Putnam County

Historical marker location:

Cortlandt, New York

( Marker is at the intersection of Albany Post Road (U.S. 9) and Old Peekskill Road, on the right when traveling north on Albany Post Road.)

Marker installed: 1932

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.