The H. Lee White Maritime Museum is pleased to present “Colonial Belle & Her Captain” with Capt. Tammee Poinan Grimes of the Erie Canal tour boat Colonial Belle as part of our History Lecture Series scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th at 6:00pm. The Maritime Museum’s fall 2025 History Lecture Series explores the lasting impact of the Erie Canal as part of the American experience in celebration of the Erie Canal’s bicentennial.
Colonial Belle has been a family owned and operated business on the Erie Canal since its founding in 1989 by Capt. Lee Poinan. Today, under the helm of Capt. Tammee, Colonial Belle is the largest tour boat operating on the historic Erie Canal with a capacity of 149 passengers. The vessel includes a fully accessible enclosed lower deck and an open-air upper deck with scenic viewing and the experience of “ducking down” for low bridges. Operating out of Fairport, NY, the Colonial Belle experience is one of the finest on the Erie Canal today, reinforcing the strength and prominence the historic canal system still has today. Through this talk, Capt. Poinan Grimes will discuss the history of her family and vessel on the Erie Canal, providing those in attendance with a first-hand look at real-world operations in an ever-changing landscape.
The Maritime Museum’s History Lecture Series is free and open to the public. The Museum and Treasure Chest Gift Shop are open daily, 1-5pm (10-5pm in July and August) on the West 1st St. Pier in Oswego’s Historic Maritime District. For more on this or other programs, contact the Museum at 315-342-0480.