Crescent Aqueduct

Stacks of bricks in the Newton Brick Works in Halfmoon, NY. The arches of the Crescent Aqueduct show in the distance. Image courtesy of Halfmoon Town Historian, Ellen Kennedy.

The aqueduct at Crescent was considered one of the wonders of the Erie Canal. Twenty-six masonry arches supported the towpath, creating a picturesque view that was much photographed. It was called the Lower Mohawk Aqueduct. When it was built in 1842, it was 1,137 feet (347 m) in length, 40.5 feet (12.3 m) wide (interior width) and had 26 stone arch spans. When the Erie Canal was widened in 1842 a second larger Crescent aqueduct was built beside the first one. Afterward the piers of the 1825 aqueduct were used to support a plank road at one point and later an iron toll bridge. The Lower Mohawk Aqueduct was the longest aqueduct in the state.

Post office at Crescent, NY.

With the canal providing a trade route right at its doorstep, the hamlet of Crescent thrived. Industries such as brick-making and an iron foundry were begun. Goods from the rural areas north of the river used Crescent as their port. Molding sand from both Halfmoon and Clifton Park was shipped out here, as well as grain and agricultural products of all sorts. Stores catered to the needs of the canallers.

Canal boats going over the Crescent Aqueduct. The towpath is on the left, and the pedestrian bridge is on the right. Houses on Church Hill Road in Halfmoon show in the upper right. Image courtesy of Halfmoon Town Historian, Ellen Kennedy.

Looking south across the Aqueduct at Crescent. A canal boat is just visible on the right, approaching the curve.

Information on Crescent businesses was taken from The Erie Canal Through Saratoga County, by Amelia T. O'Shea (2007).