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Unlocking the Past Speaker Series: Navigating the Erie Canal during the first 200 years
This series takes an in-depth dive into the values, customs, ideas, and creativity that were sparked by the opening of the Erie Canal and the impact this waterway had on the individual and on the collective society of upstate NY and beyond. We will have educational presentations along with hands on art cruises to create a better understanding of what canallers did during long days traveling along the canal.
| Date | Start time (90 minute cruise) | Presentation Topic | Presenter | Presentation Description |
| 7/2/25 | 4:00 PM | Aileen O’Malley’s Journey on the Erie Canal | Marilyn Higgins, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Volunteer | A recently published historic fiction book by Marilyn Higgins, “Dreams of Freedom, an Irishwoman’s story of love, justice and a young nation coming apart” covers the abolition movement, native displacement, women’s movement, and religious fervor of the Canal corridor from 1830-1865. |
| 7/16/25 | 4:00 PM | Music of the Erie Canal: The Songs and Stories that Shaped History | Daniel Lynch, Music Teacher and local folk musician | Learn about the musical history of the Erie Canal, the instruments that were played along it, sing along to songs that you already know, and maybe even learn a few new ones. Dan Lynch, a local NYS music historian and educator, will get us all involved and playing along! |
| 8/6/25 | 4:00 PM | Pathway of Resistance: The Erie Canal and the Underground Railroad | Derrick Pratt, Director of Education at the Erie Canal Museum | This constantly evolving talk examines the experience of African-Americans along the Erie Canal Corridor, with a particular focus on the struggle for abolition. While parts of this story are unpleasant, slavery, racism, and resistance are critical to understanding our society today. |
| 8/20/25 | 4:00 PM | Fee Brothers & The Erie Canal: A History of Spirits | Jon Spacher, CEO & Owner of Fee Brothers | There’s a rich history of the intersection of spirits and the Erie Canal. 161-year old Fee Brothers was part of this history before prohibition. Learn from the 5th generation owner how these paths crossed and then went their separate ways as part of the canal’s 200 year anniversary! |
| 9/3/25 | 4:00 PM | The Erie Canal and Ecological Change | Christine Keiner, chair of the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at the RIT | The Erie Canal enabled people and goods to travel at unprecedented speeds, and it also caused rapid, unanticipated ecological changes. In this talk, we will discuss how the Erie Canal and other artificial waterways have led to environmental problems, including aquatic invasive species. |
| 9/17/25 | 4:00 PM | The Dulcimer on the Western Erie Canal | Nils Caspersson, retired teacher and local folk musician | The dulcimer has an obscure past and is a mid-19th c. hybrid of craftsmanship and utility and is also linked to Lutheran immigrants. I will present a wide variety of Erie Canal area community instrumental music and stories, including Irish, English, French, Swedish, Norwegian and others, with the dulcimer, highlighting the diverse rural communities along the Western New York Erie Canal. |