Canalside

Seneca Chief

The Buffalo Maritime Center constructed a traditionally-built, full-sized replica of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief that opened the Erie Canal in 1825. From its inception, the Erie Canal Boat Project was intended to engage the community on a variety of levels, from direct hands-on experiences to the research and exploration of history. This was a community boatbuilding project that was made possible with the help of hundreds of volunteers and took place in the Longshed at Canalside.

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Timeline of Events

  • Inauguration of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief: May 25, 2024 | 11AM | Commercial Slip at Canalside
  • Bicentennial Voyage Departure: September 24, 2025 | Details TBD!

In 2025, the Seneca Chief will depart on the voyage from Buffalo to New York Harbor to commemorate the Bicentennial of Gov. DeWitt Clinton’s 1825 Inaugural Voyage. The Erie Canal Boat is central to the story of the Erie Canal and the history of our state. Buffalo Maritime Center aims to tell that story in a rich and inclusive way, opening up the conversation about history and community. The BMC will invite communities and organizations along the Erie Canal and the Hudson River to educate their communities and to learn about the Erie Canal’s past, its present, and to create a shared vision of its future. The Seneca Chief will remain as an educational exhibit that considers the ecological, cultural, and economical impacts that the Erie Canal had on our country. Interested in being a partner with the BMC for the 2025 Bicentennial Voyage of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief? Click here.

For more information about the Erie Canal Boat Project, visit https://buffalomaritimecenter.org/erie-canal-boat-seneca-chief/

The "Longshed" at Canalside's Central Wharf Presented by MP Caroll Hardwood is a two-story, gabled-roof wood structure reflecting the Central Wharf site's history by incorporating elements from the Joy and Webster Storehouse located on the site in the early 1800s. The approximately 4,400-square-foot Longshed Presented by MP Caroll Hardwood includes a main floor that stretches the length of the building, a smaller mezzanine level, public bathrooms, roll-up entry doors, and an exterior porch that overlooks the Canalside Great Lawn.

For more information about MP Caroll Hardwood visit: https://www.mpcaroll.com/