FONDA – The Montgomery County seat was moved to Fonda in 1836 to closer to the Erie Canal and the railroad. The Old Courthouse c. 1838, is thought to be the finest example of Ionic architecture in the State of New York. For 175 years, the Fonda Fair has served as the showcase for Fulton and Montgomery County talent. In season, the Fonda Speedway is considered one of the better dirt tracks on the circuit. FULTONVILLE – Founded around 1828 in anticipation of the Erie Canal and named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat, Fultonville was an important stop on the Erie Canal throughout the 19th century. START YOUR VISIT at the Old County Courthouse (Park Street), home to the Montgomery County archives (especially useful for genealogical study of Mohawk Valley families). Just west of the village on Rt.5, is the National Shrine of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American Saint in the United States of America and Canada. The National Shrine was created to honor Kateri and the Native peoples of north and south of the border, for it was here that she was baptized on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1676, and lived her teenage years.