Lunchtime Lecture

Description

2024 Schedule – Upcoming

 

Thursday, September 26 @ 12PM- Canal Conversations: New York Lateral Canals

The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 sparked the construction of numerous lateral canals throughout New York State, each with their own unique histories. This roundtable, featuring experts from the Black River Canal Museum, the Chenango Canal Association Museum, and the Erie Canal Museum, will examine three such canals, the Black River, Chenango, and Genesee Valley Canal, looking at their similarities and differences while having an engaging exchange on New York canals.

 

Thursday, October 24 @ 12 PM- An Entrepreneur at a Crossroads: Slocum Howland, Sherwood, and the Underground Railroad

Join us for this fascinating story of Slocum Howland, a Quaker store owner and abolitionist who used his connections to help freedom seekers on their way. Most went on to Canada, but since the Sherwood community was heavily Quaker, some felt safe enough to settle there. Store ledgers and other historic artifacts tell the story of those who stayed. Our presenter will be Larry Bell, a historian at the Howland Stone Store Museum.

 

Thursday, November 21 @ 12 PM- Odds & Ends: Staff Showcase of the Collection

Join us for a peek behind the scenes as the staff members showcase their favorite movement-related items from the Museum’s collections. Our theme for 2024 is Movement, so in this November event, we will each reflect on what Movement could mean along the Erie Canal and what it has meant throughout the year’s programming. This is also a unique opportunity to see Erie Canal Museum collection items that are not often spotlighted.

 

More to be announced soon!

 

Past

Thursday, January 25, 2024 @12PM- Craig Williams- The Day Peckinpaugh

Join the Canal Society of New York’s Craig Williams in this discussion of the Day Peckinpaugh. Constructed in 1921, it is the last remaining supermax canal motorship, with its fate currently very much up in the air.

 

Thursday, February 22 @12PM- Dr. Milton C. Sernett- EDUCATION for LIBERATION along the Erie Canal

Dr. Milton C. Sernett, Professor Emeritus of African American Studies and History, Syracuse University, will give an illustrated talk about Beriah Green and Oneida Institute. The school was situated along the Erie Canal east of the Village of Whitesboro, Oneida County. Green, a radical reformer, transformed the school into a training ground for abolitionists. More African Americans enrolled in Oneida Institute than any other “college” of the pre-Civil War period.

 

Thursday, March 21 @12PM- Elizabeth Farrell & Derrick Pratt- Waterway of Change: Women, Women’s Rights, and the Erie Canal

The Erie Canal revolutionized Upstate New York bringing new ideas, people, and industries to the region, sparking a firestorm of change. This presentation will cover how the fight for women’s rights grew out of the changes brought about by the Erie Canal and the movement’s dependence on networks that the Canal facilitated.

 

Thursday, April 25 @12PM- Chris Sabick- Canal Related Shipwrecks in Onondaga Lake

Chris Sabick of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum will discuss the recent environmental clean up operations that were carried out in Onondaga Lake, which revealed a wide variety of sunken vessels resting in its waters. Many of these vessels were discovered to be related to the New York State Canal system, including barges, canal boats, and dredges. This presentation will provide an overview of the number and types of vessels discovered in Onondaga Lake and look at a selection of them in detail and share what is known about their histories.

 

Thursday, May 23 @ 12PM- Tom Guiler- The Oneida Community

Tom Guiler of the Oneida Community Mansion House will provide an overview of the Oneida Community, a perfectionist community in Sherrill, NY greatly influenced by the Second Great Awakening, which thrived along the Canal’s banks

 

Thursday, June 20 @ 12 PM- Allison Hinman- Susan B. Anthony: A Progressive New York

Central and Western New York are often thought of as progressive regions in the 19th century. This presentation will explore Susan B. Anthony’s experiences in New York State as she and other reformers advocated for abolition and women’s rights.

 

Thursday, July 25 @ 12 PM- Railroads in the Streets of Syracuse

This hour-long multi-media presentation will show you what led up to Syracuse raising tracks from the  streets to a new elevated line and the showpiece New York Central station that served trains for barely 26 years. You’ll see maps, aerial views, historic photos and a film showing Syracusans celebrate the day that changed the city. Also, you’ll compare present day Syracuse to what existed in the past as well as reflecting on the existence of the Erie Canal and the role trains had in lessening the need for the canal This presentation will discuss the role trains had in lessening the need for the canal and also what led to Syracuse raising tracks from the streets to a new elevated line.

 

Thursday, August 22 @ 12PM- David Brooks- Through the Mire: A Look at the Environmental History of the Erie Canal

The Erie Canal was a tremendous undertaking when construction started in 1817. Humans had been interacting with the geology and environment of the region for centuries, but when the digging of the canal commenced, the vastness of the project and the environment that it would cut through became its largest obstacle. This presentation from Schoharie Crossing’s David Brooks will discuss that topic and how people of that era viewed their environment.