Phase 1B Underwater Archaeological Report for the Onondaga ...

FINAL
Phase IB Underwater Archaeological Resources Report for Onondaga Lake Superfund Site
RECOMMEND AVOIDANCE
Anomaly 17-1 and 17-2: Spud Barges
Anomaly 54 Summary Table
Anomaly Identification Spud Barges; NY Site Number 06740.012297
Remedial Impact
Shoreline riprap installation
NRHP Eligibility
Eligible
Recommendation
Anomaly Dataset
Side Scan (2005)
No
Magnetometer (2005) No
Side Scan (2010)
No
Sector Scan (2010)
No
ROV (2010)
No
Diver Observations 6/27/11
Diver Videography
No
Maps/Charts
No
Aerial Imagery
Yes
Historic Accounts
No
Historic Context 145
Lake View Point was long a popular vantage point on Onondaga Lake, the scene for chowder parties
after the Civil War. The land was acquired by Fred Ganier who immediately began running a small
steamer and providing temporary accommodations in 1871. That winter he used a pile driver to erect a
pier and constructed an ice house and the two-story Lake View Hotel. By July 1872, the steamer Sperry
began running regularly to Lake View Point from Clinton Square and Geddes Pier. Lake View Point was
the first resort along Onondaga Lake.
In addition to the hotel, the resort included an icehouse, bar, casino, shooting gallery, and a pier and
landing. The resort’s low terrain was regularly inundated during high lake levels, particularly in the
spring (Post Standard 8/18/1899) By 1874, Ganier’s developing physical problems led him to sell the
lease to the hotel, which then transferred to several others. The resort and grounds were popular
among tourists through the 1880s and 1890s. The 1892 Sanborn map identifies the resort buildings as
located within 250ft (75m) of the shore. By the 1890s, the resort was accessible by boat, an access road
from the State Fair Boulevard, and from the DL&W Railroad.
In 1899, the resort was sold to Frank Heberle, who transformed it into a private family resort. However,
this proved unprofitable, and upon Heberle’s death in 1916, the resort closed and the City of Syracuse
acquired the property for a proposed sewage disposal plant. When the city plans changed, the city made
an agreement with the Solvay Process Company to allow the company to place its wastes on Lake View
Point. The point was partially covered by 1929 (Post Standard 9/29/29) and fully covered by 1938;
placement continued until 1943. Much of the former resort area was covered with 20-80ft (6-24m) of
waste.
The historic maps show that the resort was located near the shore of Lake View Point. The surrounding
land has been inundated with up to 80 feet (24 m) of waste. In addition, a pier may have been built
along the shoreline or perpendicular to it. It was noted that a pier had been visible approximately
0.25mi (0.4km) north of the present boat launch near the area to the south of Lake View Point. 146
154