Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District
National Register of Historic Places

Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District

Marseilles, La Salle County, Illinois
Listed
March 10, 2004
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
04000165

About this property

The Marseilles Lock and Dam, also known as Lock and Dam 5, is a lock and dam complex on the Illinois River at Marseilles, Illinois. The complex includes a lock, dam, control station, boiler house, and a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) section of navigation canal. The state of Illinois began work on the complex in 1920 by digging the canal, which was completed in 1925. The state also began construction on the lock, dam, and control station; however, due to financial difficulties these projects were finished by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Walter Mickle Smith was chief design engineer for the complex. The complex was completed in 1933. The lock has a drop of 24 feet (7.3 meters). The lock and dam complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The listing included two contributing buildings and three contributing structures. On April 18, 2013, the uninspected towing vessel Dale A. Heller, pushing a tow of 14 barges, collided with the dam complex during a period of exceptionally high water flow. Seven barges impacted the dam itself, and four of these sank. Gates 2 and 3 were rendered inoperative and gates 4, 5, and 6 were damaged but remained operational. Damage to the gates contributed to flooding in the city of Marseilles. Repairs to the dam were estimated to cost forty to fifty million dollars.

Location

1 Hawk Dr.
Marseilles, La Salle County, Illinois
41.32638, -88.73304

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONMARITIME HISTORYENGINEERING
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 Battles

Skirmish at Sycamore Creek / Ottawa Raid (May 1832)
1832Early Republic
5.7 mi
Battle of Ottawa / Ottawa Skirmish
1832Early Republic
5.8 mi
Zimmermann Site Raiding
1400Pre-Columbian
5.9 mi
Battle of Burnt Village Illinois 1832
1832Early Republic
5.9 mi
Indian Creek Massacre Illinois 1832
1832Early Republic
11.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District listed on the National Register?

Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 2004.

What type of historic resource is Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District?

Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District?

The period of significance for Marseilles Lock and Dam Historic District is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1920.

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