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I'm just going to read you a
pamphlet, which I presume was made by someone at the Faulkner Museum in
Billerica, about the
Middlesex Canals. There are 14 interesting facts about this
canal. Of course, the canal no longer exists to the extent it
was
used back in the 1700s and 1800s, but there are small bits of evidence as
to its structure that still remain in each town -
especially Billerica. To look at those paintings or drawings of the
canal and compare them to what remains today of them,
it's hard to believe that it once looked like that! (To see those
drawings, just visit either the museum or a library that has
a book on the canals.) But enough of that, listed below are 14
interesting items about the canals themselves and a lovely
picture of one of the markers found by our photographer, Kevin Cutler. 1.
The Middlesex Canal construction was one of the first major engineering
projects in the United States. 2.
It is the oldest regional traction canal (boats pulled by horse, mule, or
oxen) in the United States. 3.
It was dug by hand (using pickaxes, shovels, wheelbarrows) a distance of
27 miles from Charlestown to Lowell over a
a period of 10 years. 4.
To raise money to build the canal, the first American Corporation which
sold shares was formed. 5.
The first eminent domain in the United States was used to acquire land for
the path of the canal. 6.
The first surveyor's Wye level ever used in America was brought by William
Weston, an English Civil Engineer, who
consulted with Canal officers in 1794 for
accurate leveling. 7.
Ground was broken September 10, 1794 at the west bank of the Concord River
in North Billerica. To speed up the
work, Superintendent Loammi Baldwin
introduced the practice of small individual contracts for short sections
of
excavation; thereby, enabling multiple
sites to be dug simultaneously. 8.
The Concord River in Billerica was the primary source of water for the
canal. From Billerica, the land level
dropped 26 feet north to Lowell and dropped 100
feet down to Boston. This level change in the canal was resolved
by the use of locks between levels. 9.
The dump cart, the forerunner of the dump truck, was invented to speed up
the movement of vast quantities of dirt. 10.
The first use of hydraulic cement in the United States was to mortar the
granite blocks in the Merrimack River
Locks. This special cement was
shipped from St. Eustatia Island in the West Indies. 11.
It took a horse and wagon three to four days to carry two to three tons
from Charlestown to Lowell over poorly
maintained roads. A canal boat
could make the same trip in one day carrying 20 times that of a wagon
load.
This improved transportation
dramatically but could not operate in the winter. 12.
Loammi Baldwin II, son of the first Superintendent of the Middlesex Canal
Corporation, is considered the
Father of American Civil
Engineering. He had his early practical training while watching and
helping his
father supervise the building of the
canal. He later went on to build the first dry dock in this country
in
Charlestown; thereby, enabling the
repair work to proceed without respect to tide changes. 13.
The canal ceased operating in 1853. As with most canals, it was put
out of business by the railroad which
could operate around the clock all
year long and carry more cargo faster. By a sad quirk of
circumstances,
canal boats carried the granite ties
and cast-iron rails to build the railroad track. Also, the first
locomotive,
made in England, was transported - in
pieces - by the canal to machine shops of Lowell's Proprietors of Locks
and Canals where it was assembled. 14.
The Route of the Middlesex Canal is on the National Register of Historic
Places. In 1967, it was designated
the third in a series of National
Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. So
there you are! 14 interesting facts about the canal and why people
make such a fuss about it. Of course, nothing
beats the exhibit they have at the Faulkner museum on the canals
(especially that water level demo of how boats
went from low to high and back to low without tipping over) but this gives
you a clue as to the importance of this
historic treasure. Below is the marker put out by the Billerica
Historical Society commemorating Billerica's
participation in the canals. You can find this marker on High St. on
the right side after you've crossed over the
bridge and near the Iron Mountain company. Click the picture to
enlarge. 
-Binny |
