Professor and author Kathleen L. Riley, Ph.D., will explore “Lockport’s Religious Foundations” as she speaks at the Erie Canal Discovery Center, 24 Church St. in Lockport, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m.
Riley will discuss the religious basis of Lockport in light of the many expressions and experiences along the Canal’s path, often referred to as the “Burned-Over District” for its religious zeal.
Her presentation will detail the importance of belief and faith to those who planned and built the Canal, made their livelihood from it and near it, and experienced the changes it wrought in their personal lives and communities.
Riley will tell of the roles played by the Quakers, Presbyterians and Catholics throughout the early days of the Canal’s construction and growth of Lockport. She will speak of how religion and religious values made Lockport and the Canal what it is today and how they shaped a national consciousness.
Riley is a professor of History and head of the History Department at Ohio Dominican University, Columbus, OH. A Lockport native, she is a graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester. She holds Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Notre Dame. Riley is a past adjunct professor at Canisius College in Buffalo and taught history at Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
.
She is the author of the books “Lockport: Historic Jewel on the Erie Canal” and “Fulton J. Sheen: An American Catholic Response to the Twentieth Century.”
Riley appears through the program “Reflections on Erie’s Waters,” a series of artist-led workshops and statewide lectures whose goal is to examine the Canal’s history and impact through different perspectives. “Reflections” is a collaborative effort of the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse and the Canal Society of New York State.
“Reflections on Erie’s Waters” is supported by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and the NYS Legislature. The History Center receives grant assistance from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), with the support of Governor Cuomo and the Legislature.