Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Industry & Commerce, Site, Transportation

Location

7818 Loftis Rd, Belfast, NY 14711, USA

Lat/Long

42.3429208, -78.1255063

Grant Recipient

Town of Belfast

In the town of Belfast in Allegany County, New York stands a canal warehouse built by 1856 for use on the Genesee Valley Canal, an approximately 124-mile-long canal that, once completed, ran from the city of Rochester to just outside Olean in Cattaraugus County. The initial portion of the canal was completed by 1840 and ran from Rochester to Mount Morris. The remaining sections of the canal were gradually completed, with the canal reaching the town of Belfast by 1853 and the full length completed in 1862. The canal was mainly for use in transporting products such as grain and lumber, aiding the growth of communities along its path.

Ever in competition with railroads, the Genesee Valley Canal was only in use until 1878. The following year, the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad Company was formed and began building over the former canal. Tracks were laid along the canal towpath or the canal bed itself in areas with sharp curves or grades. The railroad was completed by 1882, and then was immediately leased to the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia Railway. This line was acquired in 1887 by the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railway, which was then leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1900. The railroad offered passenger and freight service through the area. Passenger service stopped in 1941 and freight ceased in 1963 when the line was finally abandoned. In the 1970s, the railroad tracks were removed.

During its lifetime, the former canal warehouse in Belfast was used for storage for the railroad and later as a barn to store farm equipment. In the 1990s, the nearby Genesee Valley Greenway rail trail was developed, and was eventually acquired by New York State in 2000. As of 2024, the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park is a 90-mile open space corridor along the former Genesee Valley Canal and later railroad. The canal warehouse in Belfast is one of the last remaining landmarks of the former canal still visible along the trail.