The
Hampshire and Hampden Canal was the
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
segment of an canal that once connected
New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
to the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
north of
Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County...
. Its
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
segment was called the
Farmington CanalThe Farmington Canal was a major private canal built in the early 1800s to provide water transportation from New Haven into the interior of Connecticut, Massachusetts and beyond. Its Massachusetts segment was known as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal...
.
The canal dates to 1821 when
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
businessmen began to raise capital and investigate a possible canal route from their harbor to central
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, and on to
Barnet, VermontBarnet is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2000 census. Barnet contains the locations of Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Mosquitoville, Passumpsic and West Barnet.-Geography:...
and
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
beyond. In this original vision, the canal would pass through
Farmington, ConnecticutFarmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 23,641 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel...
to the border at
Southwick, MassachusettsSouthwick is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,835 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, then join the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
near
NorthamptonNorthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County...
, and from there continue to the St.
The
Hampshire and Hampden Canal was the
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
segment of an canal that once connected
New Haven, ConnecticutNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
to the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
north of
Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County...
. Its
ConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and New York to the west and south ....
segment was called the
Farmington CanalThe Farmington Canal was a major private canal built in the early 1800s to provide water transportation from New Haven into the interior of Connecticut, Massachusetts and beyond. Its Massachusetts segment was known as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal...
.
The canal dates to 1821 when
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
businessmen began to raise capital and investigate a possible canal route from their harbor to central
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
, and on to
Barnet, VermontBarnet is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2000 census. Barnet contains the locations of Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Mosquitoville, Passumpsic and West Barnet.-Geography:...
and
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
beyond. In this original vision, the canal would pass through
Farmington, ConnecticutFarmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 23,641 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel...
to the border at
Southwick, MassachusettsSouthwick is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,835 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, then join the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It has a...
near
NorthamptonNorthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County...
, and from there continue to the St. Lawrence River through
Lake MemphremagogLake Memphremagog is a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada. The lake is long with 73 percent of the lake's surface area in Quebec, where it drains into the Magog River. However, three-quarters of its watershed, , is in Vermont...
and the valley of the
St. Francis RiverThe Saint Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about 470 mi long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States...
. Two side canals were also envisioned: one running from
FarmingtonFarmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 23,641 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel...
through Unionville, Connecticut to
Colebrook, ConnecticutColebrook is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,471 at the 2000 census. Colebrook was named after Colebrooke, in the English county of Devon....
; the other linking to the
Erie CanalThe Erie Canal is a man-made waterway in New York that runs about 363 miles from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes...
via the
Hudson RiverThe Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. It rises at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains, flows past Albany, and finally forms the border between New York City and New Jersey at its mouth before emptying into...
or the proposed (but never built) Boston and Albany Canal.
Benjamin WrightBenjamin Wright was a noted American civil engineer who served as Chief Engineer of both the Erie Canal and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1969 he was declared the "Father of American Civil Engineering" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.Wright was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut to...
, the
Erie CanalThe Erie Canal is a man-made waterway in New York that runs about 363 miles from Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes...
's chief engineer, was hired to conduct a preliminary survey from
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
to
Southwick, MassachusettsSouthwick is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,835 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. In 1822 he gave a positive report: "The terrain is favorably formed for a great work of this kind and a canal may be formed for considerable less expense per mile, than the cost of canals now in the making in the state of New York." That same year, the Connecticut legislature granted a charter to the Farmington Canal Company, and on February 4, 1823, Massachusetts granted its corresponding charter to the Hampshire & Hampden Canal Company. After this second charter was granted, work began.
Ground-breaking ceremonies took place on July 4, 1825, at the Massachusetts-Connecticut border. However, when Connecticut Governor
Oliver Wolcott, Jr.Oliver Wolcott Jr. was United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1795 to 1800 and governor of Connecticut from 1817 to 1827.He was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, son of Oliver Wolcott, Sr. and Laura Collins Wolcott...
employed the ceremonial shovel, it broke in his hands, and this was perhaps emblematic of the canal companies' subsequent fate, as both were substantially under-capitalized and severe financial difficulties plagued their project throughout its existence. Despite these woes, however, construction proceeded with pick and shovel, and by 1828 the canal was open for business from
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
to
FarmingtonFarmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 23,641 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel...
, including its major aqueduct over the
Farmington RiverThe Farmington River is a river located in northwest Connecticut and southwest Massachusetts. Its length is 81 miles via its longest branch, and its watershed covers 609 square miles . The river historically played an important role in small-scale manufacturing in towns alongside it, but it is...
. By 1835 the complete route to
NorthamptonNorthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County...
was finished and operating.
When completed, the canal was long, of which were in Connecticut and in Massachusetts. It measured across on the water's surface, across at the bottom, and deep. Twenty-eight locks were constructed to navigate the rise in elevation between
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
and
GranbyGranby is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,347 at the 2000 census. The town center was defined as a census-designated place known as Salmon Brook in the 2000 census.-History:...
. A further of branch canal were constructed to Unionville, later turned into a feeder for the main canal.
Financial strains continued, however, and the two canal companies merged to form the New Haven & Northampton Canal Company. A major threat to the canal came in 1838 with the opening of the New Haven Railroad between
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
and
Meriden, ConnecticutMeriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.- History :...
. Although the canal company took out further loans in the 1840s to improve its efficiency, its stockholders finally petitioned the General Assembly for authority to build a railroad on their canal bed. A charter was granted, and construction commenced on January 1847. The canal closed later that year, and by 1848 trains were running from
New HavenNew Haven is the second-largest municipality in Connecticut, after Bridgeport and just ahead of Hartford, with a core population of about 124,000 people. "New Haven" may also refer to the wider Greater New Haven area, which has nearly 600,000 inhabitants in the immediate area...
to Plainville along the canal's right of way. The company's name remained unchanged, and it kept many of the same investors. It eventually merged with the
New York, New Haven and Hartford RailroadThe New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968. Commonly referred to as the New Haven, the railroad served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
in 1887.
See also
- Farmington Canal
The Farmington Canal was a major private canal built in the early 1800s to provide water transportation from New Haven into the interior of Connecticut, Massachusetts and beyond. Its Massachusetts segment was known as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal...
- New Haven and Northampton Railroad
The New Haven and Northampton Company was a railroad built in a canal bed in 1848 and was one of the many lines consolidated into the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad on April 1, 1887.-Corporate history:...
- Farmington Canal Trail
The Farmington Canal Trail is a multi-use rail trail located in Connecticut and Massachusetts.It follows the abandoned right-of-way of the former New Haven and Northampton Railroad...