A trip back in history

As the Abram Lansing fourth graders stepped onto the Lois McClure, a reproduction of an 1862-class canal boat, during a field trip on Sept. 12, the students and teachers traveled back in history. The floating museum, however, stayed firmly anchored aboard the canal scooter in the Hudson River.

The Lois McClure, built by a Vermont museum, was docked in Albany for a few days, giving students a chance to learn about local history, which will be the focus of their social studies curriculum throughout the school year.

The boat, which was used to carry cargo on both the Erie and Champlain canals, is now a museum that gives visitors an idea of what it might have been like to live or work on the boat.

Students learned how the boat was steered, anchored and how the sails could be raised. In addition, they had a peek below the deck to see sleeping quarters of the crew and the tiny "home" for the boat's captain and his family, complete with a kitchen and table.

Students learned that the center of the boat would be used for storing cargo, which could have been granite, food, herbs or any other goods that required transporting.