Chartered in 1798 and straddling the Mohawk River, Schenectady is home to General Electric and Union College. The former industry gives the city of 67,000 the moniker “The Electric City.” Before that era, the city transported much of the state’s agriculture, hence the sheaf of wheat depicted on the city seal as well as on this manhole cover from Syracuse Castings. That emblem sits center within a shield outline and surrounded by a randomized field of dots offering texture and grip. Bold stencil letters compose the text which has an adjusted patent number for context. A familiarly shaped tar splat sits at three o’clock. You can find this cover on State Street just steps away from Proctor’s Theater.