"The Meeting of the Waters of the Hudson and Erie"
On October 26. 1825, Governor DeWitt Clinton left Buffalo to travel the length of the Erie Canal and the Hudson River on a packet boat called the Seneca Chief. This voyage officially opened the Erie Canal.
On November 4th, 1825, in a ceremony called "The Wedding of the Waters" the Governor poured a keg of Lake Erie water into New York's bay.
For this occasion, Samuel Woodworth had written a song called "The Meeting of the Waters of the Hudson and Erie." The song used the melody of a popular Irish tune by Thomas Moore,and was performed that day by a Mr. Keene.
Erie Canal Ballad
This song came from the 19th century, and uses the tune of Stephen Foster's "Old Black Joe."
The "Free lunch destroyer" reference is the song is about how taverns and saloons used to offer free lunches to people who were buying beer. Bouncers were hired to kick people out who were only eating the food and not spending money on drinks.
The beautiful setting where I filmed this is outside of Macedon, NY, along the Erie Canalway Trail in August 2025.
"Snakes on the Erie Canal"
This song was written by Scott. It won second place in the Erie Canal Song Contest held by the Erie Canal Discovery Center in Lockport, NY.
Thanks to conimarie for posting the video.