News Release

Women’s Rights National Historical Park to Host Erie Canal Bicentennial Exhibit

New York State Museum

News Release Date: June 10, 2025

Contact: Shannon Walsh, [phone]

Women’s Rights National Historical Park will host a special temporary exhibit to commemorate the Erie Canal Bicentennial beginning Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Entitled “Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal,” the exhibit focuses on the evolution of the Erie Canal and its role in the development of Central and Western New York. This exhibit is supported by the Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park. 

The exhibit is created by the New York State Museum and offered for display to cultural organizations and museums throughout the state. Through the generous support of the Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the park was able to acquire the eight exhibit panels for display in the park visitor center. "We are honored to host a New York State Museum exhibit highlighting the revolutionary history of the Erie Canal in celebration of its bicentennial,” says Superintendent Ahna Wilson. "The Erie Canal played a pivotal role in the transportation of people and ideas across Central New York, laying the groundwork for movements such as abolition, women’s suffrage, mental health reform, and temperance. The canal was a fundamental element in the history of our nation." 

The park’s annual Convention Days event theme, Ripples of Reform, is also rooted in the history of the Erie Canal.  This year’s event will commemorate the ways in which the Erie Canal and its waterways played host to social movements that changed the course of American history. From July 18-20, the park will host family programming, living history presentations, ranger programs, and guest speakers for the 177th Anniversary of the first Women’s Rights Convention.  

The exhibit will be on display beginning June 10, through the end of October. The visitor center and all exhibits are free and open to the public daily.  

This exhibit is made possible by the Friends of Women’s Rights National Historical Park, the New York State Museum, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. 

For more information about Women’s Rights National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/wori.