VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Griffin Fellows: Just off of one of Syracuse’s busiest streets you’ll find a quiet piece of Central New York’s history. The Erie Canal Museum is celebrating the 200th year of the completion of what Derrick Pratt, museum’s director of education calls
Derrick Pratt: So the Erie Canal is the key moment that developments Central New York into what it is today.
Fellows: The canal opened up trade from the Atlantic to Great Lakes, causing business to boom and made little towns along its banks more successful than ever. But that was long ago. While Syracuse might look a little different, the names are still the same.
Pratt: So Erie Boulevard was the Erie Canal. It was filled in during the 1920s when they enlarged the canals to make the modern barge canals. And if you look at a map you can see the city radiate out from Erie Boulevard.
Fellows: While it’s been well over a 100 years since the diversion of the original Erie Canal to the much larger one built for bigger infrastructure, we can still see the remnants of the old Erie Canal in Central New York here today.
Fellows: Just outside of Syracuse, DeWitt has restored more than 30 miles of the original Erie Canal and has turned them into state parks where people can walk a trail along the river bank and enjoy the serenity on the current. You can even see the canal’s impact within the city. Clinton Square used to be a major port along the canal, but the only water it gets now is the ice rink around Christmas time. But still, it’s the heart of the city.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS)— Two centuries after the Erie Canal began flowing through Syracuse, the waterway that transformed a collection of small towns into a thriving commercial hub continues to shape the city’s identity, even though its waters were diverted long ago.
The Erie Canal Museum is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the canal’s completion this year, celebrating the engineering marvel that connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and fundamentally altered the economic landscape of Central New York.
“The Erie Canal is the key moment that developments Central New York into what it is today,” said Derrick Pratt, the museum’s director of education.
The canal’s opening in 1825 triggered an economic boom, creating commerce all throughout the state. Syracuse, positioned strategically along the waterway, emerged as a central hub for trade and transportation.
Though the original canal through downtown Syracuse was filled in during the 1920s when the state enlarged the waterway to accommodate modern barge traffic, the city’s layout still reflects its canal heritage. Erie Boulevard, one of Syracuse’s most popular streets, sits directly atop the former canal route.
“If you look at a map you can see the city radiate out from Erie Boulevard,” Pratt said.
The canal’s legacy extends beyond street names. Clinton Square, once a major port bustling with cargo and passengers, remains the heart of downtown Syracuse. Today, the square hosts festivals and an ice skating rink during the winter months rather than canal boats.
Outside the city, more than 30 miles of the original Erie Canal have been preserved in DeWitt, where sections have been converted into state parks. Visitors can walk trails along the historic waterway and experience the serenity that once drew travelers nearly two centuries ago.