[MassHistPres] dam removal question

[William Moonan]

Marilyn:

 

A small dam in Rochester was planned for removal, but local cranberry
growers fought it on the grounds that the water supply above the dam was
vital to their business and won.  The groups that were working to remove the
dam argued that the dam interfered with the migration and spawning of
alewife in the river.  They wanted to restore the river to its "historic"
condition. This example leads me to ask if there are current uses for the
pond above the dam that would act as a countervailing reason to leave the
dam in place. 

 

In Bedford, we just finished restoring an historic mill dam that dated back
to the early 1700s.  No one was working to remove it, but it was demolishing
itself by neglect.  While the mill is long gone, the dam was an important
part of Bedford's history and has been fully restored.  The park, that has
been created, and the dam are now listed as a Massachusetts historic site.
So, there might be historic reasons to save the dam that could be
documented. 

 

Maybe one of the approaches described above would work for you.  Get
creative.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Moonan

Bedford Historic District Commission

 

From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu
[mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of
marilyn.mcarthur at comcast.net
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 6:57 PM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] dam removal question

 

Greenfield is working on a plan to remove the historic Wiley & Russell dam
on the Green River, with partners including the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, American Rivers, and others. The town historic
commission and the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage are inclined to save
the dam as the centerpiece of a proposed greenway along the Green River
through town. (originally a timber crib dam from 1836, reinforced over time)

Have other historic manufacturing towns in Massachusetts faced the challenge
of interrupting the dam removal process? What has been the outcome?

 

Marilyn McArthur

Museum of Our Industrial Heritage <http://industrialhistory.org/> 

 

 

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