The Lock 52 Historical Society takes its name from Lock 52 on the Erie Canal. I think Lock 52 is the only old canal lock you can see from the NYS Thruway, and many people see it, albeit very quickly, as they zoom by on the highway.

The top photo was taken around 1935, when the canal had been closed for 18 years. Don Gallagher wrote that the photographer was Cliff McComber, but little else. You can see that someone had been picking away at the stones. The skeleton of the lock gate was still there, but the wooden deck and lock tenders house was gone. The bottom photo was taken around 1900, with the lock in its full glory.

Other Lock 52 photos to come.