Building Block of the Erie Canal

Building Block of the Erie Canal (HM17VT)

Location: Fort Hunter, NY 12069 Montgomery County
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Country: United States of America
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N 42° 56.367', W 74° 16.918'

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Inscription
Limestone was used to build locks, aqueducts, and other features throughout New York State's canal system both because of its availability and its durability. This limestone block was a capstone from the Schoharie Aqueduct.

Local limestone formed under a sea that covered much of New York State over 450 million years ago. The remains of marine animals became shell-rich sediment on the sea floor. During a process called cementation, the mineral calcite formed crystals in the spaces between the loose sediment grains, "gluing" them together to create the limestone.

The stone before you was a capstone over one of the arches in the aqueduct. It was retrieved from Schoharie Creek.

[Inset Map Caption]
Lake Iroquois about 12,000 years ago
Around 12,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, melting ice created Lake Iroquois, a predecessor to Lake Ontario. The lake's water flowed eastward in a great deluge, carving out the Mohawk Valley and exposing layers of limestone, making it available for later use on the canal.
Details
HM NumberHM17VT
Series This marker is part of the Erie Canal series
Tags
Placed ByNew York State
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 at 9:27pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 558583 N 4754340
Decimal Degrees42.93945000, -74.28196667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 56.367', W 74° 16.918'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 56' 22.02" N, 74° 16' 55.08" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)518
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 137-141 Schoharie St, Fort Hunter NY 12069, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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