09/09/2025
Lucerne McCullough's 1938 public works mural of the Black River Canal is great representation of the lateral canals found within the Erie Canal's Middle Division. Along New York State's artificial river, many rural and isolated communities lobbied heavily to create connections to larger communities and markets.
Erie Canal Bicentennial Series is Featured Topic of Fall History Lecture Series at Maritime Museum
The H. Lee White Maritime Museum is pleased to present “Local Laterals of the Erie Canal’s Middle Division” with Jacob Maloney as part of their History Lecture Series scheduled for Wednesday, September 17th at 6:00pm. The Maritime Museum’s fall 2025 History Lecture Series explores the lasting impact of the Erie Canal as part of the American experience. In celebration of the Erie Canal’s bicentennial, the three-part series runs September through November 2025.
The Erie Canal was the largest state-funded public works project of the 19th century and was built in three divisions (Western, Middle, Eastern) starting in Rome and completing in Buffalo. In the Middle Division, four lateral canals (Seneca & Cayuga, Oswego, Chenango and Black River) were constructed later to capitalize on the success of the artificial waterway, connecting rural communities with new people, ideas, and goods. Their productivity varied and many were ultimately abandoned, but their influence and legacy on New York State has remained for more than 150 years.
Jacob Maloney is the Museum Assistant at the Oswego County Historical Society, and the Collections Assistant at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY. After graduating from SUNY Brockport with a Bachelor's in History, Jacob continued his education with a Master's Degree in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program at SUNY Oneonta. Multiple internships including the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Billings Farm & Museum, and National Baseball Hall of Fame, helped him gain exceptional hands-on experiences in collections, archives and libraries
The History Lecture Series’ next featured speaker will be Derrick Pratt, Director of Education at the Erie Canal Museum who will present “The Conception of the Erie Canal” on Wednesday October 22nd, at 6pm. November’s lecture features Capt. Tammee Poinan Grimes of the Erie Canal tour boat Colonial Belle, which has been operating on New York’s canals since 1989.
The Maritime Museum’s History Lecture Series is free and open to the public. The Museum and Treasure Chest Gift Shop are open daily, 1-5pm (10-5pm in July and August) on the West 1st St. Pier in Oswego’s Historic Maritime District. For more on this or other programs, contact the Museum at 315-342-0480 or visit hlwmm.org.
