The Farmington Land Trust will be serving up a slice of our rich local history on Thursday, June 27th, with a talk and tour of the Farmington Aqueduct and Canal Trail. The walk will be led by the Land Trust’s Executive Director Tina Delaney, who will discuss native plants, birds and wildlife, and former president of the Land Trust Charlie Leach, who will speak to the site’s history. The trail winds around the Farmington River along the historic remains of the 1828 Farmington Canal, Aqueduct and Towpath.
We will meet at the Canal Aqueduct Trail parking lot right off Route 10 (Waterville Road), opposite Aqueduct Lane, in Farmington at 6pm. This event is free and open to the public. No reservation required. All ages are welcome. No pets please. In the event of rain, event will be cancelled.
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From 1828 until 1848 the town of 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 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. 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. The piers stood for over a century after Canal operations ceased. The huge brownstone structures were demolished by the Army Corps of Engineers after the 1955 flood.
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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. The Land Trust manages this important historical site as open woodland, and works to control erosion and invasive plants.
The mission of the Farmington Land Trust is to protect open space in perpetuity through acquisition, stewardship, education and advocacy. Founded in 1971, the Farmington Land Trust, Inc. is a private, non-profit membership organization, tax exempt under section 501 (c) (3) of federal law.
Contact Person: Suzan Scott, The Farmington Land Trust
128 Garden Street, Farmington, CT 06032
Ph. (860) 674-8545, Email: farmingtonland.trust@snet.net
