St. Margaret's

Historical marker location:

7260 South Broadway, Red Hook, New York

( Marker is on South Broadway (U.S. 9) north of Hannaford Drive (Rokeby Road), on the right when traveling north.)

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.