The Life and Times of a Canal Boat Cook

Quarantine Coffee Hour looks at Oswego native Oliver Wendell Petrie and working life on 20th century canals 

Join the Erie Canal Museum on Facebook at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 14 for our live-streamed Quarantine Coffee Hour. The program is free and open to the public.

Museum Educator Derrick Pratt will discuss the life of Oliver Wendell Petrie, an Oswego native who in the 1930s worked as a cook on an oil tanker that utilized the Erie and Oswego canals. Thanks to Petrie’s family, the Museum archives contain a number of his personal items, including his personal recipe book. These items offer an interesting look into the life of a worker on New York’s 20th century canals. Learn more about Petrie through Pratt’s article, The Life and Times of a Canal Boat Cook.

We encourage you to share questions beforehand by commenting on the Quarantine Coffee Hour Facebook event, or by emailing derrick@eriecanalmuseum.org. Your questions will help make the program even more informative. And please be sure to ask questions during the discussion!

We look forward to seeing you for Quarantine Coffee Hour, streaming live on our Facebook page at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 14!

In response to the COVID-19 crisis and to protect visitors, volunteers, and staff, the Museum is closed to the public until further notice. This online event is a great way to learn Canal history as we all do our part to stay safe and healthy. Until we open our doors, we are working diligently to serve you through these types of programs. We greatly appreciate your support as we face financial uncertainty. If you’d like to make a donation to the Museum, please click here.

The Erie Canal Museum is partially supported by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.