Tag Archives: new york

history, Recreation, State History

Reflections on the Erie Canal During its Bicentennial Year

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The history and impact of the Erie Canal stretches back over 200 years, across more than 300 miles, and millions of lives. It is complicated, it is messy, it is multidimensional. You can become fascinated by it through the economics, the politics, the engineering, the social and cultural changes, the environmental impact, music, folktales, art, or a general love of history. Like the canal itself, history is a ribbon that connects us, for all the good and the bad.

The Seneca Chief prepares to depart from Buffalo to replicate the inaugural journey on the Erie Canal. Photo courtesy of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.

The capstone of the revitalization of the Erie Canal during its Bicentennial is the inspiring journey of a replica canal barge. Buffalo Maritime Center enlisted the help of volunteers, donations and corporate sponsors to create a new version of The Seneca Chief. The original barge made the inaugural journey on the entirety of the canal in October of 1825, carrying Governor DeWitt Clinton and a keg of Lake Erie water. The replica Seneca Chief is on a similar journey in its path across New York State, but on a far larger, more complex journey through history.

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Historic Sites, Recreation, Research

By the Numbers: The Benefits of State Parks and Historic Sites

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“This system was built for you.” Over the past 100 years, this ideal has driven our agency’s growth beyond its original visions. New York State’s parks and historic sites contribute to their communities’ sense of identity. Businesses thrive thanks to park and historic site visitors. Generations of New Yorkers have worked at our parks and sites, some for their entire career, others for a season.

New York’s historic preservation initiatives have also had a positive ripple effect. Designating heritage areas and preserving landmarks sparked community pride — and investment. Tax credits help both individual homeowners and commercial developers preserve and re-develop historic structures. The State and National Registers of Historic Places and the Historic Business Preservation Registry fosters connections with the past.

Throughout 2024, we celebrated the intangible benefits of our system by collecting your visitor memories and offering hundreds of special events and activities. As we look to 2025 and beyond, let’s explore the ways in which our agency benefits all New Yorkers, by the numbers.

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Park Personnel, safety

Park Police Team Keeps Growing

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It happened on January 3, 2025. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation achieved something never done before – two graduations in less than one calendar year and the first summertime academy session. The agency continues the rebuild of one of the oldest police forces in the state, and are proud to welcome four new officers whose career paths began in other roles in the agency.

Scenes from the Park Police graduation ceremony, held at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Spa State Park.
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history, Park History, Park Personnel, Stewardship

Behind the Scenes of ‘From Land to Legacy: 100 Years of NY State Parks and Preservation’

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In honor of the 100th anniversary of the founding of New York’s park and historic site system, we knew we wanted to do something special. Telling our full story in-house in a documentary style — and ensuring that the agency’s 100-year legacy was shared accurately and completely — seemed like a daunting task for our small (but mighty!) Public Affairs team.

Above all else, it required bringing the right voices to the table:

  • Professional storytellers who value public resources.
  • Team members with vast institutional knowledge, from Indigenous history to environmental conservation and New York State’s recreation evolution.
  • Powerful visuals that do our 250+ facilities justice.
  • Staff and like-minded individuals who are passionate about our open spaces and rich cultural resources, and are working to preserve and protect them, day in and day out.
Get your popcorn ready and click the play button above to watch the full documentary.

Thankfully, from discussions early on, Capital region PBS affiliate WMHT demonstrated enthusiasm for working on a documentary that would share our state park and historic site system’s Centennial story with New Yorkers. And it was this author’s honor to play a small role in seeing the enormous undertaking come to life.

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Historic Sites, history, State History

Commemorating the Canandaigua Treaty at Ganondagan State Historic Site

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The Canandaigua Treaty Day Celebration is held annually in Canandaigua, New York, to polish the chain of friendship between the United States and the Six Nations, and to honor the sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee (hoh-DEE-noh-SHoh-nee) Confederacy. The Six Nations consist of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora, who originally and currently live in Northeast North America and Upstate New York. 

Ganondagan State Historic Site is home to the Seneca Art & Culture Center, which features stories of Haudenosaunee contributions to art, culture and society, and the Bark Longhouse, a replica of a 1600s Seneca family’s dwelling as well colonial trades and goods. Self-guided hiking trails, including a tree tour and medicine walk, are available year-round, dawn to dusk, weather-permitting. 

Michael Oberg, Distinguished Professor of History, SUNY Geneseo, gives a presentation at Ganondagan State Historic Site.

Co-created in 1794 by the young United States and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (an alliance of Six Nations), the Canandaigua Treaty was a binding, solemn agreement that defined mutual obligations between the independent nations. It set out to affirm land rights to the Haudenosaunee and established the promise of friendship between all parties. Today the treaty is commemorated by the Haudenosaunee by paying tribute to their peace-making efforts to uphold their end of the “chain” of friendship.

On November 11, Ganondagan State Historic Site hosted a lunch, lecture and tour to honor the 229th anniversary of the Canandaigua Treaty at their Seneca Art & Culture Center in Victor, NY. The annual event signals how the relationship between the United States and Six Nations has been challenged, strained, and violated, but reveals that the treaty itself has never been broken and is still recognized by both governments.

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