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Erie Canal / Andrew P. Kitzmann and the Erie Canal Museum
(Arcadia Publishing, 2009)

Available from Arcadia Publishing's "Postcard History" series is this compilation of 200 vintage images from the Erie Canal Museum's documentary collection of New York's canal system. Arranged alphabetically by location, vintage postcards depict life and industry along the canal, including not only the Erie itself but also the lateral and feeder canals that completed the state-wide system. Representing over 130 towns and villages located adjacent to the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga/Seneca Canals, it describes the commerce, navigation, and industrial development associated with the canals.

The postcards included, along with the accompanying text, give a fascinating glimpse of life and industry along the canal, touching on the canal's social, economic and cultural heritage. It features descriptions of locks, aqueducts, and canal construction.

The author, Andrew P. Kitzmann, is a longtime resident of Syracuse, NY with a strong interest in history resulting from a lifelong career in museum work. Mr. Kitzmann is the curator of the Erie Canal Museum's collection, which contains thousands of postcards as well as fine art and archival materials.

Also available is an accompanying collection of 15 reproduction postcards.

For more information, see the Arcadia Publishing web site.

 

Bond of Union : building the Erie Canal and the American Empire / Gerard Koeppel
(Da Capo Press, 2009)

Conceived in the early 1800s and completed in 1825, the Erie Canal was the boldest and biggest American engineering project of its century, with enduring political, social, and economic effects. It was the Erie Canal that first opened up the West to American enterprise and imagination, bringing vast riches and a far-reaching vision to a rapidly expanding nation. In this compelling narrative, author Gerard Koeppel tells the complete, sweeping story of the creation of the canal, and of the memorable characters who turned a visionary plan into a successful venture. Koeppel's extensive research includes major new findings about the construction of the canal as well as its enormous impact. Bond of Union provides a unique perspective on Manifest Destiny and the beginning of America's self-perception as an empire destined to expand to the Pacific.

Gerard Koeppel is a writer, journalist, historian, and a former editor at CBS News. The author of the highly acclaimed Water for Gotham, he lives in Manhattan.

 

Camillus, Halfway There / Dr. David Beebe
(Camillus, NY : Dr. David Beebe, c2008)

This book is the author's look at the digging of "Clinton's Ditch" and the First Enlargement of the Erie Canal through modern, humorous stories and canal experiences. Contains many photos, original research and on site observations. Camillus Erie Canal Park contains one of each type of structure erected on the Clinton's Ditch and Enlarged Erie Canals. Dr. Beebe describes how they were constructed and how they function.

Dr. Beebe is President of the Camillus Canal Society.

 

The Erie Canal / illustrated by Peter Spier
(Rochester, NY : Heron's Bend Productions, 2009)

Peter Spier’s classic children’s book The Erie Canal, brings to life the people living and traveling along the Erie Canal. Bright and colorful, the book draws the reader into the illustrations set to the words of the familiar folk song, Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal or Low Bridge, Everybody Down. This book is a joy to share with pre-schoolers, elementary school students learning about the history of America and grandchildren singing the familiar folk song. Teachers use this book as a learning tool in the classroom, in teacher workshops and for ESOL students.

Also available is a collection of 8 blank note cards with envelopes, with The Four Seasons illustrations from the book.

For more information, see the Heron's Bend Productions web site.