“An important piece of New York’s Erie Canal History was saved from oblivion when the New York State Museum salvaged an entire 19th – century building that will become part of the museum’s new exhibits on upstate New York. This is one of the oldest Erie Canal-associated buildings to be salvaged and reconstructed by a museum. It will be exhibited to show the day-to-day activities along the canal, a way of life common then and seldom portrayed now. The “Lock Grocery” in Fort Plain served passengers and crew of packet boats on New York’s Erie Canal in the 19th century as well as the local community. Located alongside the 150 year old Lock 32, one of the earliest locks constructed on the old waterway, the majestic Greek Revival building provides a window through time to the days when the Erie Canal was the main artery for trade and commerce between east and west.”

The New York State Museum returned the artifact to the Friends of Fort Plain, May 2015. The group plans to exhibit the two story façade of the Canal Store inside Diefendorf Hall as a primary source of local history.