06/23/2026
Make your way to Canalside this Saturday to welcome home the Erie Canal Boat: Seneca Chief!
While we work our way west toward our last few stops of the Back to Buffalo Voyage this week (Rochester, Holley, Medina, the Tonawandas), we're getting VERY excited for the Homecoming Event in Buffalo! See details below - we sure hope you can join us!
The Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief will depart Gateway Park in North Tonawanda (99 Sweeney Street) at 9:15 a.m.
Led on the water by the E. M. Cotter Fireboat and welcomed dockside by bagpiper Henry Schmitt, the boat is expected to arrive at the Commercial Slip at Canalside (44 Prime Street) at approximately 12 noon.
Folk duo Sally Schaefer and Tyler Bagwell will perform Erie Canal music as the canal boat docks where its remarkable journey first began.
An official Welcome Home Ceremony begins at 1 p.m., emceed by Buffalo Maritime Center Executive Director Brian Trzeciak and featuring remarks from Buffalo Maritime Center, M&T Bank Charitable Foundation, New York State Canal Corporation, the City of Buffalo, and Indigenous Scholar Melissa Parker Leonard.
The ceremony will end with the final Gathering of the Waters, a tradition first introduced during the 2025 Bicentennial Voyage, when communities were invited to contribute water from their part of the Erie Canal or the Hudson River to a barrel carried aboard the Seneca Chief.
From 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., the public will have the opportunity to explore the boat's newly completed interior and educational exhibits for the first time!
Beginning June 28 and continuing through September 27, visitors can step aboard the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to explore the floating museum and learn about the boat's history, construction, and the people and communities connected to the Erie Canal.
