Old Field

Historical marker location:

55 Broadway, Greenlawn, New York

( Marker is on Broadway (County Route 86) 0.2 miles north of Smith Street, on the right when traveling south.)

Marker installed: 1976

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.