The Divisive Ditch: Early Perceptions of the Erie Canal

The Divisive Ditch: Early Perceptions of the Erie Canal

A Deeper Dive virtual lecture features Carol Sheriff, author of The Artificial River Get your ticket now for The Divisive Ditch: Early Perceptions of the Erie Canal with Carol Sheriff, historian and author of The Artificial River. The online program will take place Saturday, May 30 at 1 p.m. Sheriff is the first guest in our new Read More »
Baseball in the 19th Century Erie Canal Corridor

POSTPONED: Baseball Along the 19th Century Erie Canal Corridor

Postponed until further notice; please check back in mid-May for new date. The Erie Canal totally transformed life along its banks. Cities were built. Religions were founded. National movements started. And goods, people and ideas were transported. One often overlooked aspect of this change is the explosion of what was quickly becoming the national pastime: Read More »
"21st Century Kids Along the Erie Canal" available free online

“21st Century Kids Along the Erie Canal” now free online

Erie Canal author and boatman Robert Graham just released a new book, 21st Century Kids Along the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal Museum is partnering with the author by making this book of photographs available for free on our website. Click here to access 21st Century Kids. The book features 102 photographs documenting the lives of Read More »
Syracuse's First Fourth of July Celebration

Early Months of Erie Canal Navigation in Syracuse

By Derrick Pratt, Erie Canal Museum Educator Earlier this year, we looked at the early months of 1820 in Syracuse and on the fledgling Erie Canal, which, with the arrival of the Montezuma on April 20, began to offer the small community a taste of the astounding opportunities presented by its waters. This was only Read More »
The Life and Times of a Canal Boat Cook

The Life and Times of a Canal Boat Cook

Educator Derrick Pratt's biography of Oliver Wendell Petrie, a worker on early 20th century canals By Derrick Pratt, Erie Canal Museum Educator Oliver Wendell Petrie was born into a large family on November 18, 1899 in Oswego, New York. His mother was an avid reader and named her son after Oliver Wendell Holmes, whom she Read More »
Designing and Constructing a Replica of DeWitt Clinton's Seneca Chief

Designing & Constructing A Replica of DeWitt Clinton’s Seneca Chief

By John Montague, Buffalo Maritime Center Join the Erie Canal Museum on Facebook Live, 10 a.m. May 7, to learn more about this project. In anticipation of the bicentennial of the opening of the Erie Canal in 2025, the Buffalo Maritime Center has undertaken a project to construct a replica of DeWitt Clinton’s packet boat Seneca Read More »