Event Registration - Rochester Genealogical Society
October RGS Member Meeting - Pathway to Resistance: The Erie Canal and the Underground Railroad and Waters of Change: Women and the Canal
10/15/2024
6:45 PM - 9:00 PM EST


Location: Nazareth University , Otto A. Shults Community Center, Room: Forum- Located in the Shults Commu, Rochester, NY 14618





Event Description
We are fortunate to have so much history in our "backyard". These two presentations highlight history of the canal from different perspectives; the role in the Underground Railroad and it's role in the Women's Rights Movement.

Pathway of Resistance: The Erie Canal and the Underground Railroad
This constantly evolving talk examines the experience of African-Americans along the Erie Canal Corridor, with a particular focus on the struggle for abolition. While parts of this story are unpleasant, slavery, racism, and resistance are critical to understanding our society today

Waters Of Change: Women And The Canal
The Erie Canal revolutionized Upstate New York, bringing new ideas, people, and industries to the region, sparking a firestorm of change. This presentation will cover how the fight for women’s rights grew out of the changes brought about by the Erie Canal and the movement’s dependence on networks that the Canal facilitated.

The Erie Canal Museum recently welcomed Derrick Pratt, of Chittenango, New York, as its new Museum Educator.

Derrick most recently worked at Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum, where he was director of programs. In this newly created position at the Erie Canal Museum, he will identify and implement opportunities to grow education services for all audiences, and provide engaging new programs that share the history and impact of the Erie Canal with classroom students, adult learners, travelers, and everyone living in Central New York.

Derrick earned a B.A. in adolescent education with dual majors in social studies education and history from SUNY Cortland, and is pursuing an M.A. in museum studies at Syracuse University. He is a member of the New York State Canal Corporation’s Reimagine the Canals Task Force, and serves on the boards of the Greater Sullivan Area Chamber of Commerce and the Sullivan Community Council.