Industrial History: 1841,1888 Enlarged Erie Canal Lock #28 (Yankee Hill) near Amsterdam, NY

Friday, January 16, 2026

1841,1888 Enlarged Erie Canal Lock #28 (Yankee Hill) near Amsterdam, NY

Barge Canal Lock #12 is just north of Fort Hunter; the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct is just west, and Enlarged Canal Lock #30 is in Fort Hunter.

Enlarged Canal Lock #29 is a little east of Fort Hunter. This lock is further east, almost to Amsterdam, NY.

The Canalway Trail - Erie Canal Trail just south of this lock is probably on the towpath of the Original Erie Canal.

This lock had a lift of 8'. [ErieCanal]

Given the angle of the gates, we are looking downstream. So we are looking East. That means the store was on the south side of the canal, where the tow path was. The recreated store is now on the north side.

ErieCanal
"Yankee Hill Lock [Lock 28], Erie Canal - date unknown, 1905? [CSNYS]"

And the south side of the canal is now a parking lot. (The store is out-of-frame to the left.)

Collin Simmons, Aug 2023

I think we are looking upstream (westbound) at the north lock.

Jimmy Gonzales posted
Town of Florida, NY

Walter J Eaker: Look how straight and flat lines of hand cut rock amazing work

Tricia Shaw: Walter J Eaker this lock was one of the last ones on the Canal to be built. The stones was not hand cut by then. This lock didn't open for navigation until 1856.

john, Aug 2025

At Google Maps resolution

This explains why only the southern (eastbound) lock was enlarged. It was to speed up the haulage of 250-ton grain barges.

Ateeq Ahmad, Sep 2020

Here we can see the notches for the gates in the original part of the south lock. I wonder why nature has grown on the original part, but not the enlarged part, of the lock.

Kathleen Johnson, Oct 2021

Here we see nature growing out of the sides of the enlarged part. So those vines evidently grew in just the three years since Kathleen took the above photo.