Program

Historic Transportation Canals

Subject

Transportation

Location

4952 Canal St, Leicester, NY 14481, USA

Lat/Long

42.777166, -77.870081

Grant Recipient

Town of Leicester

While the Genesee Valley Canal is not well known outside of the region, it played a vital role in the economic development of the United States in the mid to late 19th century. It provided access between the Erie Canal near Rochester, NY and the Allegheny River near Olean, NY. The Allegheny River connects to the Ohio River, which meets the Mississippi, and eventually empties into the Gulf of Mexico; however, branch canal construction never reached that far south.

The Genesee Valley Canal opened between Rochester and Mount Morris, NY in September 1840, providing a more efficient alternative to the Genesee River and served as an important link between major transportation routes for moving goods and people. Along this route, the hamlet of Cuylerville developed into a canal community where local products such as timber, apples, and wheat were stored in warehouses and shipped to larger markets. By 1848, freight packet boats, the Caroline and the Frances, operated daily lines on the canal, traveling between Mount Morris and Rochester with stops at Cuylerville. One notable guest who is believed to have stayed in the area is William H. Seward, who later served as Secretary of State in both the Lincoln and Johnson administrations. His visit to Cuylerville and the National Hotel there is reported to have occurred in 1844, shortly after his second term as Governor of New York State.

In 1877, New York State passed a law mandating the closure of the canal by September 30, 1878. Following the sale of the land encompassing the canal, canal structures, and water rights in 1881, the Pennsylvania Railroad operated a branch line along this route until February 26, 1963. Although many sections of the former canal were abandoned or repurposed for the railroad, parts of it are still visible today as the Genesee Valley Greenway.