Whitehall on the Champlain Canal
Friday, July 14, 2023
Explore the birthplace of the United States Navy by land and water through this brand-new outing in celebration of the Champlain Canal’s bicentennial. Opened in 1823, the Champlain Canal helped link the Hudson River to Lake Champlain and functioned as one of the region’s early “superhighways” of social and economic change. This tour takes us to some superb historic buildings along the canal in Whitehall (formerly Skenesborough) and features a guided paddle. In the morning, visit the Skenesborough Museum which is housed in a 1917 canal terminal building and boasts a rich collection of artifacts related to Whitehall’s past. After that, experience Skene Manor, a finely crafted Gothic-Revival mansion designed and built between 1872 and 1874. In the afternoon, embark on a six-mile guided, BYOB—“bring your own boat”— paddle from Comstock’s Lock C-11 back to Whitehall to gain a deeper understanding of the Champlain Canal system and its historic and contemporary social, economic, and environmental impacts on the communities that it links.
AARCH dedicates this tour to the late Carol Greenough who was a staunch champion of Whitehall’s history and longtime director of the Skenesborough Museum.
This outing is led by Skenesborough Museum Director Robert Mowatt III, our friends from Skene Manor, and National Park Service Historian with the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), Duncan Hay. This tour runs from 10 AM to 4 PM.
The fee is $55 for AARCH members and $65 non-members. Lunch provided by Skene Manor is included.
Please note that you must bring your OWN KAYAK OR CANOE. Our route consists of six miles of paddling on relatively calm waters. Kayak rentals are available for an additional fee. Please specify rental needs on your tour request form.