History, Natural History & the Arts
The 2020 New York State Canal Conference will be held October 4-6, 2020 at the Rivers Casino Event Center in Schenectady.
This year’s conference will explore the trends and opportunities in the regional and international waterway systems. [Read more…] about 2020 NYS Canal Conference Being Held In Schenectady
The Preservation League of NYS has received a $33,000 grant from the 1772 Foundation. This grant is expected to allow the League, in partnership with Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, to identify and study vacant and underutilized historic buildings along a portion of the NYS Canal System and Empire State Trail that could be sensitively repurposed to provide services for recreational travelers along that corridor.
The survey area will focus on a 90-mile radius around the League’s Albany headquarters, from Utica to Whitehall, all within the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. [Read more…] about Empire Trail Historic Assessment Being Conducted, Utica to Whitehall
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has officially opened a new grant round of its Historic Transportation Canals Marker Grant Program. This historic marker program commemorates the history of canals across the U.S. Grants cover the entire cost of a marker, pole and shipping.
The Pomeroy Foundation is a private, grant-making foundation based in Syracuse. One of its main initiatives is to help people celebrate their community’s history through a variety of roadside marker grant programs, including its historic transportation canals program. [Read more…] about Grants Available for Canal History Markers
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has released a New York State Canalway Water Trail Guidebook and Navigational Map Set.
The complimentary guidebook and maps include a mile-by-mile description of launch sites, paddler-friendly facilities and amenities, and places of interest for over 450 miles of the NYS Canal System, which opened Friday, including the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego and Champlain canals. [Read more…] about New Paddling Guidebook for State Canal System
We are in the midst of the bicentennial of the construction of the Erie Canal. It began on July 4, 1817, in Rome and ended eight years later with the Wedding of the Waters on November 4, 1825 in New York Harbor.
In 2017, the World Canals conference was held in Syracuse in honor of the bicentennial. One would think that the eight-year commemoration provides ample time to develop Paths through History along the Erie Canal. There could be multiple paths as people returned each summer for another conference and tour. Forts Plain and Ticonderoga both have annual American Revolution conferences with tours. [Read more…] about History, REDC Funding and New York State Canals
A new study of the economic impact of events and tours in the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor estimated $1.5 billion annually is generated by events, boat tours, bicycle and paddle-sport rentals and historic site/museum tours along the Erie, Champlain, Owsego and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Events and tours drew 3.3 million visitors in 2017.
The economic analysis was conducted by Level 7 Market Research for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor through its nonprofit affiliate, the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc., and supported by a grant from Market New York through I LOVE NEW YORK, the state’s Division of Tourism, as a part of the Regional Economic Development Council awards. [Read more…] about Report: Canal Events Generate $1.5B Annually
Four roundtables celebrating the Champlain Canal Centennial have been set for May, each will feature a presentation, an information sharing session, networking opportunities, and a discussion period.
The roundtables are designed to bring together museum professionals, historical societies, archivists, local historians, and community members to foster collaboration and to create unique thematic experiences for visitors. [Read more…] about Champlain Canal Centennial Roundtables Planned
Event registration for Path Through History Weekends now underway. Events will be held around the state to celebrate the theme of Canals & Transportation. [Read more…] about Path Through History Transportation History Events Set
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has announced the 2017 Legacy Tour of Schooner Lois McClure. The tour will pay tribute to the legacy of the canals, which celebrate 200 years in 2017, and the legacy of the Northern Forest trees, which built the thousands of wooden boats that plied our waterways. [Read more…] about 2017 Legacy Tour of Schooner Lois McClure Set
The NYS Canal System has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
The designation places New York’s operating canals among the premier historic sites in the United States. The Adirondack Park was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1963, and is the largest NHL. [Read more…] about Canal System Designated National Historic Landmark