Ponkiesberg Fortification

Historical marker location:

130 Court Street, Brooklyn, New York

( Marker is at the intersection of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Court Street.)

Marker installed: 1926

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.