National Register of Historic Places

Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal

Suffield, Hartford County, Connecticut
Listed
September 11, 1985
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
85002664

About this property

The New Haven and Northampton Canal was a major private canal built in the early 19th century to provide water transportation from New Haven into the interior of Connecticut and Massachusetts, ending in the Connecticut River at Northampton. Its Connecticut segment was known as the Farmington Canal and the Massachusetts segment the Hampshire and Hampden Canal. Built in the decade after the opening of the original Erie Canal, the New Haven and Northampton Canal was one of the most significant civil engineering projects in the early 19th century United States and at 86 miles (138 km) New England's longest canal. The canal improved freight access for manufacturers and communities in the region during a critical period of the country's First Industrial Revolution. However, as a private venture it was a financial failure and only operated along its full extent from 1835 to 1847. With the advent of rail and steam locomotives, the canal company and right-of-way was quickly converted to a railroad, which was in more recent years converted to a rail trail. Few of the canal's original structures remain but short sections of canal bed and towpath survive as well as several locks.

Location

Suffield, Hartford County, Connecticut
41.74110, -72.84264

Categories

COMMERCEHISTORIC - NON-ABORIGINALENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

First Church of Christ
Industrial
1.5 mi
Farmington Historic District
Colonial
1.6 mi
Stanley-Whitman House
Industrial
1.6 mi
Cowles, Gen. George, House
Industrial
1.7 mi
Pequabuck Bridge
Industrial
1.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal listed on the National Register?

Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1985.

What type of historic resource is Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal?

Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal?

The period of significance for Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal is recorded as the listed era.

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