An upcoming lecture in Seneca Falls will kick off efforts to designate Route 20 as a historic highway.
The lecture will take place at 1:00p on Saturday at the Seneca Falls Museum of Waterways and Industry. Brian Farr, the founder of the Historic Route 20 Association, will be giving the lecture. He told Finger Lakes News Radio that the talk will cover the history of the road from Native American trails in Massachusettes to the present day, with a special focus on the Finger Lakes portion of the highway.
“Skaneateles, Seneca Falls, Auburn, Waterloo, Geneva, Canandaigua, it’s this connector of towns. There’s so much history through there, through this little area,” said Farr.
As for the designation as a historic highway, Farr hopes that will attract tourism to the New York State section of the road, particularly the Finger Lakes area. He believes Route 20 could rival its more famous counterpart, Route 66.
“When people say Route 66, it conjures up this image of the Great American road trip because [they’re] going to find classic hotels and diners and historic sites,” Farr continued, “but those same things are right on Route 20 and I don’t think a lot of people are aware of that.”
The state legislature would need to make the designation. The Historic Route 20 Association has already begun to raise the issue with state legislators in districts within the Route 20 corridor.
“There is a lot of support,” Farr added. “It’s just drafting this up and getting that ready to go, and I think that’s going to be happening here.”
If Route 20 receives the designation, Farr’s next goal would be to see signage placed along the road’s original alignment through the Empire State.
US 20 is the longest federal highway in the nation, running from Boston, Massachusetts to Newport, Oregon. In New York, US 20 runs from the Massachusetts border to the Pennsylvania border. In the Finger Lakes, the road runs through Skaneateles, Auburn, Seneca Falls, Waterloo, Geneva, and Canandaigua.
Following the lecture, there will be a reception at Montezuma Winery where attendees will receive a coupon for 50% off a tasting of wine or spirits.
