The Albert Cook Memorial

Historical marker location:

Seneca Falls, New York

( Marker is at the intersection of Cayuga Street (U.S. 20) and South Park Street, on the right when traveling south on Cayuga Street.)

Marker installed: 1866

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.