The pictures and captions below were sent to me by a reader. I’m posting them here as-sent. I’m due credit for neither the text nor the photos. In addition to reminding me what power there is in the Ten-Mile River after a good rain, these photos left me thinking about all the formerly ‘undeveloped’ land in town that has already been flipped for a profit. While we all race to homogenize Cheshire with the same chain restaurants and retailers that line the length of route 10, I bet there’s a hold-out of historians that drive around in a perpetual state of mourning. And, I’d wager it’s not about the lost history so much as it is the dwindling sense of community and place. Enjoy the photos.
Most Cheshire residents are familiar with Lock 12 (off the Farmington Canal Greenway at South Brooksvale) but there is lesser known and unique section of the Farmington Canal in the Northend of Cheshire. Boats traveled high on top of the “Great Fill”, over the stone arch aqueduct shown below. Of the eight major canal aqueducts built 180 years ago, this is the only one to survive.
L. above. May 7, 1933, SW (inlet) side of aqueduct. The Tenmile River flows north through this side of the arch, under the Great Fill, and exits on the NE side of the culvert under another archway. Notice the Great Fill rising above the aqueduct. Foot and animal trails criss cross the side of the Great Fill going up to the old canal bed and also down lower along a smaller trail over the stone aqueduct.
R. April 13, 2007, 74 years later. The SW ( inlet) side of the stone aqueduct. The Tenmile River flows peacefully through this culvert or tunnel, the Great Fill rising above. Everything looks much as it did in the earlier photo. Notice, however, the large “notch” in berm on top of the Great Fill. This is close to where some of the April 16/17, 2007 storm damage occurs as you will see.
The following photos will show first the Great Fill, then the Stone Aqueduct under the Fill — how each looked long ago and then recently, before and after the storm of April 16-17, 2007 damaged this site which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Great Fill, 1827, was an elevated section of the Farmington Canal.
Approximately 200,000 tons of sand, moved by hand, formed this 40’ high hill which carried the canal bed on its top. Constructing this 1000 foot long Great Fill saved the expense and labor of building and operating 10 locks. (View from the top of the Fill, looking NW into Southington.)
Along the top of the Great Fill is the canal bed as it looked in 1933. Notice the farm road where boats used to travel. The towpath, where horses or mules pulled the boats along the shallow canal, was on the left side.
The Stone Aqueduct Under the Great Fill
The culvert was built on top of a submerged foundation of chestnut timbers. The stone arches were made of handcut native stone and joined with hydraulic cement manufactured in Southington. This culvert tunnel is 165 feet long and faced with a cut stone arch on either end. (Photo from the 70s)
Wooden forms were used to construct stone arches (bridges, aqueducts, and tunnels) in the 1800s. This photograph is from a website www.past.org.
The Farmington Canal closed in 1848, but the stone aqueduct continued to carry its heavy load on top and provide passage for the Tenmile River underneath. With perhaps some minor mending (replacement of some cement) a couple of times, this structure and the Fill above it looked much the same as it had when it was built. The Fill and tunnel were spared when I-691 was built, and continued to exist almost unnoticed. Those who rode ATVs there may have had little idea of the hand-construction or purpose of the long sandy hill.
Then came the storm of April 16-17, 2007 which lashed the arch blocking it with debris, and then flooded over the top of it, washing away a section of the Fill. What exactly happened during the storm? A close look at photos taken before the storm, toward the end of the storm, and after the storm provide a possible explanation.
As the river rose and gathered force, it pushed logs, branches and leaves into the tunnel. A log may have upended, gotten caught and then may have repeatedly been rammed up against the top of the tunnel, until a hole was created. Because the culvert was clogged, the river floodwaters had nowhere to go but up, higher and higher, over the top of the aqueduct where they washed away part of the Fill. Sand from the Fill washed down through the hole and into the culvert and out into the swirling water. By April 22, the sun was out and the river was peaceful again, flowing through the partly clogged culvert.
4-13-07 Before the storm, the culvert is clear. Note the log in front, a possible cause of backup and damage to the top of the tunnel during the storm.
4-22-07 After the storm, some debris still clogs the culvert.
4-17-07 The Tenmile River is flowing over the top of the blocked SW culvert. The small tree in the left-center of the photo marks the location of the arch’s keystone. (This photo was taken during the end of the storm; note raindrops on the lens.)
4-22-07 There is a hole in the top of the tunnel near the SW (inlet) side. Water can be seen below.
4-22-2007 And up above, a section of the former canal bed is washed out. Note the old “notch”, lefthand side above edge of cave-in.
The NE arch (outlet side) does not receive the force of the floodwaters and remains in appearance much as it did long ago Above left, the NE arch of the culvert, 4-22-07. This structure is now 180 years old and looks much the same, although the Great Fill is diminished. Above right the NE side of the aqueduct, photo taken in 1941.
The entire Farmington Canal in CT was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 because of its historic significance in the areas of engineering, transportation and commerce. What will happen to this remnant of history? Will it be a Lock 12 story, with repairs and a public trail so that all can learn and enjoy this part of Cheshire’s history? If so, some way must be found to divert the floodwaters away from the old aqueduct; while it can function well when the Tenmile River is at its mid and low levels, it cannot carry the higher floodwater stages. As more impervious surfaces are built in this area, the runoff will increase raising the level of the river still further. So, with historic preservation will need to come some engineering to divert floodwaters.
News of today (May 2nd): just such a plan is being put into action. Either the town or the property owners will create a new channel to divert the river when at high levels. Part of the Great Fill will be dug out to create the channel. The floodplains just south of the aqueduct are to remain the same, but flooding in areas like Peck Lane will be prevented.
The historic status of this site means that funds are available from the state of CT to repair the Aqueduct and Fill. This repair is planned for later on, after the channel is in place. For now the debris will be cleared from the aqueduct and damage to the top of the tunnel will be repaired. It is encouraging that the aqueduct will remain in place and that water will still flow under it.
i do not know how mutch infomation you have on the natural cement that was used in Ct. But we are very intrested in you channel and the cement that olds it together.
Ken Uracius
[...] You bought into the town. Now, act to preserve it before they sell it out from underneath you. Familiarize yourself with the proposed zoning changes. Get to know the interchange area, learn about the rich history of the property, and take part in the discussion over at councilman Tim White’s blog. Whatever you do, don’t fall for the W/S time-elapsed photo essay. Think about what effect the shops will have on the rest of Rt. 10 to the south. Stores attract stores — would you rather put a new shop along a pass-through with sporadic traffic or next to a strip mall where the traffic never dies down. Even if they don’t expand beyond the proposed changes to the charter, the property owners up and down the road are going make out like bandits. I don’t mind local officials and their friends capitalizing, so long as they don’t misuse the power of their votes to get there (i.e. vote against Cheshire for their own sake). [...]
[...] And, if you’re late to the game, familiarize yourself with the development pitch that’s driving the proposed north-end interchange zoning changes. Get to know the interchange area, learn about the rich history of the property, get active, and take part in the discussion over at councilman Tim White’s blog. Oh, and learn a bit more about Smart Growth. [...]