Woodbourne benefited from being the closest settlement in Sullivan County to Ellenville, which was located along the Delaware & Hudson Canal.
The depot that will house the museum sits on the old Delaware & Hudson Canal.
Due to the construction of the near-by Delaware and Hudson Canal in 1827, commerce and business boomed in the area.
The former Delaware and Hudson Canal ran through the town.
About a quarter of the route follows the old Delaware and Hudson Canal.
Lawrence Masten, its builder and first owner, was able to take advantage of the nearby Delaware and Hudson Canal being routed through his property.
There is not enough parking on a thoroughfare sandwiched between the old Delaware and Hudson Canal and Rondout Creek, they say.
It was originally built by the company, which operated the nearby Delaware and Hudson Canal, as its regional office.
The former Delaware and Hudson Canal brought Pennsylvania coal to Kingston on the Hudson.
Work on the 108-mile (174 km) Delaware and Hudson Canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1828.
