On Monday, April 16, the “Two Hundred Years on the Erie Canal” exhibit arrived at Houghton University. The exhibit, currently displayed in the Willard J. Houghton Library, celebrates the bicentennial anniversary of the groundbreaking of the Erie Canal.

The exhibit features information about the history and influence of the Erie Canal, including details about the building of the canal and its impact on culture. It will be available for viewing during normal library hours until Friday, May 4.

The Erie Canal was revolutionary in its ability to create a transportation system allowing trade to flourish and settlers to move further west, from the eastern side of New York to the western side. Originally connecting from where Albany and the Hudson River meet to where Buffalo meets Lake Erie, the canal system is more than 350 miles long.

“I’m very glad that Houghton Library is able to make this exhibit available to the college and community,” says David Stevick, director of libraries and information resources at the college. “New York has such rich history, and the canals, including the Erie and the local Genesee Valley Canals, are such storied elements of that history.”

The Empire State Library Network (ESLN), which consists of libraries from throughout the state, partnered with the Digital Public Library of America to produce the exhibit. ESLN seeks to improve library services, cooperation, and resource sharing among New York libraries.