Merrimack Canal
Encyclopedia
The Merrimack Canal is a power canal in Lowell, Massachusetts
. The canal, dug in the 1820s, begins at the Pawtucket Canal
just above Swamp Locks, and empties into the Merrimack River
near the Boott Cotton Mills. The Merrimack Canal was the first major canal to be dug at Lowell exclusively for power purposes, and delivered 32 feet (9.8 m) of hydraulic head
to the mills of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company
. The Merrimack Manufacturing Company was the first of the major textile mills constructed in Lowell. It was demolished around 1960.
The canal, which runs along the southeast side of Dutton Street and then between the two halves of Lowell High School, is unique in the Lowell Canal System as it delivers the full 32 feet (9.8 m) drop of the Merrimack at once, instead of operating on a 13 feet (4 m) and a 17 feet (5.2 m) two-level system.
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. The canal, dug in the 1820s, begins at the Pawtucket Canal
Pawtucket Canal
Completed in 1796, the Pawtucket Canal was originally built as a transportation canal to circumvent the Pawtucket Falls of the Merrimack River in East Chelmsford, Massachusetts. In the early 1820s it became a major component of the Lowell power canal system...
just above Swamp Locks, and empties into the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
near the Boott Cotton Mills. The Merrimack Canal was the first major canal to be dug at Lowell exclusively for power purposes, and delivered 32 feet (9.8 m) of hydraulic head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
to the mills of the Merrimack Manufacturing Company
Merrimack Manufacturing Company
The Merrimack Manufacturing Company was the first of the major textile manufacturing concerns to open in Lowell, Massachusetts, beginning operations in 1823.- History :...
. The Merrimack Manufacturing Company was the first of the major textile mills constructed in Lowell. It was demolished around 1960.
The canal, which runs along the southeast side of Dutton Street and then between the two halves of Lowell High School, is unique in the Lowell Canal System as it delivers the full 32 feet (9.8 m) drop of the Merrimack at once, instead of operating on a 13 feet (4 m) and a 17 feet (5.2 m) two-level system.