Erie Canal (Enlarged), Oothout Culvert & Waste Weir, Lock No. 4 vicinity, near Maplewood village, Colonie, Albany County, NY

Significance: This portion of the Erie Canal, just south of Lock #4 in Maplewood, contains Oothout Culvert (#11), a waste weir and stone walling along the banks of the now unused canal ditch. This section of the canal was constructed as part of a plan to enlarge the Erie Canal, proposed in the early 1830s. As an alternative to widening the original canal built in 1925, four and one-third miles of new excavation was undertaken to relocate the canal path, resulting in the portion near Maplewood. Known as the "first enlargement" and completed between 1836 and 1842, the changes were in direct response to the increased traffic demands experienced in the heyday of canals. The empty canal ditch and stone-constructed weir and culvert serve as a visual reminder of the important role the canal played in the area's economic and social development during the first half of the nineteenth century.
Survey number: HAER NY-152
Building/structure dates: ca. 1838 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1825-1834 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1878 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1900-1918 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1927 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 66000530