The D&H Canal: 19th-Century Engine of Prosperity

1315 Main Street,High Falls NY 12440

20 May, 2023

Description

Historian and curator Bill Merchant will discuss the regional and national industries fostered by the Delaware and Hudson Company (D&HCC), which operated their canal from 1828 to 1898. The first private company in America to have an initial capitalization of over one million dollars, it was one of America’s first vertically integrated companies—a coal mining company that built and operated transportation networks to get their products to market. It contributed substantially to Rosendale’s and High Fall’s prosperity and N.Y. City’s rise as the greatest center of commerce in America. Following, delve deeper into the towpath’s history during a walk along the Five Locks Canal. Bill Merchant is deputy director of the D&H Canal Museum; president of the D&H Transportation Heritage Council; secretary and head of collections at Century House Historical Society; and chair of the Marbletown Historic Preservation Commission. He is also the 2023 recipient of the Museum Association’s Awards of Distinction in Individual Achievement. Meet at D&H Canal Museum, 1315 Rte. 213, High Falls. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a beverage. Registration required. Photo by D&H Canal Historical Society