Faces and Voices 1: Will Van Dorp

I’m excited to start a new series on Dispatches called Faces and Voices. Here’s the concept: Dispatches will profile NYS canal enthusiasts. We stand up and be counted. We’ll include one photo showing yourself and some canal infrastructure and brief answers to the following questions: 1. when did you become interested in this canal, 2.…

will van dorp

April 2, 2026

1–2 minutes

Canal Society of New York, CSNY, lock 14, Urger, Urger crew

I’m excited to start a new series on Dispatches called Faces and Voices. Here’s the concept: Dispatches will profile NYS canal enthusiasts. We stand up and be counted. We’ll include one photo showing yourself and some canal infrastructure and brief answers to the following questions: 1. when did you become interested in this canal, 2. what’s a favorite time/place along the canal, and 3. what do you wish more folks knew about the canal system.

Since I’ve edited this blog for almost two years, let me step forward, introduce myself, and provide my answers.

I’ve been interested in the canal since I was 5 and needed to cross a bridge over Ganargua Creek while walking to school in East Palmyra. My favorite place/time on the canal was 2014; I was nearing the end of my season as deckhand on Urger and took this selfie with the rest of the crew at lock 14. I wish more folks knew how friendly and varied the Erie Canal townsfolk are

By the way, crew behind me in the selfie are (l to r) engineer Mike Pelletier bosun Mike Byrnes, and captain Jeff Kimes, all fantastic crewmates.

If you want to volunteer to appear here, talk to me this weekend on the study tour, or send a photo and your brief answers to this address: canalsocietyofnysphotos@gmail.com. This weekend I can even take your photo.

PS: I think I was talking to the crew while taking the photo.

One response to “Faces and Voices 1: Will Van Dorp”

cooljoyfully224dfa1a5a

July 26, 2026 at 12:46 pm

Will, Sorry it took so long to get this out. Great to meet you on the Study Tour!

What’s not to like about growing up along the Great Embankment between Pittsford and Bushnel’s Basin? I no longer live adjacent to what is now Embankment Park, but when I did it was 50 – 60 ft lower and operated as the Pittsford Town Dump. The terrain at the time retained a small piece of the original canal and the surrounding borrow pits used to build the Erie-Barge embankments were still prominent.

Five years ago, I adopted an overgrown forgotten piece of concrete along the towpath a few hundred yards east of the Cartersville Guard Gates. This artifact was part of the approach to the Cartersville Bridge that was built in 1908 – 1912 to carry Marsh Rd across the new Erie-Barge Canal enlargement. I cleared the vines, weeds, trip hazards, etc., and planted grass which I maintain through the year. One thing I wish is that people know how important the canal was to the area’s development and what an enormous task it was to build it. To that end I have created a series of notebooks illustrating the history of Cartersville, the construction of the Great Embankment, the Cartersville Bridge, etc., that are kept at the site all year long.

This section of the towpath is a busy thoroughfare, and many people stop here to rest, enjoy the shade, take a moment to contemplate the canal and learn a little about its construction and the history of the area.

Best regards, Ed ________________________________

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