North Canal Historic District facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
North Canal
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
The Pemberton Mill along the North Canal
Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Lawrence, Massachusetts
Built	1845
Architect	Charles S. Storrow
NRHP reference No.	75000278
Added to NRHP	July 29, 1975

The North Canal Historic District in Lawrence, Massachusetts, is a special area that shows the city's old industrial heart. It's built around the North Canal and the amazing Great Stone Dam. These two structures provided the powerful water energy for many factories, called mills, that once operated here. The canal itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Later, the whole district was listed in 1984 and then made a bit bigger in 2009.

The city of Lawrence was started by a businessman named Abbott Lawrence and his partners from the Essex Company. They wanted to create a perfect industrial city. In 1845, they bought land from the towns of Methuen and Andover. Then, they began building the North Canal and the Great Stone Dam. This huge project involved digging out new land. It also created a small island between the Merrimack River and the canal. The canal's end point is where it meets the Spicket River. These major construction projects finished in 1848. The city of Lawrence officially became a city in 1853. The historic district includes the canal, the dam, and the old mill buildings on the island. It also covers some buildings along Methuen and Union Streets. In 2009, the district grew to include one more building: the Morehouse Bakery building at 5-9 Mill Street.

The Great Stone Dam and Canal

The Great Stone Dam was built across the Merrimack River. This spot was called Bodwell's Falls, where the water naturally dropped about 5 feet (1.5 meters). The dam was made to increase this drop to 30 feet (9.1 meters). This bigger drop created more power for the mills.

The dam is made of large granite blocks. These blocks were carefully placed on a strong base of hydraulic cement. At its bottom, the dam is 35 feet (10.7 meters) thick. It gets narrower towards the top, where it is 13 feet (4 meters) thick. The dam has three main parts. The middle section is 900 feet (274 meters) long. A south wing, 324 feet (99 meters) long, sends water to the South Canal. Another wing, 405 feet (123 meters) long, directs water into the North Canal.

The dam also has a gatehouse. From here, 24 gates in a special channel were controlled. These controls are now electric. Nearby on the island, you can still see the old gatekeeper's house. It's a wooden house built in 1845 in the Greek Revival style. There's also a barn from the 1860s.

The North Canal runs next to the Merrimack River. It is 5,330 feet (1,625 meters) long. At its widest point, near the top, it is 100 feet (30.5 meters) across. It narrows to 30 feet (9.1 meters) where it meets the Spicket River. The canal has a special shape, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. Its walls are lined with granite. The bottom is made of granite rubble sealed with clay. This design allows the canal to carry a lot of water. It can deliver 4,000 cubic feet (113 cubic meters) of water per second. Even today, some mills along the canal still use this water power. The canal used to have working locks for boats to travel through. The upper locks were removed, and the lower ones were filled in.

Historic Mill Buildings

The North Canal Historic District is home to many important mill buildings. These factories were once busy places where different products were made.

The Pacific Mills complex is a large group of buildings. It's located in the western and central parts of the district. The oldest building still standing here is a storehouse from 1860. There are also parts of an even older building from 1852. One impressive building is the Weave Shed, built in 1890. It's a two-story brick building, 300 feet (91 meters) long. The main cotton factory part of Pacific Mills has five buildings on the north side of the canal. In the central area, Pacific Mills made both cotton and worsted wool products.

Next to the Pacific Mills, you'll find the Atlantic Mill Company buildings. Only two important buildings remain from this company. One is a spinning mill from about 1906. The other is a boarding house from 1847. This boarding house is special because it's one of only two such buildings left in the whole district. It's also the only remaining part of what was once a much larger area of housing for workers.

The central part of the district has mill buildings from several different companies. These include the Bay State Woolens Company, the Washington Mills, and buildings from the American Woolen Company and the Pemberton Mill. The Bay State Woolens Company's brick boarding house from about 1847 is now the visitor center for Lawrence Heritage State Park. Another important place here is the Essex Company Offices and Yard. This building is so important that it's listed separately on the National Register. The lower part of the district mostly has buildings from the Everett Mills and the Kuhnhardt Woolen Mills.

Images for kids

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  The Pemberton Mill along the North Canal