James S. Hare

Historical marker location:

9 Norton Road, Red Hook, New York

( Marker can be reached from Norton Road near Stone Church Road, on the right when traveling north.)

Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome.

The Erie Canal, which opened in 1825 and connects the Hudson River to the Great Lakes, was originally mocked as "Clinton's Folly" after Governor DeWitt Clinton, who championed the project. However, the canal became an economic boon for New York and helped turn the state into a major commercial center.