Don’t tell Myron Holley that. Our village’s namesake was a true gentleman, a mover, and a shaker. What’s more, Mr. Holley was destined to change the world around him. Born in Salisbury CT, he was a lawyer, a bookstore owner, and his county’s representative to the State Assembly. Soon after, he met DeWitt Clinton and the rest they say… is history. He became a vigorous advocate of the Erie Canal. In fact, when canal work stalled in 1819, it was Holley who wrote a convincing report pointing out the wonders that newly invented mechanical devices were doing in aiding canal construction to a foot-dragging legislature. Shortly after this success, he was noticed amongst his peers and was appointed a canal commissioner, serving with Joseph Ellicot, Samuel Young, and Stephen Van Rensselear. From that moment on the trio became key figures in the construction of the Erie Canal. As work proceeded on the canal, it was up to Myron Holley and Samuel Young to supervise and pay the dozens of contractors and hundreds of workers engaged in digging the 363 mile artificial river — with the Erie Canal becoming the longest canal ever to be built. Holley was in charge of canal construction west of the Seneca River for 158 miles to Buffalo. It was in fact Holley who made certain the canal went through Rochester. We therefore owe the route of the Erie Canal along with all the commerce and growth in and around Rochester to Myron Holley. The canal’s northern route, bypassing Canandaigua and Batavia, was essential. It enabled the builders to take advantage of a continuous water supply provided by the creeks and steams coursing through that area.
Want to know more about Myron Holley? Check out Myron Holley’s Days in Rochester.
Visions of Holley 