Erie Canal

The Erie Canal played a key role in transforming the economic future of Western New York. The 363-mile canal system took eight years to complete and connected Buffalo on the eastern shore of Lake Erie to Albany and the Hudson River. Ultimately, this new water highway provided an easier method for transporting goods and people to and from the port in New York City and the settlements in the developing frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

The Erie Canal helped turn the already growing town of Palmyra, New York, into an industrious, well-connected canal town. The growing industrial community of Palmyra included a furniture business, two tanneries, a brick yard, sawmill, ashery, and a successful distilling operation. After the canal opened in 1825, the connection between Palmyra and the rest of the region led to the development of a thriving printing industry in the region making E.B. Grandin’s young printshop the ideal place for the printing and distribution of the Book of Mormon.

Today the canal features a walking and biking path, which passes through the Pal-Mac Aqueduct County Park, which is less than a mile from the Grandin Printshop. Public parking is also available, and the path offers a nice view of the backside of Palymyra’s historic buildings.