About the Lecture:
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples- immigrants, women, children and people of color- to construct and operate its Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian Bill Merchant has done extensive research on these workers. In this presentation, full of great period images, he tells some of their stories.
About the Speaker, Bill Merchant:
Bill Merchant is the Deputy Director for Collections, Historian and Curator of the D&H Canal Historical Society, President of the D&H Transportation Heritage Council, and Secretary and Chair of Collections at the Century House Historical Society. He is on the Ulster County Commission to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. He recently led the field survey for the current update to the D&H Canal’s National Historic Register listing and is the main contributing historian for its narrative history and inventory of extant features. In 2023, the Museum Association of New York awarded him their Individual Achievement Award for his work at the D&H Canal Museum.
Learn More about the D&H Canal Historical Society Here: https://www.canalmuseum.org/