Buffalo Maritime Center

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Buffalo Maritime Center

Building Boats I Building Community

05/22/2026

It’s National Maritime Day! This day and everyday we celebrate our handmade wooden boats built right here in Buffalo. Many of our boats are docked at Canalside all summer long for the public to enjoy out on the water or even just from the dock. Like this group out on a tour looking at the replica 1812 USS Trippe.

We are getting ready to host our on the water experiences this summer and hope you join us there!

To help us continue in the work that we do please consider donating towards our spring appeal happening right now. For more information about supporting us please visit our website, linked in our bio.

05/18/2026

LET'S GO SABRES!

St. Thomas Elementary visited the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief today in Waterford, NY.

Thanks for a great day and for playing along while we cheer on our favorite team!

Stay tuned for the start of the Back to Buffalo Voyage that starts June 6 and meet us along the way!

05/15/2026

Kicking off the Back to Buffalo Tour at the Waterford Canal Festival this weekend! Stop by and say hello!

05/09/2026

The Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief made it on jeopardy!!!

04/02/2026

Lots of progress was made last week as all the ribs were steam bent! The cedar ribs were soaked in water for days allowing the heat to deeply travel into the wood when the ribs were steamed. The heat makes the lignin in the wood flexible. We bended the ribs in pairs because the pieces support each other. Pre bending with a knee before placing in the boat to follow the shape of the bark. When we were happy with the shape we clamped them to the gunwales. Once cool and dry, the lignin in the wood is set and the ribs will hold that shape.

03/19/2026

Welcome to part 3 of our birch bark canoe building series! This video shows how we bent the ends of the gunnels of our canoe. We used steam and horizontal cuts to make the wood pieces flexible. They were easily formed to meet the stems at the bow and stern of the canoe. We used portable steamers and plastic tubing, then hand bent to match at both ends. Clamps held the bends initially, and then we wrapped with twine to hold the shape as it cooled. The cover photo for this series shows the end result!

This is a preview to part 4 where we will be steam bending the ribs of the canoe.

02/25/2026

Birch bark canoe building series part 2!

In this video Eddie finishes his work of stitching together a part of the canoe by using the root he prepped in part 1. This is a sped up visual of stitching the birch bark together. The actual time it took to complete this stitching was about 10 minutes.

Next week we will see how the gunnels are steam bent to form the shape of the bow and stern.

02/19/2026

Welcome to part 1 of our new birch bark canoe building series! We will be posting weekly videos of our birch bark canoe being built. This boat project is headed by Eddie, our Exhibits & Collections Manager. You may remember seeing this canoe inside the Erie Canal Boat “Seneca Chief” while visiting us during the Bicentennial Voyage.

In this video we find Eddie prepping a piece of spruce root to stitch together a part of the canoe. Next week we will see how the spruce root is stitched through the birch bark.

02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day from the BMC!

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01/23/2026

Day 33: October 26, 2025
NYC

The last day of the Bicentennial Voyage of the Erie Canal Boat 'Seneca Chief.' The 200th anniversary to date of Governor DeWitt Clinton's departure event from Buffalo in 1825. The final Gathering of the Waters Ceremony complete with the planting and watering of the last Eastern White Pine.

Melissa Parker Leonard and her family planted and watered the last tree at Pier 25 in Hudson River Park and shared the following beautiful words:

"May the waters we have gathered and the trees we have planted remind us that remembrance and responsibility must always flow together, and from that truth, we can create peace and prosperity.”
-Melissa Parker Leonard, Oct. 26, 2025

Post your favorites from Days 33! Please include favorite moments and memories too!

Address

90 Arthur Street
Buffalo, NY
14207

Website

https://buffalomaritimecenter.org/, https://linktr.ee/BuffaloMaritimeCenter

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