ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A floating museum stopped in Rochester on Wednesday.

The “Seneca Chief” is a replica of the first boat to travel the length of the Erie Canal, nearly 200 years ago. It is set to make that same trip in May 2025 to celebrate the canal’s bicentennial.

Exhibits on the boat tell the story of the canal, but organizers say it’s an opportunity to share a wider history of the region.

“We don’t know why it was called the Seneca Chief, but we know it’s an opportunity now to work with the Haudenosaunee and the Seneca to tell their part of the story too. So it’s not just Erie Canal on one side, it’s a much more complex story that we’re here to bring community together and learn about other cultures as well,” said Brian Trzeciak, executive director of Buffalo Maritime Center. The maritime center built the boat replica.