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DeWitt Clinton

Fulton’s Steamboat, The Black Ball Line & The Erie Canal

January 17, 2022 by James S. Kaplan 4 Comments

England, a packet ship of the Black Ball LineFor thousands of years prior to the early 1800s maritime transportation was dependent on sailing ships. In the first few decades of the 19th century however, entrepreneurs in New York helped revolutionize the industry so that one hundred years later sailing ships were an anachronism that hardly existed, except for show.

In the latter part of the 1700s the development of the Boulton & Watt steam engine in England made it theoretically possible to power a boat. Before 1800 a number of inventors, including New Yorkers such as Nicholas Roosevelt, John Fitch, Robert R. Livingston, John Stevens III and others, experimented with boats that used such steam engines. Before Robert Fulton made his first run in the North River steamboat (later renamed Clermont) in 1807 more than a dozen steamboats had been constructed in the United States with varying degrees of success.   There were difficulties in making such craft commercially viable. [Read more…] about Fulton’s Steamboat, The Black Ball Line & The Erie Canal

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Albany, Buffalo, DeWitt Clinton, Economic History, Erie Canal, Hudson River, Manhattan, Maritime History, New York City, New York Harbor, Political History, Robert Fulton, Robert Livingston, Steamboating, Transportation History, Wall Street, Wall Street History Series

DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal Presentations at Schoharie Crossing

February 28, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

schoharie crossing state historic siteSchoharie Crossing State Historic Site is set to open the doors at their Visitor Center this off season on each first Monday of the month for Museum Monday Programs. [Read more…] about DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal Presentations at Schoharie Crossing

Filed Under: Events, History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal, Political History, Schoharie Crossing, Schoharie Crossing SHS, Transportation History

A Visit To Schoharie Crossing (Liz Covart Podacst)

July 24, 2019 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

ben_franklins_worldA “little short of madness.” That is how Thomas Jefferson responded when two delegates from New York approached him with the idea to build the Erie Canal in January 1809.

Jefferson’s comment did not discourage New Yorkers. On January 4, 1817, New York State began building a 363-mile long canal to link the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the Midwest. [Read more…] about A Visit To Schoharie Crossing (Liz Covart Podacst)

Filed Under: History, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: DeWitt Clinton, Early America, Early American History, Erie Canal, Fort Hunter, Hudson River, New York, New York History, Podcasts, Public History, Schoharie Crossing, Schoharie Crossing SHS, Thomas Jefferson

The Erie Canal, New York City, and Democratic Government

June 19, 2017 by James S. Kaplan 1 Comment

Erie Canal
Along the Erie Canal, Buffalo, N.Y. (No. M 71, Buffalo News Co., Buffalo, N.Y.) courtesy ErieCanal.org

On July 4, 1817, at Rome, New York on a site now occupied by the Worthington Industries Steel plant, there was a ceremony allegedly turning the first spade of earth on the construction of the Erie Canal, one of the most important public works projects in history.

As we approach the Bicentennial of the Canal’s construction, we would do well to better understand this history and its importance. On July 2, 2017 there will be a march through Lower Manhattan sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Historical Association celebrating this event. [Read more…] about The Erie Canal, New York City, and Democratic Government

Filed Under: Events, History Tagged With: DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal, New York City, New York Harbor, Transportation History

The Erie Canal Marks A 200th Anniversary

May 16, 2016 by Craig Williams 6 Comments

aqueduct bridge at rochesterOn May 17, 1816, the State’s Canal Commissioners met in New York City. This was their first meeting since being reauthorized by the legislature on April 17th, just a few weeks earlier. Five commissioners were appointed by the legislature – Stephen Van Rensselaer, DeWitt Clinton, Samuel Young, Joseph Ellicott and Myron Holley. Several of them had been canal commissioners since 1810. During that period they had surveyed much of the route in person and had kept the dream of the waterway alive during the intervening dismal years of war on their frontier (War of 1812). At the May 17th meeting the commissioners initiated actions that ensured that construction of the Erie Canal would begin a year later. [Read more…] about The Erie Canal Marks A 200th Anniversary

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Barge Canal, DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal, Genesee River, Political History, Transportation History, Van Rensselaers

Erie Canal Funding Challenged In Court

August 10, 2015 by Bruce Dearstyne 4 Comments

groundbreakingThe State Canal Corporation has announced the 10th annual “Canal Splash” for August 7 – 15. It is mostly to promote the recreational possibilities of the canal system but some of the events along the canalways will focus on history and culture. “Celebrate the history, culture, recreational appeal, and beauty of the New York State Canal System and Erie Canalway Trail during the 10 days of Canal Splash!” says its website. The celebration is a high point in the ongoing work of promoting the canal. [Read more…] about Erie Canal Funding Challenged In Court

Filed Under: History Tagged With: DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal, Legal History, Political History, Thomas Dewey, Transportation History

The Albany Connections of Burr, Hamilton, and Schuyler

May 14, 2015 by Peter Hess 10 Comments

Hamilton-burr-duelDuring the Revolutionary War, Alexander Hamilton served as an artillery captain and later a colonel and trusted aid to General George Washington. Colonel Aaron Burr also served in the Colonial Army and accompanied Benedict Arnold on his march through the Maine wilderness and his failed attempt to capture Quebec. Burr had been with General Richard Montgomery when Montgomery was shot and killed in Quebec. Later in the war, Burr was placed in charge of a regiment and his troops were stationed in Westchester County, New York. [Read more…] about The Albany Connections of Burr, Hamilton, and Schuyler

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Aaron Burr, Albany, Alexander Hamilton, American Revolution, DeWitt Clinton, George Clinton, Holland Land Company, Legal History, Morgan Lewis, Philip Schuyler, Political History, Schuyler Mansion, Van Rensselaers

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