SOUTHWICK — On Saturday, the Southwick Historical Society formally dedicated a granite marker it placed just off the rail trail near Congamond Lake to show residents and visitors the route of the former New Haven and Northampton Canal.
The marker was placed there by the society in November as a part of society’s mission of keeping history alive for people, said Society President Denise Mulgrew.
Part of that history includes the portion of the New Haven and Northampton Canal, also known as the Farmington Canal, that ran along the western edge of the three Great Ponds of Congamond Lakes for just over a decade after its construction which began in 1825.
The 87-mile canal, which was only 11 feet wide, was completed in 1835 and included 45 separate bridges, aqueducts, weir gates, and locks, including the remains of Lock 14 in the woods north of Granado Circle off South Longyard Road.
That general location of that lock is carved into the granite marker.
After 13 years of operation, it closed because of the opening of the new Connecticut River Railroad.
The canal also cut through Westfield. A marker on Lockhouse Road indicates where it crossed heading north to Northampton.
A portion of the canal is still used by the town’s Lake Management Committee to maintain the water level of the ponds using a weir gate it raises and lowers to keep each at 224.4 feet above sea level.
The marker was originally supposed to be erected and unveiled during the town’s 250th anniversary celebrations in 2020 but it was delayed because of the pandemic.
The marker project was shelved for about a year, but in early 2024 the society announced it was restarting the fundraising effort for the approximately $6,000 needed to have the marker created.
While fundraising was ongoing, an anonymous donor pledged to match every dollar raised up to $1,000. The society nearly got there, raising $950, said Society Treasurer Pat Odiorne.
A significant portion of the money raised for the marker came from the royalties of a book authored by Robert Madison on hiking and biking trails along the canal titled “New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway: Bike and Rail Trails Following the Historic Canal.”
Not only did Madison designate the royalties from the book for the marker, but also to the society.
To research the book, Madison hiked or biked the entire length of the canal, which he did over a couple of years, he said Wednesday at the site of the marker.
Prior to the dedication, a meet-and-greet was held at Congamond Coffee and Café and Madison was there to sign his book and discuss the trail. Refreshments were provided jointly by the Friends of the Southwick Rail Trail and the society.
Also on hand was canal expert Dr. Carl E. Walter, who wrote the forward to Madison book. He has a record of the canal’s construction in a document with photographs that is available at the Southwick Public Library.
Charles Blood of Smith Monuments in Westfield crafted the marker and Select Board member Jason Perron prepared the site.
