This presentation will discuss the history of the local section of the Erie Canal. When the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, it was an engineering marvel and was touted as the eighth wonder of the world. Thirteen miles of the canal was constructed along the southern Saratoga County border paralleling the Mohawk River in addition to sections along the Hudson in Menands and Watervliet. 

John  L. Scherer, Historian for the Town of Clifton Park will highlight the history of the local section of the Erie Canal using historical photographs and explore the existing remains and the colorful local characters who worked on the canal. He has published numerous books and articles on local history, genealogy, New York decorative arts and popular entertainment and lectures widely on those subjects. For a number of years he taught a graduate course on material culture studies at the University at Albany, New York. Scherer has served as an officer in a number of professional organizations and friends groups including the Association of Public Historians of New York State.