From 2000 to 2018, maritime historian Art Cohn served as Director of the Lois McClure Project, overseeing the travels of this replica canal schooner on a journey spanning over 10,000 miles and welcoming more than 300,000 visitors across 300 communities in the U.S. and Canada. Art will share stories from these voyages and explore how replica boats like the Lois McClure can uniquely connect people to maritime history.

As the Lois McClure prepares to join the Canal Society of New York at the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park in Port Byron, the Buffalo Maritime Center embarks on its own journey with the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief, continuing the tradition of bringing canal history to life for communities across New York State.

This event is presented by the Buffalo Maritime Center.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) is presenting the 2025 Erie Canal Bicentennial Commemoration at Canalside in Buffalo, NY from Memorial Day through September. The EC200 Speaker Series will take place in the Buffalo Naval Park’s Hangar Building on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

Speakers will include subject matter experts regarding Buffalo’s Erie Canal heritage and those who were key in helping develop the Waterway of Change: Complex Legacies of the Erie Canal exhibit in the Longshed Building.