From the Archives: Albany Academy and the Erie Canal Bicentennial

As the Seneca Chief cruises into Albany on Sunday, October 19, 2025 to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Erie Canal, the Albany Academy community extends a hearty congratulations on this milestone anniversary.

As an institution that celebrated our own bicentennial just over a decade ago, Albany Academy has long shared a connection with the history of innovation and progress that defines New York State. Since our founding in 1813–1814, Academy students have studied and shaped the world around them. In 1825, John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn—future congressman, Chancellor of the University of the State of New York, and the attorney who helped create the New York Central Railroad—surveyed Albany’s Lock One of the Erie Canal as part of his studies at The Albany Academy. Around the same time, Elizabeth Mary Herring studied Astronomy and Natural Philosophy, reflecting the pioneering instruction in math and science for young women that was already the norm at Albany Female Academy.

The Erie Canal’s enduring legacy of innovation and progress continues to inspire our students today, just as it did 200 years ago, as they learn to engage deeply with their community and make their own mark as the next generation of leaders.