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| Not numbered. | Seneca County | Visited: May 11, 2016 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A blue and yellow marker next to the lake! |
| What makes it historical? | THE PLAQUE SAYS: Named for George Cunningham Van Cleef, one of first white children born in Seneca County, 1797.
OTHER TIDBITS: This “lake” was formed by two locks installed on the Seneca River around 1915. There was a debate over whether to call it a lake, a pond, or a pool, and whether to stick with tradition and call it by a Native American name or geographical description. A fellow named Mynderse Van Cleef offered $500 to the village board of supervisors for naming rights and ultimately got them in exchange for improving the area around the lake! His presumable ancestor, Lawrence Van Cleef, was the first Euro-American to settle permanently in this area, around 1789. He was a boat pilot here until the first locks began to be installed in 1815. There isn’t much information about his son, so it’s kind of peculiar that it’s his name on this marker and not his dad’s! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: The marker is in the park at the intersection of Trinity Lane and Fall Street, next to the Trinity Episcopal Church! That’s in Seneca Falls, NY 13148! Annotations: From Albany: ~187mi (301km) — 3.2hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |