September 8, 2000: Volume 50, Number 1

Erie Canal Celebration Opens at Nott

Nearly two centuries ago, a visionary no less than Thomas Jefferson rejected as "madness" the proposal for a canal that would link New York City and the Great Lakes.

But New York State forged ahead in a massive undertaking that critics labeled "Clinton's Ditch" after the state's governor, DeWitt Clinton. Within years, the project had not only paid for itself, but had become one of the most successful transportation projects in history, transforming the state and nation economically.

The project was the Erie Canal. Through Oct. 29, Union College will celebrate the Erie Canal's 175th birthday with the Nott Memorial exhibit titled "A Monument of Progress: The 175th Anniversary of the Erie Canal." A concurrent exhibit takes place at the Schenectady Museum.

The exhibit opened Thursday with an evening of canal songs and interpretations by singer George Ward '60.

The next event is Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.: "Designing a Masterpiece: Symposium on the Engineering and Construction of the Erie Canal" with F. Daniel Larkin, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, SUNY Oneonta; Frank Griggs, Director of Historic Bridge Programs at Clough Harbour & Associates LLP; Andrew Wolfe, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering, Union College and participating students from Union College and Schenectady High School (co-sponsored by the Division of Engineering).

The exhibit features among its 122 items 30 original drawings never before shown. Produced by draftsmen and engineers who worked on the original canal or its 1835 and 1862 enlargements, the drawings from the New York State Archives consist of panoramic color survey maps embellished with perspective drawings as well as mechanical renderings of the engineering marvels that made the canal possible. Also in the exhibit are oil paintings, watercolors, engravings, etchings, stoneware, artifacts, models of locks and other canal features, even a tombstone.

Making it Work in the first-floor Dyson Hall features four models built by Union faculty and students as well as Schenectady High School students. Models are of a lock, aqueduct, and two bridges. Corresponding original structural drawings from the New York State Archives accompany the models.

Recollections and Reflections in the Nott's second-floor Mandeville Gallery features 19th century paintings, prints, drawings, and artifacts re-creating the entire trip along the canal. The state Archives' original maps of the canal route will be on display. Exhibit visitors will be able to walk the length of the canal within the exhibit itself.

Bankwatch - Views of the Erie Canal (through Oct. 29) will appear in the Schenectady Museum, showcasing selections from the acclaimed collection of the Canal Society of New York.

"The Erie Canal was not only a triumph of engineering over geography, but a triumph of vision and courage over narrowness and doubt," said Clifford Brown, political science professor and chair of the Mandeville Gallery Committee. "It is fitting that the oldest college in the region, which has many connections to the canal and its history, celebrate this important anniversary."

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