THE CANAL AQUEDUCT and WALKER PARCEL. 3.1 acres and 2.1
acres, donated in 1972 and 1975 by Jim Thomson and Grace
Walker, respectively.
From 1828 until 1848, as most folks know, Farmington was a
major stop on the Farmington Canal and Farmington
businessmen were instrumental in its financing and operation.
The Canal facilitated shipment of crops, raw materials and
manufactures from Farmington and points west and north.
Despite frequent structural failures and the seasonal nature of its
operations, the Canal and its successor Canal Railroad brought
our Town full participation in the Industrial Revolution. Financed by
wealthy Yankees, the Canal was built by local labor and by
imported Irish workers. At least one builder of the aqueduct is
identified as an African or Native American.
The Canal ran along above the riverbank through town, then along
Waterville Road until it swung westward and crossed the river on
the Aqueduct 2.5 miles north of Rte 4. The Aqueduct’s piers
carried a 280-foot wooden trough like structure 35 feet above the
river.
They stood for over a century after Canal operations ceased. The
huge brownstone structures were finally demolished by the Army
Corps of Engineers after the 1955 flood. The Canal was fed by the
several small brooks that run down from the traprock ridge to our
east. Though freshets washed out its banks after heavy rains, the
supply of water was often not adequate and keeping the Canal
filled was a problem. For this reason, a “feeder canal” was dug
from Unionville to the Aqueduct site on the west bank. Traces of
this can still be seen in Devonwood. The feeder canal’s remains
are protected by a 10-acre Land Trust easement donated by
Devonwood’s developers, Otto Papparazzo and Roger Toffolon in
1986.
The Farmington River was dammed upstream of Unionville
center. The resulting flow of water that kept the feeder canal full
also powered many Unionville manufactories. A system of
smaller channels ran through the town, and some of these can
still be traced. The availability of ample water power was an
essential element in Unionville’s development as a nineteenth
century industrial center.
The Aqueduct parcel was the first acquired by the Land Trust – the
gift of architect and preservationist Jim Thomson in 1972. It runs
from Route 10 down to the River, and with the adjacent Walker
parcel is one of the most frequently visited of the Land Trust
properties. There is parking at Route 10, and a 700-foot trail to
and along the riverbank.
Portions of the Aqueduct’s stone piers can still be seen, firmly
secured by “hydraulic cement” from Andrus and Merriman’s
diggings in Southington. This source of the naturally occurring
equivalent of Portland cement was discovered in 1824, and was
important in the building of the Canal. It consisted of a mixture of
limestone and clay which, after heating, could be used in high-
grade concrete and would set under water. The cement works on
Southington’s Flanders Road were among the earliest in America.
Near Route 10 is what remains of the “passing basin”, still partly
filled with water. It is said that the long narrow canal boats could
slip past each other here, and could stand by to pass over the
Aqueduct singly. The basin also served as an ice pond, though
modern consumers might wonder about the bacterial content of
the product. The Land Trust will manage this important historical
site as open woodland, and hopes eventually to control erosion
and its many invasive plants. The Farmington Rotary Club plans
soon to donate a bridge over the gully near the river to allow easy
access to the lovely walking path along the bank.
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