Recent Towpath Topics

April 2013 (HTML)

April 2013 (color PDF)

April 2013 (Flash)

The April issue was mailed to Members and Proprietors on March 30, 2013.

January 2013 (HTML)

January 2013 (color PDF)

January 2013 (Flash)

September 2012 (HTML)

September 2012 (color PDF)

September 2012 (Flash)

March 2012 (HTML)

March 2012 (color PDF)

March 2012 (Flash)

January 2012 (HTML)

January 2012 (color PDF)

January 2012 (Flash)

September 2011 issue (HTML)

September 2011 issue (color PDF)

September 2011 issue (Flash)

Reardon Room Rental

For the past ten years a group of dedicated volunteers has operated the Middlesex Canal Museum and Visitor Center at the Faulkner Mill in North Billerica. We have good facilities for rental in a charming Museum. Should you plan a function, we hope that you will consider us. The reasonable charge of $200 covers the room and a committee member who will be present throughout to assist you. For more information phone 978-670-2740, leave a message and someone will return your call.

Calendar of Middlesex Canal Association Events and Related Events

First Wednesday - MCA Board of Directors' Meetings - The Board meets the first Wednesday of every month (except July and August), at the Museum, from 3:30 to 5:30pm. Members and the public are invited to attend.

Sun, May 5, 2013. MCA-AMC Spring Walk: Historic Middlesex Canal, Wilmington. Meet at 1:30pm; Wilmington, MA. Walk a rural section of the canal from near the Wilmington Town Park to Patch’s Pond, once a canal basin. Examine grooves worn in a boulder by towropes as boats wound around the Ox Bow; also the remains of Maple Meadow Brook Aqueduct, and a quarry used in its construction. Directions: From Route 128/95 take exit 35 in Woburn. Follow Route 38 (Main St.) north 2.4 miles to the Wilmington Town Park on the left just prior to the railroad overpass. For more information see our web site - <www.middlesexcanal.org> or contact: Roger Hagopian (781-861-7868) or Robert Winters (617-661-9230, <robert@middlesexcanal.org>).

The Spring Walk on Sunday, May 5 drew a crowd of more than 50 people.
At the Maple Meadow Brook, participants crossed the "Bigwood Bridge" built for the day.

"May the Eye of Wisdom and the Eternal Mind aid this work designed for the benefit of the present
& all Future Generations," prayed Loammi Baldwin. September 10, 1794, Billerica, Massachusetts.

SUNDAY WALK

May 5, 1:30pm. A round-trip of three miles along some of the best remnants of the Middlesex Canal will begin at the Town Park, 759 Main St (Rte. 38), Wilmington 01887. From the intersection of Rtes. 128 and 38, go 2.4 miles north. The Town Park is on the left. Walkers will cross Maple Meadow Brook on boards. Tea and cookies at Patches Pond, gift of Mike & Diane McInnis. Leader - Robert Winters. Sponsored by Appalachian Mountain Club and Middlesex Canal Association, www.middlesexcanal.org. [Flyer]

October 5, 2013 - 11th Annual Bike Tour North, starting at 9:00am

October 20, 2013 - MCA-AMC Fall Walk in Woburn (tentative date)

October 27, 2013 - Fall Meeting, 1:00pm at the Museum

Other Canal-Related Events

April 26-28, 2013 - The Annual Meeting of the American Canal Society will be held in conjunction with the Joint Canal Society of NY State and Pennsylvania Canal Society’s spring tour of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Northern End, Kingston to Port Hyxson. The ACS meeting is scheduled for  Friday, April 26th from 3 - 5 PM at the Holiday Inn in Kingston. In addition to exciting 19th century canal sites, including a Roebling canal aqueduct remnant, we will see the Hudson River port at Roundout where it meets the river and the historic Rosendale cement industry, a canal museum, and a maritime museum. A boat trip to a Hudson lighthouse and up the Round-out is possible as well. See <www.newyorkcanals.org>, <http://www.pacanalsociety.org/fieldtrips.htm>, and/or <http://www.americancanals.org/Calendar/Calendar.htm> for further information and updates.

Mon to Fri, April 29 to May 03, 2013 - National Canal Museum Immersion Days - Hugh Moore Park - Easton, PA
Immersion days are day-long programs bring history, science, and technology to life for children in grades 3-12. These programs inform learners of all ages about the people, processes, and products that forged the industrial revolution in eastern Pennsylvania. The revolution transformed the region from an agricultural economy to a leader in the industrial and transportation revolution. During immersion days, students participate in activities at four main stations: Canal Life, Buoyancy, Simple Machines and Blacksmithing. Click here for registration information.

Directions to Hugh Moore Park: from I-78, follow signs for Route 611 north 1.3 miles; turn left at end of bridge onto Larry Holmes Drive; turn left (1 block) onto Lehigh Drive; go 2 miles and turn left onto bridge into Hugh Moore Park.  From Route 22, take 25th Street 2 miles south.  For more information call the National Canal Museum at 610-991-0503.

May 11, 2013 - Cooper & Santee Canal Park, Guided Interpretive Walk -  9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Allow our educators to show you both the historical and natural beauty of Old Santee Canal Park. One mile walk includes stairs, boardwalk and gravel, meet at the Interpretive Center. The guided tour includes the Stony Landing Plantation house and an easy 1 mile nature hike through Biggin Swamp. Many wading birds as well as alligators, turtles, and nesting ospreys may be observed during this trip. Free with regular admission. Register by Thursday, May 24, 2012. For more information Contact: Brad Sale <bssale@santeecooper.com>.

Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 1:30 PM - National Canal Museum Heritage Walk - Hugh Moore Park - Easton, PA. presented by Charles Derr, Park Ranger, Retired, free and open to the public. The Lehigh Navigation walk will begin at the Canal Boat Store at 1:30 PM. Cancelled by inclement weather.

Wed to Sun, Jun 6 to Sept 2 2013 - Labor Day and weekends only in Sept; rides hourly, 1 - 4 PM. National Canal Museum - Canal Boat Rides. See the Josiah White in action! <http://www.canals.org/movies/canalsJosiahWhiteII1.wmv>. About our mules: <http://www.canals.org/movies/canalsMules1.wmv> Adults - $11.75; Seniors - $10.50 (65 and older) ; Children (3 - 15) - $9.00; Children (2 and Under) - FREE. Admission includes the Museum.

Sept 16 to 19, 2013 - World Canals Conference in Toulouse, France, along the Canal du Midi, with accompanying excursions prior to and following. See <http://www.wcc13.com/en/> for details.

Sept. 20-22, 2013 - The Canal Societies of Indiana and Ohio will sponsor a trip to Delphi, Indiana.

2014 - World Canals Conference, Navigli Lombardi, Milan, Italy

September 16-19, 2013 - The World Canals Conference in Toulouse, France. See www.worldcanalsconference.org for details

November 4, 2012 - The Middlesex Canal Association celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a van tour of the canal, "the greatest work of the kind that has been completed in the United States." So wrote Albert Gallatin in 1808. The tour included a dinner in the Baldwin Mansion, home of the canal builder, and birthday cake at the canal museum.

Celebrants on the 50th Anniversary Tour

On the Bus

Bill Gerber speaking during the 50th Anniversary Tour

Celebration Dinner at the Baldwin Mansion

Middlesex Canal Association 50th Anniversary Celebrants

Fall Walk, Oct 21, 2012 - Pictures by Russ Silva

Middlesex Canal Commission Receives Grant for Walking & Biking Trails along Canal in Woburn

OneWorld Boston, a Cummings Foundation affiliate, has awarded the Middlesex Canal Commission a $100,000 grant to support construction of walking and bike paths along the Middlesex Canal in Woburn from Alfred Street to School Street. [Middlesex Canal Commission]

The Middlesex Canal Association Presents:

Spring Bicycle Tour of Historic Middlesex Canal - now an annual tradition

On Sunday, April 1, 2012 and again on Sunday, April 7, 2013, the Middlesex Canal Association sponsored a spring bicycle tour of the Middlesex Canal. The Canal was the “big dig” of the end of the 18th century. Completed in 1803 after 10 years of construction, the Canal connected the Merrimac River in what is now Lowell with the Charles River at Sullivan Square in Charlestown. In many ways it served as a model for later canals including the Erie Canal. The Canal remained in operation for 50 years, providing both passenger and freight service, but could not compete successfully with the Boston and Lowell Railroad which began operation in the 1830’s.

The riders met at 9:30am at North Station (commuter rail) and took their bicycles on the 10am train to Lowell. (Riders could also board at West Medford at 10:11am or meet the Train when it arrived in Lowell at 10:43am). The route visited Lowell canals, river walk, Francis Gate, and then Middlesex Canal remnants in Chelmsford. Lunch at Route 3A mini-mall in Billerica. Quick visit to Canal Museum, then on to Boston.

Riders needing to leave early could get the train to Boston at 1:07pm at North Billerica or at 3:14pm at Wilmington. Participants were responsible for one-way train fare. Complete Lowell line schedules can be downloaded at www.mbcr.net if anyone wishes to plan a rail travel itinerary specific to their needs.

The route is pretty flat and level and the average speed was estimated at 5 miles per hour - easy for most cyclists. Along the way the riders stopped at a number of remnants and restored sections of the Canal, as well as the Mansion of Loammi Baldwin, the chief engineer of the Canal (who discovered the Baldwin apple while building the Canal), the two remaining aqueducts (which carried the Canal over rivers and brooks), and the northern end of the floating towpath that carried horses over the Millpond.

The ride was led by Bill Kuttner of the Shirley Eustis House (617-241-9383, bkuttner@ctps.org) and Dick Bauer of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission and the Middlesex Canal Commission (857-540-6293, dick.bauer@alum.mit.edu). Helmets were required.

For more information about the Middlesex Canal go to: http://www.middlesexcanal.org.

Update - Despite uncertain weather at the start, the Fall 2012 Bicycle Tour had 17 riders
Sat, Sept 29, 2012 - Historic Bicycle Tour of Middlesex Canal: On Saturday, Sept 29, 2012, MassBike, the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission, the Middlesex Canal Commission and the Middlesex Canal Association will sponsor the 10th annual historic bicycle tour of the Middlesex Canal. The Canal was the "big dig" of the end of the 18th century. Completed in 1803 after 10 years of construction, the Canal connected the Merrimac River in what is now Lowell with the Charles River at Sullivan Square in Charlestown. In many ways it served as a model for later canals including the Erie Canal. The Canal remained in operation for 50 years, providing both passenger and freight service, but could not compete successfully with the Boston and Lowell Railroad which began operation in the 1830's.

The ride will meet at the Canal marker on the Sullivan Square MBTA station at 9:00am and proceeded from there about 28 miles to the Historic Mill Village and Canal Museum on the Millpond in North Billerica. After a lunch stop in Woburn, the ride continued to North Billerica (for those who wished to catch the 3:07pm train back to Boston) and on to the northern section of the Canal another 10 miles from North Billerica to Lowell and catch the 5:00pm train back from there.

The route is pretty flat and level and cyclists average about 5 miles per hour including all the stops at important remnants, restored sections of the Canal, as well as the Mansion of Loammi Baldwin, the chief engineer of the Canal (who discovered the Baldwin apple while building the Canal), the two remaining aqueducts (which carried the Canal over rivers and brooks), and the northern end of the floating towpath that carried horses over the Millpond.

The ride will be led by Dick Bauer of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission and the Middlesex Canal Commission, Robert Winters of the Middlesex Canal Association, and Bill Kuttner of the Shirley-Eustis House. Steady rain cancels. For more information, contact Dick at dick.bauer@alum.mit.edu (857-540-6293), Robert at robert@middlesexcanal.org, or Bill at bkuttner@ctps.org.

Cue sheet for the Oct 2, 2010 Ride (should be similar this year)

Heritage Corridor Map Book (4.6MB, 41 page PDF)
[Note: Use landscape format for printing pages]

David Dettinger - October 3, 2011

David Dettinger, age 92, of Winchester, died Oct. 3, 2011. Born in 1919 in Little Falls NY, he was the loving husband for 59 years of Carolyn (Poole). He was the devoted father of Douglas Dettinger of Woburn, and Ellen Fleischer and her husband Balint of Groton. Dave was the loving grandfather of Kyle and Ryan Fleischer and the dear brother of the late Jane Anthony and her husband Dave of Costa Mesa CA. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law Archie and Harriet Mathews of Knoxville TN, loving nieces and nephews, and many dear friends. Dave was a graduate of St. Lawrence University and attended graduate school at MIT.

A Memorial Service will be held at the Crawford Memorial United Methodist Church, 34 Dix St., Winchester (corner of Dix and Church St.), on Sat., Oct. 15th at 10am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Dave's memory may be made to CARE Gift Center, PO Box 7039, Merrifield VA 22116-9753 or online at www.care.org.

Dave has been a long-time Board member of the Middlesex Canal Association and the prime mover of the Bicentennial Decade commemoration marking the 200th Anniversary of the opening of the Middlesex Canal. He was one of the nicest and most decent men you could ever know.

April 3, 2011 - Former MCA President and long-time MCA Board Member Wilbar Hoxie passed away peacefully today, April 3, 2011 at 6:00PM at the Bear Hill Nursing Center. He was 94 years old and in failing health for the last few years. Atty. David Fitch, Past President of the Middlesex Canal Association, has been handling Will's affairs and will arrange for him to be cremated and have his ashes scattered in Maine as his wife Edith's were. There will be a celebration of his life to be arranged within a week or so. Wil was a very early member of the Middlesex Canal Association, served on its Board of Directors for about 35 years and as its President from 1975 to '77. He was also actively involved with several other historical and preservation oriented organizations. As a career Army Officer, he served in Coastal Defense, Air Defense Artillery and Civil Engineering assignments. Obituary/Guest Book

The MCA-AMC Fall Walk took place on Sunday, October 17, 2010 along a scenic section of the Middlesex Canal from the Wilmington Town Park to Patch's Pond. Photos from the 2010 Fall Walk

Middlesex Canal Prism
75 ft. Buffer

From the April 2005 issue of Towpath Topics:
Middlesex Canal Facts

From the archives:

A COMPARISON OF THE BLACKSTONE AND MIDDLESEX CANALS
by B. H. DICKSON
[This article originally appeared in the April 1968 issue of Towpath Topics (Vol. 6, No. 1).]

AN EXACTING STUDY OF THE COMPLEXITIES, OBSTACLES, 
SUCCESSES AND FAILURES ENCOUNTERED IN THE 
BUILDING AND OPERATION OF THE MIDDLESEX CANAL
by ALEC INGRAHAM
[This article was originally published in two parts in the April 1969 and September 1969 issues of Towpath Topics. It was prepared by the author as a course paper at Nasson College, and was revised by the author for publication (1969).]

Pleasure Barge - watercolor by Thomas Dahill
(story in a recent issue of Towpath Topics)

Plaque at Sandy Beach on the Upper Mystic Lake

1890 photo of the remains of the Shawsheen Aqueduct of the Middlesex Canal (from a glass slide)

The Middlesex Canal Association Annual Meeting on May 4, 2003 featured guest speaker J.R. Greene, historian and author of many books on the history of the Quabbin Reservoir and the towns that were eradicated to create the reservoir. If you are interested in the books of J.R. Greene, a listing and contact information is provided here: [Books by J.R. Greene]

"To step down from some busy thoroughfare onto the quiet towpath of a canal....is to step backward a hundred years or more and to see things in a different, and perhaps more balanced perspective."  Tom Rolt, British author

Middlesex Canal Corporation Records
Mogan Center Archives
at UMass Lowell

The first issue of the Middlesex Canal Association newsletter was published in October 1963. Originally named "Canal News", the first issue featured a contest to name the newsletter. A year later, the newsletter was renamed "Towpath Topics".
 

Officers and Directors of the
Middlesex Canal Association

By-Laws of the
Middlesex Canal Association

Calendar of meetings of the
Middlesex Canal Association
and Museum volunteering

The advertisement at left appeared as a two inch by two inch advertisement on the fourth and last page of the AMERICAN TRAVELLER, Boston MA, Tuesday morning, June 8, 1830, Vol. 5, No. 8. (Donated to the Middlesex Canal Museum and Visitor Center by John Ciriello)

Anchor stone of the floating towpath (foreground)
Middlesex Canal Museum and Visitors Center at Faulkner Mills (background)