Schenectady following the historic route of the Erie Canal and waterway west.

As I compile the notes, comments and suggestions from our resent public participation workshops I discover that almost all of you share my passion and mantra: the most important, most memorable experiences on the Byway occur once we leave our vehicle to discover the history, the recreational recourses, the natural world around us!

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Comments received during the process have been summarized and circulated to all of you who participated. Even though the official comment period ended July 16, we always value your perspective. We will be editing the next draft of the Byway’s Corridor Management Plan over the next several months.

Protect and preserve our historic, natural, and recreational resources!

One of the suggestions made during the comment period was that we find a way to augment the flow in the 1842 enlarged Erie Canal pictured above. Duckweed and other aquatic vegetation and insects would be less prevalent.

Farmer’s Bridge

07 Monday Sep 2020

Posted by in Historic Assets, Mohawk Towpath, recreational assets

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

The re-construction of the Farmer’s Bridge east of Clutes Dry Dock is progressing. A good vantage point without crossing a “trail closed” sign is from the west side of Clutes Dry Dock. Access from the small trailhead across from Male Drive. Then hike east a half mile down the historic 1825 Erie Canal towpath.

I can only speculate that they are working on the temporary crane pad and the forms for the bridge footings. This is the view from the footbridge that Leo Coons and his Scout troop recently built.

A week ago Sue Lasker captured this image on the south side of the Towpath Community Connector Trail. The trail is shown in left foreground.
A week ago Sue Lasker captured this image on the south side of the Towpath Community Connector Trail. The trail is shown in left foreground.

Intrinsic Qualities

31 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by in Byway Administration, Historic Assets, Recreation, stewardship

≈ Leave a comment

QualitiesWhat’s a scenic byway? …a road less traveled? “…a road or track not following a main route; a minor road or path.” Spring time is as good a time as any to reflect on what makes a byway.

All national scenic byways have at least one of the six intrinsic qualities: archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic. I think you will agree that the Mohawk Towpath Byway is rich with each one of these qualities and I would like to share share the thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that went into our Corridor Management Plan.  It was put together by our “Advocacy Committee” under the guidance of the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor nearly two decades ago.

Let us look at each of these qualities, each with it’s own entry, and see if they are still as relevant today as they were twenty years ago. Your comments, ideas, and perspective would be greatly appreciated!

Cultural Intrinsic Qualities – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-Sd

Natural Intrinsic Qualities – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-RB

Recreational Intrinsic Qualities – see  https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-RN

Scenic Intrinsic Qualities – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-ST

Archaeology as an Intrinsic Quality – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-Tl

Historic Intrinsic Quality – see https://wp.me/p8Z8Z1-Tr   This is our intrinsic quality, the one we focus all our efforts on.   In fact the Mohawk Towpath Byway has been described as, “the short Byway with the longest history.”   Now, how does your story fold into the Byway story?

Our Story

09 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by in Historic Assets, Telling the Byway Stories

≈ Leave a comment

Glenville Traveling Museum

The Canal Fest attracted a wide demographic as seen in this shot of the Glenville Traveling Museum.

The Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway is a membership organization of enthusiasts dedicated to preserving the historic, cultural, natural, recreational, agricultural, and scenic resources within the corridor of the Mohawk Towpath Byway. That’s our story. Or should I say, that’s my “elevator speech.”
Defining our story is the number one priority of the Friends.

…it isn’t just one story, but it is multiple versions of one story that is tailored to the various audiences that will be hearing the story. We may even want to encourage people to select their particular favorite audience, then craft the story so it will resonate with that particular audience,

points out Ray Patterson, one of our charter members, who lives in West Virginia.

Let me add that each of the Friends of the Byway has a number of stories about our communities and our heritage. Most of us can tell one or more personal stories that has developed as they have volunteered for the Byway over the years. Each of us has one or more stories that they remember from family, friends, second person accounts, books, or teachers.

This body of knowledge with hundreds of stories make up the Byway story. This rich heritage is what brings our Byway to life. Whether its a Native People’s story, natural history, colonial history, stories from the Industrial Revolution, Erie Canal stories, local genealogy, or stories of our communities these all are part of the Byway story and need to be preserved. Some of these stories change over time as more research in local history, archeology and geology adds more depth and authenticity.

It is important for us, individually, and as an organization to hold on to these stories and preserve them for future generations.

Visitors to the Byway want to hear (or read) these stories as a part of their Byway experience. When we repeat a Byway story with authenticity we provide the listener with an intimate look at what makes our Mohawk Towpath Byway unique among a network of 150 America’s Byways®.

Looking to Warmer Weather

03 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Historic Assets, Recreation

≈ Leave a comment

Look for the Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway this weekend at the Adirondack Sports and Fitness Summer Expo at the Saratoga Springs City Center. The Expo is open from 10 AM until 5 PM on Saturday, March 7 and from 10 AM until 4 PM on Sunday, March 8. Features will include all kinds of ideas for summer fun from kayaking and cycling to birding. Find out where along the Byway you can take part in all of these activities.

We will also have a calendar of major festivals and events during the summer months, a brochure describing the Byway’s self guided tour, and membership information if you’d like to join the dynamic organization that is bringing major recreational improvements to the Mohawk Towpath Byway.

Our Booth

The Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor visited the Byway’s booth in a previous year.