Farmington Canal

This article is about the original 19th-century canal. For the modern rail trail, see Farmington Canal Trail.
Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal
LocationNew Haven, Connecticut to Northampton, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°00′35″N 72°46′04″W / 42.0098°N 72.7679°W / 42.0098; -72.7679 (MA border) 41°19′N 72°55′W / 41.31°N 72.91°W / 41.31; -72.91 (New Haven outlet)
Area247.6 acres (100.2 ha)
Built1829
ArchitectHurd, Davis; Farnam, Henry
NRHP reference No.85002664[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 12, 1985

The Farmington Canal, also known as 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, Massachusetts and beyond.[2] Its Massachusetts segment was known as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal. With the advent of railroads, it was quickly converted to a railroad in the mid-19th century and in recent years has been converted to a multi-use trail (a rails-to-trails project) after being abandoned for years.

The entire length of the canal right of way in Connecticut (covering 25 segments and a total area of 247.6 acres) from Suffield to New Haven was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 under the name "Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal".[1] The 1984 NRHP nomination document provides a detailed history, and describes 45 separate bridges, aqueducts, weirs and other surviving features.[3]

The Farmington Canal Lock in Cheshire, Connecticut, and the Farmington Canal Lock No. 13 in Hamden, Connecticut were listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1973 and 1982, respectively.[1] Those are locks 12 and 13 out of 28 original locks on the canal.[3]

  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. Archived from the original on 2006-08-03. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  2. ^ G. M. Guignino, The Farmington Canal 1822-1847: An Attempt At Internal Improvement, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
  3. ^ a b Michael S. Raber and John Herzan (November 30, 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Farmington Canal (New Haven and Northhampton Canal) / Farmington Canal". National Park Service. and Accompanying 20 photos, from 1984