January 2020 - The American Canal Society

The Erie Canal Sings; A Musical History of New York’s Grand Waterway, by Dr. William (Bill) Hullfish with Dave Ruch

Paperback 224 pages Printed by Arcadia Publishing and The History Press. $21.99

All too often, any new book about the historic canals is basically a rehash of the same old, same old. After all, there are only so many ways we can learn about how Dewitt Clinton was the father of the Erie Canal. It is the rare pleasure when an author takes another road and takes a deep dive into a completely new area of study. Carol Sheriff’s “The Artificial River” is one of these books where you begin to learn something new from page number one. And so it is with “The Erie Canal Sings”. This is a totally new look at something that has been there in plain sight all along, the songs of the canallers. But be cautioned and don’t let the title mislead you. This is a book about many canals in many states, not just the Erie. Everyone will find something of home in this book.

In his introduction, Dr. Hullfish states that he has been collection and preforming these canal songs for over fifty years His prior work, The Canaller’s Songbook continues to be used by canal groups and folk musicians far and wide. It only makes sense that after singing these tunes for all these years, he has finally written a book to answer the questions; “Who wrote them, Who sang them, and What did they mean?”

Let me share my bias. I am not a musician. I can not carry a tune, nor do I particularly enjoy listening to music. I rarely pay attention on those occasions when a wandering troubadour happens to cross my path. I was really quite ready to not like this book. But I was wrong, this is a marvelous little read. It will introduce you to songs you have never heard about, and reintroduce you to old favorites. However, this is not a songbook. If you are looking for the full lyrics of these songs, go hunt up a copy of The Canaller’s Songbook. The Erie Canal Sings is a full on history book presented in a very light and easy manner. You will learn about the songs and poems that were used by the canal workers and entertainers of the canal period. This is a nice change in canal scholarship as there are so many times that we get lost in the details of canal history that we forget that at its core, it is always a history of the people. Who built the canals, who ran the boats, who worked the locks and so much more. And many of these people used these songs because they were happy, sad, afraid, or to reassure their animal teams.

Yes, of course, Bill gets into the big daddy of all canal songs. He calls it, “America’s Canal Song”. This of course is Low Bridge by Thomas Allen. This song is sung by every 4^th grade class, at every canal event, and on every canal boat ride. It is either loved or hated by canal enthusiasts, but it is inescapable. It even appears in the 1935 film “The Farmer Takes a Wife” being sung by the crew of an 1850’s canal boat, even though it wasn’t written until the beginning of the 20^th Century. Bill goes into the history of the song and it’s author, and in doing so, he tries to clear up many misconceptions. You will even learn the truth about if it was “fifteen miles” or “fifteen years” on the E-ri-e Canal. In the end, you will learn that was not a song of the 1850’s canal boatmen, but a song of nostalgia, recalling what was being lost as the old Erie disappeared and the new Barge Canal was built.

There is the obligatory history of the canal, keeping in mind that not everyone who picks up this book will be up to date on their canal history. So in order to give some context, Bill spends a short chapter on Erie Canal history, but of course, it is seen through some verse. This is nicely done. Other chapters will take you through the life of the canaller, and then into what happened as the canals began to fade away.

This is a nice light read. For those of you who can carry a tune, you will likely hum or sing your way through this musical journey as you learn some new and interesting facts. Thanks to Dr. Hullfish, who has indeed given us a refreshingly new book. I congratulate him for giving us all another way to learn about our canal history. I also thank Arcadia and The History Press for publishing it.

You can purchase The Erie Canal Sings through Amazon.

Book Review – Geography, Geology, and Genius

Geography, Geology, and Genius; How Coal and Canals Ignited the American Industrial Revolution by Martha Capwell Fox. 228 pages with numerous illustrations. Canal History and Tecnology Press, 2019 Suggested Retail Price $24.95. Available at the National Canal Museum website –https://canals.org/shop/

The Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor was established in 1988. It covers five counties in southeastern Pennsylvania and it is based around the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. Martha Capwell Fox serves as the archivist and historian for the Heritage Corridor, a position that makes her well suited to write a book that covers the history of the two valleys and surrounding region.

Martha begins by recounting how she and Tom Stonebeck rediscovered a 369-page Historic Resources Study, that was written to support the creation of the Heritage Corridor. She calls this study a “sweeping, monumental, detailed telling” of the D&L Corridor that no one read (once the Corridor had been established). One can understand that these studies are written to be read by academic professionals and perhaps political staff, not for the general public. None-the-less, if one takes the time to dive into one, they will find that these reports contain lots of valuable information. Mr. Stonebeck, then the Executive Director of the National Canal Museum, asked Martha to go through the report and perhaps make a readable book out of it that would help everyone understand the significance of the D&L Corridor. Martha has accomplished this goal and more. As a historian, she understands that at the core of all history are the people who lived, worked, and died; and without telling their stories, much of the history rings hollow. After all, what would a canal boat be without its crew? Plus, she has an additional three decades of learning and listening to help round out the history of the region, so you will benefit from those who came before her and from her own research.

The book starts in the late 1700’s, and works it way up through the 1960’s. Each chapter covers a topic and a period of time. Weaving throughout are the rivers, the canals, and the railroads, since without these means of transportation, there never would have been the development in the region. Coal also plays a large part in the story, but it is not the only part. Coal may have began the building of wealth, but once a businessman was wealthy, they often divested into other industries. So you will find sections on; cement, silk, iron and steel production, Mack trucks, zinc, Dixie Cups, the war effort, and much more.

As Martha develops the chapters, and when she wishes to present the biography of the people involved, she interweaves a separate side-bar biography. Some of these are a full one-page, while others might be a half-page. This is a nice touch, since it doesn’t clutter up the narrative by trying to fit the full lifetime biography into the story. It also allows the reader the chance just to focus on the individual.

The illustrations are remarkably clear and well presented. And there are plenty of them. In the main chapters, all are black and white or greyscale. A small chapter after the Epilogue is titled; The Corridor in Color, where a number of noteworthy images are presented in color. Thankfully, the illustrations are woven throughout the text and not segregated to a few pages in the middle of the book.

For the well informed canal enthusiast, you will learn little new here. Other works have told the story of the Lehigh and Delaware Canals. However, the focus on the river navigation and canals are covered in the first couple chapters. After that, you will find a fascinating history of the many industries that were built along the rivers and canals, and perhaps be surprised at the great variety in manufacturing. And if you know nothing of the area, this is a excellent introduction. Hopefully, all will be motivated to visit the Heritage Corridor. It is a beautiful area with lots to see and do.

Martha ends the book with a really nice epilogue of how the region has changed throughout the years, and what are the current conditions of the geology, conservation, tourism, manufacturing, education, and more. Martha met the goals laid out by Tom Stonebeck. She has taken a well researched and dense report and turned it into a even better researched and presented book. You will not be disappointed.

Book Review – Everything Worthy of Observation

Everything Worthy of Observation; The 1826 New York State Travel Journal of Alexander Stewart Scott. Edited by Paul G. Schneider Jr. Excelsior Editions, 2019. 183 pages. $23.95

The book is based upon the diary of Alexander Stewart Scott, a 21-year-old Canadian who took a three-month long tour across New York State in 1826. This book offers first person insights to what travel was like in the days of canal packets, stage coaches and steamboats. Scott began his travels in Quebec City, then traveled south by boat along Lake Champlain and Lake George. He then boarded a coach to Schenectady, where he caught a packet boat west on the new Erie canal. He would then continue to Geneva and Niagara Falls. After experiencing both the American and Canadian sides of the Niagara, he returned home by the same route. Although this is not a canal book, you do read a brief description of travel on a packet boat.

The diary was found tucked away in the archives of the New York State Library, having been purchased from a local book dealer in 1954. The diary was rediscovered in 2015 by a doctoral student and soon after, Mr. Schneider took up the daunting task task of transcribing the entire journal. The book is more then a word for word transcription. The editor has employed a light touch in cleaning up the text, filling in the holes where Mr. Scott used abbreviations or punctuation that might confuse the present day reader. But more importantly, Mr. Schneider has researched Mr. Scott and his travels. For instance, he found documents that prove Mr. Scott was a passenger on a boat when he said he was. This is important as it demonstrates that what Mr. Scott is seeing and experiencing what he is writing about. All this background research is included in the book. First, a lengthy chapter introduces Mr. Scott, his family, and the world that he was traveling through. It also documents the diary, and the process that Mr. Schneider used to transcribe and present the work. Second, there is a very long end-notes section where the editor offers greater details and offers context when needed. The only issue with this method is that the reader needs two book marks, as you will find yourself constantly flipping between Mr. Scott’s diary, and Mr. Schneider’s notes. However, the book is much richer for these notes. An Afterword gives a short biography of Mr. Scott’s life, which sadly, ends in a tragedy not of his own making.

In addition to the end-notes, the book uses 44 maps and illustrations to compliment the text. The maps are from travel guides of the period, such as The Northern Traveler, and arrows note the route that Mr. Scott likely followed. The illustrations are also mostly from the period and help you to experience what Mr. Scott was seeing.

While there are no big plot twists awaiting the reader, reading Mr. Scott’s journal will greatly benefit those who study the history of early transportation in a young America, or those who act as docents, and wish to enrich there own historical narratives.