A handcrafted replica of the Seneca Chief — the boat that led the Erie Canal’s first voyage 200 years ago — will dock in three Wayne County villages this fall as part of a 500-mile commemorative journey across New York.
Built by more than 200 volunteers at the Buffalo Maritime Center, the full-scale replica will visit Newark, Lyons, and Clyde between Sept. 30 and Oct. 2. It’s part of a 33-day “Bicentennial Voyage” retracing the canal’s original 1825 route from Buffalo to New York City.
In each town, the boat will transform into a floating museum, with historical displays, live music, wagon tours, and family-friendly activities. Visitors can step aboard to explore cabins, artifacts, and interactive exhibits that reflect the cultural and economic impact of the canal — including its effects on Indigenous communities like the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
The local stops include:
- Newark – Sept. 30, 3 to 7 p.m. at the Port of Newark with live music from Corey Comer.
- Lyons – Oct. 1, starting at 1 p.m. with a mule-led procession along the towpath, followed by music, food, museum tours, and horse-drawn wagon rides from 3 to 7 p.m.
- Clyde – Oct. 2 at Lauraville Landing, with similar festivities.
At each site, organizers will plant an Eastern White Pine tree — a Haudenosaunee symbol of peace — and collect local canal water to carry aboard the vessel. That water will later nourish the final tree planted in New York City, symbolically linking the entire route.
“This voyage is about more than just retracing history — it’s about reexamining it,” said Buffalo Maritime Center Executive Director Brian Trzeciak.
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