Hayden's Dam

This is a nice image taken around the Port Byron area, but not of Port Byron. Of course, if the postcard printer had put down "Hayden's Dam, Mentz, NY", no one would know where this was.

This photo is of a dam that goes way back to the 1820's. The dam was built by Charles and Amos Parks to back up water in the Outlet to run a small mill near the site. It was located just south of where Hayden Road crosses the Outlet.   In 1830 when John Beach was constructing his large mill in Port Byron, he built a two mile long canal to receive water from this dam in order to get enough water pressure to turn his mills large wheels. We can still see the remains of this canal (mill race) today.

After the mill burned in 1857, the State took over the mill race to direct water into the Erie Canal. The little building you can see on the far bank covers the gate that allowed water into the mill race and canal. The foundation for this building can be seen even today from Rt 38. Not much of the dam remains today. If you happen to be walking up the Outlet, you might stumble over one of the iron spikes used to nail the dam together.