Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As part of the celebration to commemorate the Erie Canal Bicentennial, the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) announced the opening of an engaging new visitor experience at Canalside called "Waterway of Change: Complex Legacies of the Erie Canal."
Located inside the Longshed building along Canalside, the 2,900-square-foot exhibit invites guests of all ages and abilities to explore Buffalo’s canal legacy through an inclusive and engaging lens.
"The canal is a national treasure from Albany to right here, where we're standing," said Joan Kesner, chair of ECHDC during Friday's ceremony. "It was the longest artificial waterway, and the greatest public works project in North America. The story of the canal will come to life for you as you move through these exhibits. Stories of sacrifice and celebration, commerce and development, ingenuity and hard work."
Waterway of Change brings the canal’s layered history to life with short films, interactive touch screens, immersive audio, and historic artifacts. Complementing the indoor experience, a series of outdoor interpretive displays along the historic towpaths will offer visitors a deeper connection to this transformative chapter in New York’s story.
The exhibit traces Canalside’s history, beginning with its significance as the ancestral land of the Haudenosaunee and acknowledging the impacts of their displacement. Visitors will also experience how the area transformed from a rural village at the time the Erie Canal opened in 1825 to a bustling 19th-century port and shipping hub.
It also highlights the diverse perspectives of Indigenous Peoples, Black individuals, women, and immigrant communities affected by the canal’s development, offering a richer understanding of its cultural and historical significance.
"I've lived a stone's throw from the Erie Canal most of my life. I still remember traipsing around Gasport in fourth grade, learning about our local history. That experience didn't just teach me history, it invited me to practice it. It planted something in me that has shaped my path, and that's the kind of door we hope 'Waterway of Change' will open for others," said executive director of the Buffalo History Museum, Melissa Brown. "A threshold into understanding, into complexity, into seeing history as not something just to learn, but something to live. Thanks to this collaboration, generations of teachers, students and visitors will now be invited to step through that door and into a richer, more connected understanding of this place. A place we all hold so dear."
The staff at the Buffalo History Museum will serve as docents at the exhibit throughout its time at Canalside.
"The Erie Canal helped shape Buffalo, and it turned Buffalo from a small village into a hub of innovation, trade and opportunity, leading to us being one of the largest cities in the entire country. This exhibit tells that story in a very powerful, but more importantly, in an honest way," said Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon on Friday. "It highlights both the progress it brought, but also the complex legacies that it left behind. I'm proud that the 'Waterway of Change' exhibit reflects the diverse voices, especially those who are far too often left out of these stories."
"New York City wouldn't be New York City if it wasn't for Erie Canal. Chicago wouldn't be Chicago if it wasn't for the Erie Canal. The Northwest wouldn't be what it was if it wasn't for the Erie Canal. And it's often credited as transforming places, but really, that transformation started with us in Buffalo," added State Assemblyman Jon Rivera, who serves as the subcommittee chair on regional tourism for the State Assembly. "From a quiet village in 1825 to a thriving commercial port, the canal's impact was immediate and profound to the people who lived here, and were going to call Buffalo home. That history lives in our architecture and in our neighborhoods, and in the spirit of our people. And now it lives in this remarkable exhibit"
"Waterway of Change" will be open Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, 12 p.m.-to-5 p.m. and Thursdays through Saturdays, 12 p.m.-to-8 p.m. Free, timed-admission ticketing is available here.
For the latest information, including Canalside programming dates and times, shuttle route and other information regarding the Erie Canal Bicentennial, visit the ErieCanalTurns200.com.
