The Winifred & De Villo Sloan, Jr., Charitable Fund has awarded a grant of $5,000 to the Erie Canal Museum of Syracuse, New York, to provide support for the artist-in-residence program. “The Erie Canal is a defining part of New York’s history,” said De Villo Sloan III, the funds director….
NEW YORK STATE CANAL CORPORATION AND THE ERIE CANAL MUSEUM LAUNCH ERIE CANAL ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM
New Instagram Channel @all524miles Now Live, Video of Artist here The New York State Canal Corporation and the Erie Canal Museum today announced that Matthew López-Jensen, a Bronx-based, interdisciplinary environmental artist, has been named the 2023 Erie Canal Artist-in-Residence (AIR), the first in the history of both organizations. The AIR program will focus on…
New Article Published in Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability
Renée Barry, the 2021-2023 Erie Canal Research Fellow, in collaboration with Lemir Teron, an assistant professor at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry, had their paper “Visualising Heritage: a critical discourse analysis of place, race, and nationhood along the Erie Canal” published in by…
Exploring Abolition Along the Empire State Trail
New York State, much like the rest of the country, has a long, complex, and challenging history with the institution of slavery and the movement to abolish it. Evidence of this history can still be seen throughout the state; including along the historic route of the Erie Canal and its…
Top Ten Erie Canal Books
200 years ago the construction of the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo radically transformed New York State. Cities like Syracuse, Rochester, and Utica sprang up along its banks; the Great Lakes and New York City boomed thanks to their new linkage; and New York itself became known nationwide as…
Who are the Erie Canal Museum’s top Gingerbread Gallery bakers?
The judges have spoken! This year’s panel of judges recently completed scoring submissions in the 35th Annual Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum, 318 Erie Boulevard East in downtown Syracuse. This year’s judges were Fiona Day of Pie’s The Limit Bakery in the Salt City Markey (piesthelimitbakery.com), Merike Treier,…
Weathering Winter on the Erie Canal
The New York State Canal System closed for the winter in mid-October this year. In the 19th century, the Erie Canal was also closed during the long, cold winter months. During this time, boats were not able to travel on a frozen canal, and the Canal was typically drained for…
Call for bakers!
The Erie Canal Museum in downtown Syracuse invites bakers of all ages to register for the 36th Annual Gingerbread Gallery, a display of confectionery creations that celebrates the holidays and the Erie Canal. The first Gingerbread Gallery at the Erie Canal Museum celebrated the architecture of local buildings. It was…
Message in a Bottle: From Ashes, to Artifacts, to Ancestry
By Amie Flanigan, Erie Canal Museum Project Archivist Every summer for as long as I can remember, my family has spent weekends visiting the flea markets of Oswego County, on a quest for some very personal treasure. The treasure we sought was not gold, but glass… Even as a child…
Erie Canalway IMPACT! Grants Support Education and Preservation along the Erie Canal
View Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Press Release WATERFORD, NY- The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is pleased to announce that 13 non-profit organizations and municipalities will receive Erie Canalway IMPACT! Grants in 2021 totaling $108,787. The grants advance vital work to preserve and showcase canal heritage, educate youth, and…
Syracuse NY: Revitalized Former Erie Canal Town
The Erie Canal Museum was included in the Getaway Mavens Syracuse area post. “WHY GO: A ‘port’ town, Syracuse NY was sophisticated and open to the outside world from the get go, despite its remote Central NY location. The Erie Canal actually coursed right through downtown: old photographs convey a Venice-like…
Congratulations, Model Canal Boat Contest Winners!

Online contest attracts entries from four states Congratulations to the winners of the Erie Canal Museum’s Brick-a-Boat model canal boat contest! In this contest, partner museums across the state judged model boats of all kinds according to overall appeal, originality, difficulty, and creative use of materials. The contest was completely…