Liberty Pole

Historical marker location:

320 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, New York

( Memorial is at the intersection of Tioga Street and Court Street, on the left when traveling north on Tioga Street.)

Marker installed: 1951

Tompkins County.

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.