Stratton’s Shanty

Stratton’s Shanty, a replica lock tender shanty located at Eagle Point and the site of the original Champlain Canal Lock 10, gives visitors a unique peek into what it was like to work - and live - along the Canal.

Champlain Canal Lock 10 was constructed in 1822, forming an outlet between the old Champlain Canal and the Hudson River. Canal employees operating the lock used a small building just like the replica as a shelter and living space while on duty, which was far more than a typical 9 to 5 job, as barges passed through the lock as early as 5 am and as late as 10 pm. In an 1822 appointment letter, a canal superintendent detailed the lock tender’s duties: For the sum of $12 per month, the lock tender was “to assist all boats in passing the lock, to keep the culvert gates in repair and also the spindles, cranks, etc.” and “to keep the culverts or passages for water in the locks clear from all sticks or other substances.”

Read below for a retelling of one lock tender’s feat of daring during a rescue attempt at Lock 10.