Rutherford Place

Historical marker location:

305 Second Avenue, New York, New York

( Marker is at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and East 18th Avenue, on the right when traveling south on 2nd Avenue.)

305 Second Avenue.

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.