New exhibit highlights women’s roles on the Erie Canal

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the North Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) has set up a special exhibition labeled Hidden Perspectives: Women’s Lives on the Erie Canal.

The exhibit allows visitors to walk through the story of the women whose lives were impacted by the Erie Canal and all of the different jobs they took on; from working on it, to traveling, or having their own political awakenings because of it. This special Erie Canal exhibit is based on a collection of images that are owned by the Erie Canal Museum as well as canal writings. 

The Erie Canal was completed in 1825, and it dramatically reshaped transportation, trade, and settlement patterns all across New York State. While many historical accounts focus on the engineers, laborers, and politicians who built the canal, the experiences of women connected to it are not as frequently told.

This exhibit seeks to change that narrative by providing a space dedicated to highlighting the diverse roles women played in canal life and the ways the canal shaped their lives. 

Photo by Sophie Goldstein

The exhibit focused on a wide range of topics, including the suffrage movement in Upstate New York.

Presenting this exhibit under the title “Hidden Perspectives,” the exhibit brings ideas and views into the spotlight that have been hidden. It honors the resilience, creativity and influence of women whose lives will always be connected to the Erie Canal. 

“What’s really fun about this particular exhibit is it has many pieces of information we learn here in upstate New York as kids,” said Jackie Hoyt, a Western New York native and adult services coordinator for the NOPL. “There’s photos and blurbs we have up here that I’ve never seen before.”

Through personal accounts and historical imagery, the exhibit illustrates how canal life shaped women’s identities and ambitions. Some women were entrepreneurs who found economic opportunities by serving canal traffic. Others were travelers who experienced the wider world for the first time while journeying on canal boats.

Still, others became involved in reform movements, finding their voices in the changing social climate that grew along the canal’s banks.

“To observe a different part of history from this perspective is very cool, and also extremely important for us as humans to see,” Hoyt said.  

The exhibit offers a chance for visitors to reflect on how canal infrastructure and industry affected communities beyond economic impacts.

By highlighting women’s stories, this exhibit offers a richer and more complete understanding of the canal’s history. One that appreciates and acknowledges family life, community networks, and the gradual emergence of women as public voices in American society. 

Hidden Perspectives reminds visitors that history is shaped not only by major events and famous figures, but also by the everyday lives and experiences of simple, ordinary people. 

The “Hidden Perspectives: Women’s Lives on the Erie Canal” temporary exhibit is just one of the many different events and exhibits that the NOPL regularly hosts. Learn more about future exhibits and events at nopl.org. “Hidden Perspectives” runs through the end of March.