Second Baptist Church

Historical marker location:

36 Vassar Street, Poughkeepsie, New York

( Marker is at the intersection of Vassar Street and Mill Street, on the left when traveling north on Vassar Street.)

Marker installed: 1996

July 19, 1946 - July 21, 1996.

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.