"The Bandstand"

Historical marker location:

Old Yates County Courthouse Grounds, Penn Yan, New York

( Marker is on Main Street north of Clinton Street, on the left when traveling north.)

Marker installed: 1998

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.