Bent’s is an anchor building in the Village of Medina’s Main Street Historic District. By 2010, the performance space had not been used for decades and the building was fully vacant and in imminent danger of collapsing. In 2016, local developer Roger Hungerford’s Talis Equity purchased the property from the nonprofit Orleans Renaissance Group Inc. Hungerford, who had grown up in Medina, had a vision to give Bent's new life.
Read MoreThis panel used the iconic Erie Canal as a starting point for a conversation about how organizations can be better about sharing complicated histories, touching on issues related to environmental justice, urban renewal, disinvestment, segregation, and displacement. There is no single narrative about any history or historic place — the realities are often complicated, messy, and worth spending time thinking critically about. History is constantly being written and rewritten and we are all active participants in that process. The panelists also talked about implementation, how we take steps to truly tell a more complete story through our preservation work.
Read MoreThank you to all who signed Tug URGER's 120th birthday card earlier this summer. Perhaps URGER's best birthday present is that this week (September 20-24) Tug URGER is moving from her prior perch at the Waterford dry dock to the NYS Canal Corporation's Lysander Maintenance Shops in Onondaga County.
Read More“Follow the Chuck” for river views, urban scenery, scenic vistas, and more in the canalside community of Amsterdam, NY.
Read MoreThis month marks the 120th anniversary of the Tug Urger's launching. Help us celebrate the Urger by adding your best wishes for her return to the water.
Read MoreAlong with millions of New Yorkers and visitors from all over the world, we are excited to celebrate our historic New York State Canal System opening on May 21, 2021. Like it has throughout its nearly 200-year history, the opening of New York’s canals ushers in a new season of recreational and commercial activities with social and economic benefits that flow far and wide.
Read MoreGuest blogger Chad Rogers biked the length of the Erie Canalway trail in the summer of 2019. Here he shares his experience, including gaining a deeper appreciation for his new home in upstate New York.
Read MoreGuest blogger Paul Comstock shares his experience paddling the length of the Erie Canal and becoming an “End-to-Ender”.
Read MoreOne way to really experience all that the canal means for New York is to get out and explore it — on foot, by bike, by boat, or kayak. The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor sponsors the Canalway Challenge to encourage people to do just that.
Read MoreThis month, we’ve been taking some time to shine an extra light on our 2020-21 Seven to Save site the NYS Barge Canal System. As part of that effort, we asked our colleague Craig Williams to write a guest blog post for us to give us an update on one of our 2018-19 Seven to Save sites — the Schoharie Creek Aqueduct.
Read MoreErin Tobin took a bike ride out to Rotterdam Junction and admired several iterations of the historic Erie Canal along the way.
Read MoreA Q&A with Lyons Town Historian Linda Guest and Director of Lyons Main Street Program/Lyons Chamber of Commerce Joan Delaro.
Read MoreA few favorite places and activities along the NYS Canal System from League staffers.
Read MoreWe’ll be spending June celebrating the National Historic Landmark NYS Canal System
Read MoreThe Times Union took notice of our campaign to #SavetheUrger and the backlash the state is facing.
Read MoreThe future of New York's historic canal fleet is uncertain. We need your support to protect the Urger and the other historic Erie Canal vessels that provide an authentic link to our past!
Read MoreThrough more than $600,000 in grants, technical services, workshops, awards and our Industrial Heritage Reuse Project, the Preservation League has helped individuals, nonprofits and municipalities revitalize their canalside assets.
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