In August 2009, a canal boat crossed over the 1842 Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct at the Town of Camillus Erie Canal Park for the first time in 89 years. This simple act marked the culmination of a 40-year effort to save and showcase canal history in central New York.

The jury selected the aqueduct restoration project for its extraordinary achievement in historic preservation and sustained public-private partnership between the Camillus Canal Society and Town of Camillus.
 

What makes it great?

 
Magnitude & Audacity
The volunteer effort to restore the aqueduct was nothing short of audacious. Volunteers scoured Nine Mile Creek to find long lost cap stones, repaired crumbling mortar, raised $2.2 million, and worked with contractors and the state’s historic preservation office to meet strict standards and get the job done.
 
Preservation, Education, Recreation
Camillus Erie Canal Park, located at the midpoint between Albany and Buffalo on the Erie Canalway Trail, offers numerous educational and recreational opportunities while preserving history for all to enjoy. Each year, more than 2,000 school children visit the park and an estimated 237,000 trail users walk, jog, and cycle over the aqueduct on the Erie Canalway Trail. In addition, several thousand people take advantage of the park’s cruises, which lead right over the aqueduct.
 
Sustained Commitment
A love of history and an unbridled enthusiasm for the canal is the glue that holds together 160 volunteers who run Camillus Erie Canal Park. For nearly 40 years, volunteers have worked in partnership with the Town of Camillus, which owns the park. Together, they saved the 1800s canal from being filled in and then developed a museum, built boats, and established programs and amenities. Restoring the aqueduct is their latest achievement, though undoubtedly it will not be their last.
 
One-of-a-Kind
Of 32 aqueducts constructed on the first enlargement of the Erie Canal in the mid-1800s, Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct is the only one that is restored and navigable. Using original construction methods and materials, the aqueduct restoration recaptured not only a piece of history, but long lost engineering knowledge.