The historic motorship, Day Peckinpaugh was acquired by the NYS Museum with assistance from the Canal Society of New York and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, with plans to transform the vessel into a floating museum and historic exhibit. The Day Peckinpaugh was towed by Canal Corporation tugboats from Lockport to its temporary home at Peebles Island State Park, near historic Matton Shipyard, in Waterford, where it will undergo extensive restoration work. The journey took the historic ship through numerous towns and villages along the Canal System. John Payne shot this photo as the vessel passed through Brockport on October 14. The Day Peckinpaugh is said to be the single-most significant artifact remaining from the storied barge canal era. It was the first motorship of its kind to ply canal waters with a voyage, it is now the last. At 259 feet long and 36 feet wide, this historic craft was one of the largest to operate on the Barge Canal, and the first vessel ever designed specifically for the dimensions of the Barge Canal. Once moored in Waterford, the Day Peckinpaugh will receive extensive work to transform the massive cargo hold of the ship into exhibit and classroom space, and serve as a floating center for education and historic preservation. October 23, 2005 |
