On October 26, Buffalo Maritime Center’s replica of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief, built by over 200 volunteers over five years, pulled into Pier 26 at Hudson River Park.
It was 200 years to the day in 1825 after the initial voyage from Buffalo to New York City when the Erie Canal opened.
Seneca Chief made 28 stops along their 33-day trip along the Erie Canal and down the Hudson River to New York Harbor. Organizers say about 20,000 people came out to see the vessel and take part in the celebrations across New York State.
In New York City, Governor Kathy Hochul addressed a crowd as did New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian Stratton. DeWitt Silber, a descendant of DeWitt Clinton; John Montague, the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Buffalo Maritime Center, and Indigenous Scholar and descendant of Ely S. Parker, Melissa Parker Leonard also spoke.
“May the waters we have gathered and the trees we have planted remind us that remembrance and responsibility must always flow together, and from that truth, we can create peace and prosperity,” she said.
A ladle of water from the Hudson River was added to a “Gathering of the Waters Barrel” in a ceremony that represented connectivity and renewal. Speakers acknowledged the complex history of the canal, including the displacement of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) from the land before its construction.
An Eastern White Pine was planted and the children of Melissa Parker Leonard watered the tree with water gathered across New York State.
“From what it took to engineer and build the canal to the resiliency of the Haudenosaunee in the face of forced removal, the Erie Canal story has always been one about the human spirit overcoming obstacles,” Brian Trzeciak, Executive Director of the Buffalo Maritime Center told supporters in am email afterward.
“The Erie Canal Boat Project is no different,” Trzeciak said. He also congratulated John Montague, who had the vision for the Seneca Chief and the Canal Bicentennial ceremonies some 25 years ago.
Seneca Chief is now headed to Waterford where, thanks to the New York State Canal Corporation, she will overwinter in the mud to preserve her hull.
In 2026, Seneca Chief, the C.L. Churchill, and the Buffalo Sal are expected to return to Buffalo.
Photo of the replica Seneca Chief leaving New York City on October 27th, 2025 (courtesy Buffalo Maritime Center).
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