Niagara County Courthouse

Historical marker location:

175 Hawley Street, Lockport, New York

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

Marker installed: 2014

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.