OSWEGO, NY – The H. Lee White Museum and Maritime Center’s 2013 History Lecture Series features Daniel Ward, curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, who will be presenting “Folklore of New York Inland Waterways” on June 22 at 1:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public.
Most everyone enjoys a good story and Ward will be relaying interesting tales highlighting the Erie Canal.
One such humorous tale focuses on the Day Peckinpaugh, built in 1921, who was a frequent visitor to Oswego.
This commercial vessel carried dry cement from Oswego to Rome and was retired from service in 1994.
Another true story Ward will share will be about a real whale that was towed by barges along the Barge Canal System finally winding up in Oswego.
The Marine Museum offers an array of books in its gift shop, including a children’s book “There’s a Whale in the Canal” by Ron Mazzarella along with other books focused on the canal and storytelling themes.
Ward has collaborated before with the HLWMMC on a video documentary about the museum’s canal boat NYS Derrick Boat 8.
He has also worked with a number of other organizations to document contemporary culture along the inland Waterways in New York State.
“History told directly by the person who experienced it has a certain edge that is often missing from the historian’s narrative,” Ward said.
The collection of documentations will ultimately result in a film that examines the cultural impact of the economic boom and bust cycles in canal side communities, throughout the Erie Canal’s two centuries of operation.
Ward will also feature excerpts from the museum’s oral history project as part of his lecture.
“The H. Lee White Museum looks forward to a continued partnership with the Erie Canal Museum as we have successfully done so on projects in the past,” said Mercedes Niess, executive director of the HLWMMC.
Additional information and interesting tidbits about the Erie Canal will be on display for your perusal prior to and after the lecture.
The H. Lee White Museum and Maritime Center is located at the end of the West First Street Pier, in Oswego’s historic maritime district.
For more information about the program, or other museum activities, contact the H. Lee White Marine Museum at (315) 342-0480, or at [email protected]
Also, visit hleewhitemarinemuseum.com, facebook.com/hlwmm and facebook.com/oswegolh
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