The Citizen gave this the headline of “Why Lock 52 Historical Society became Old Mentz Heritage Center.” For many, it hides behind a paywall, so here it is. I hope it helps to clear up some of the confusion with all the local society and park names.
If you are a fan of the Erie Canal, the next two years will be fairly exciting as many canal and history organizations will be hosting events and programs to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the opening of the canal in 1825. The Canal Society has already begun holding programs at the Samuel Center in Port Byron, and I believe they are looking to do something every month. The Canal Society is part of the our ErieCanal 2025 group that will be highlighting our canal and local history between Montezuma and Syracuse. The best way to stay up to date is with our ErieCanal2025 and Old Mentz Heritage Center (formally Lock 52) Facebook page, or the social media account of your favorite local historical society.
One of the reasons for the Lock 52 Historical Society to Old Mentz Heritage Ceneter name change were the many issues we had with people confusing our historical society with the real Lock 52 that is part of the Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park. So, I wanted to offer a premier on who is who.
The Lock 52 Historical Society was organized in 1979 as the local, volunteer run membership organization that worked to preserve the history of Port Byron and Mentz. It took the name of the old Erie Canal lock long before there was any idea that the lock itself would be part of a park. Now, the lock is an attraction in the Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park, which is managed by the Canal Society of New York State, and has nothing to do with our local society. The Canal Society is a statewide membership group that works to preserve the history of the state’s many canals. In addition to the park along the Thruway, the Canal Society also owns and operates the Samuel Center for Canal History which is in the old St. John’s Catholic Church. The Samuel Center will serve as the archives and research space, as well as offer programs in the old sanctuary.
But the lock 52 confusion is nothing when compared to what happens in Montezuma. To begin with you can find the Montezuma Heritage Park a few miles down the road. This park was created in the early 2000s by the Montezuma Historical Society with the help of the Town of Montezuma. While the 188-acre park encompasses the history of the four canals that could be found in the small hamlet, it also offers miles of trails through the woods offering great places to get outside, take a stroll through the woods along the well maintained trails and unwind a bit. But, don’t confuse the Town of Montezuma, volunteer run, Montezuma Heritage Park with the federally run Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, or the larger Montezuma Wildlife Management Area, or the even larger Montezuma Wetlands Complex. All these lands adjoin each other, each offers great places to see nature, but each is distinctly different. The Montezuma Heritage Park is the best place to explore how the canals interacted with and overcame the Cayuga marshes. It is one of a few places in the state where you can find the remains of all the canal eras side-by-side. It also has the best walking trail along the Seneca River. It is now easy to find the Montezuma Heritage Park with the Route 31 parking lot and trail head. Look for it just west of the routes 31 and 90 intersection.
Connecting all these parks and places is the Empire State Trail which is one of the longest recreational trails in the country. In our area, the trail follows Route 31 and the old Erie Canal towpath, creating a long and narrow linear park that passes through Montezuma, Port Byron, Weedsport, and our friends to the east in Jordan and Camillus. Along this trail you can find some pretty neat sites like the Centerport Aqueduct Park, Lock 51, the Jordan Aqueduct, and the Liz and Dave Beebe Erie Canal Park.
If you need a boost to get out and exercise, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has a series of “canalway challenges” where you can get reward points for logging miles along the Empire State Trail. And they even have a virtual tour where you can walk or spin in your house while touring areas along the trail. Check out their website for more info. But, if you can, get out and explore!