For centuries, waterways have connected people, industries, and communities throughout the Finger Lakes. Those connections are defined and celebrated in the newest exhibit, “Finger Lakes Water Ways: The People, Boats, and Maritime Systems that Shaped the Region, at the Finger Lakes Boating Museum in Hammondsport.
While the Erie Canal is often celebrated as New York’s defining transportation story, “Finger Lakes Water Ways” highlights the equally important north-south connections that linked Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, and other Finger Lakes to broader commercial networks. The exhibit, in the Museum’s main building, is designed to be visually engaging, colorful, interactive, and informative.
Visitors are welcomed into the gallery by a striking mural created by local artist Brian Buckley. Bursting with color and movement, the artwork serves as a visual introduction to the exhibit’s central theme: Waterways are more than geographic features—they are living connections between people, places, and stories.
Those connections go back centuries. Long before canals, railroads, and commercial shipping, the waterways of the Finger Lakes were vital routes for indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. The Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and later Tuscarora nations developed sophisticated networks of travel, trade, diplomacy, and stewardship that shaped the region for centuries. Their enduring relationship with these waters remains an essential part of the Finger Lakes story.
Throughout the exhibit, guests encounter an impressive collection of artifacts that help bring the stories to life. Among the highlights is a rare rudder from a steering sweep on a Finger Lakes ark, a remarkable surviving piece from the vessels that once transported agricultural products and goods throughout the region. Also on display is a rudder post recovered from an underwater wreck, providing a tangible connection to the vessels that now rest beneath the lakes’ surfaces.
“One of the most fascinating themes that emerged during the development of the exhibit was the surprising survival of many of its featured artifacts,” said Nicole Katsur, Boatworks & Collections Manager. “Time and again, museum staff and volunteers discovered that objects survived not because they were intentionally preserved, but because they were repurposed. Boat components became tools for the home, found second lives used on shore, or were made through the reuse of other once discarded objects. Through reuse and adaptation, these pieces escaped disposal and remained hidden for generations until their stories could be rediscovered.”
A wide variety of models help visitors visualize the boats and maritime systems that once operated throughout the Finger Lakes. From working craft and commercial vessels to detailed underwater wreck reconstructions, these models provide a unique opportunity to understand both the scale and complexity of the region’s transportation network.
The exhibit is funded in part by the State of New York and the National Maritime Heritage Grants Program, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
The Finger Lakes Boating Museum, located at 8231 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for major holidays.
For more information about all FLBM activities, visit flbm.org, Facebook page “Finger Lakes Boating Museum,” or contact the museum directly at info@flbm.org or 607-569-2222.
