On Wednesday, October 8th, fourth graders from the Camden Central School District took a field trip like no other - one unique to our backyard, and one that was two centuries in the making. Classes from both of the District's elementary buildings made their way to Rome’s Bellamy Harbor Park to participate in Rome’s Erie Canal Bicentennial Celebration.
At the center of the exhibition was a period-correct replica of a canal boat called the
Seneca Chief. The aforementioned historical vessel was among the first to sail the canal upon its opening in 1825, and in replica, it is sailing once again in 2025 with the help of the Buffalo Maritime Center. The boat is making stops along the canal to educate community members in celebration of 200 years of “Clinton’s Ditch”, as it was commonly referred to by the project’s detractors at the time.
The Canal was built to help ship products from the Hudson River, which flows through New York City and Albany, to Buffalo and the Great Lakes, and accelerate the speed at which the nation’s fledgling economy could grow.
What made the observance in Rome particularly poignant was that the Copper City was actually where work began. As the students learned on-site, Rome was selected because of its central location and level ground to begin work. From this point, over 350 miles was dug and infrastructure was built alongside to create one of the globe’s most prominent shipping routes.
As the Seneca Chief made its way to docking position, the floating museum received a warm welcome from the students.
The program included remarks by Rome mayor Michael Lanigan, along with the presentation of a white pine tree to be planted in Bellamy Harbor Park. A white pine tree, known in the Haudenosaunee culture as a symbol of peace, or “The Tree of Peace”, is being planted at each of the 28 stops on the boat’s tour in recognition of the Canal project’s profound impact on the Haudenosaunee people and their ancestral lands, on which the Canal was constructed. The tree additionally served as a nod toward sustainability. As part of a final gesture of unity and peace across the state, canal water is being collected at each stop en route to the trip’s final destination: Manhattan.
The event made for a natural fit for fourth grade students, who spend the year learning about New York State History in their social studies curriculum. And according to McConnellsville fourth grade teacher Carrie Hollis, it was also a neat opportunity to stand in the midst of history, if only for a short while.
“It was a memorable way for our Fourth Graders to experience history, and be a part of history-in-the-making,” she said. 
