National Register of Historic Places

Middlesex Canal

Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
August 20, 1972
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
72000117

About this property

The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile (44-kilometer) barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, and 3 feet (0.9 m) deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet (24 m) long and between 10 and 11 feet (3.0 and 3.4 m) wide. It also had eight aqueducts. Built from 1793 to 1803, the canal was one of the first civil engineering projects of its type in the United States, and was studied by engineers working on other major canal projects such as the Erie Canal. A number of innovations made the canal possible, including hydraulic cement, which was used to mortar its locks, and an ingenious floating towpath to span the Concord River. The canal operated until 1851, when more efficient means of transportation of bulk goods, largely railroads, meant it was no longer competitive. In 1967, the canal was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Remnants of the canal still survive and were the subject of a 1972 listing on the National Register of Historic Places, while the entire route, including parts that have been overbuilt, is the subject of a second listing in 2009.

Location

Woburn, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.57944, -71.24181

Categories

COMMERCEENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
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

Dutton-Holden Homestead
Industrial
1.5 mi
Sabbath Day House
Industrial
1.8 mi
Howe School
Industrial
1.9 mi
Billerica Town Common District
Colonial
2 mi
Billerica Mills Historic District
Listed
2.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Middlesex Canal listed on the National Register?

Middlesex Canal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 1972.

What type of historic resource is Middlesex Canal?

Middlesex Canal is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Middlesex Canal?

The period of significance for Middlesex Canal is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Middlesex Canal?

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