Proprietors of Locks and Canals
Encyclopedia
The Proprietors of Locks and Canals on the Merrimack River is a limited liability corporation founded on June 27, 1792, making it one of the oldest corporations in the United States
.
The company was founded for the purpose of constructing a transportation canal around the Pawtucket Falls
on the Merrimack River
in what is today Lowell, Massachusetts
. Over a mile long with four lock chambers, the canal was finished in 1796. Although the canal allowed for lumber and other goods to be transmitted from New Hampshire
to the shipyards of Newburyport
, the competing Middlesex Canal
, a direct route to Boston, opened just ten years later, ruining the Pawtucket's business.
In 1821, The Boston Manufacturing Company
of Waltham, Massachusetts
, purchased the charter of the Proprietors of Locks and Canals, incorporated it into the new Merrimack Manufacturing Company
, and widened and deepened the Pawtucket Canal. This allowed them to use it for hydropower
purposes. In 1825, the canal company was reorganized again and separated from the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, under the leadership of Kirk Boott
. This allowed the city of Lowell to grow quickly, as many other manufacturing corporations were founded in Lowell to take advantage of the waterpower sold by the Proprietors of Locks and Canals. In the mid-19th century, the company was under the leadership of James B. Francis
, inventor of the Francis Turbine
, after he took over when George Washington Whistler
left to work on Russia's railway system.
The company still exists today, housed in the same building as Boott Hydropower (a division of Italian power company Enel
), which has a small power plant
on the Northern Canal in Lowell.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The company was founded for the purpose of constructing a transportation canal around the Pawtucket Falls
Pawtucket Falls (Massachusetts)
Pawtucket Falls is the name of a waterfall on the Merrimack River at Lowell, Massachusetts. The waterfall and rapids below it drop a total of 32 feet in a little under a mile., and was an important fishing ground for the Pennacook Indians in pre-colonial times.This location was used as a benchmark...
on the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
in what is today Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. Over a mile long with four lock chambers, the canal was finished in 1796. Although the canal allowed for lumber and other goods to be transmitted from New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
to the shipyards of Newburyport
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a small coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, 35 miles northeast of Boston. The population was 21,189 at the 2000 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island...
, the competing Middlesex Canal
Middlesex Canal
The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet long and between 10 and 11 feet wide...
, a direct route to Boston, opened just ten years later, ruining the Pawtucket's business.
In 1821, The Boston Manufacturing Company
Boston Manufacturing Company
The Boston Manufacturing Company was organized in 1813 by Francis Cabot Lowell, a wealthy Boston merchant, in partnership a group of investors known as The Boston Associates, for the manufacture of cotton textiles. Boston Manufacturing Company gathered many of their trade secrets from the earlier...
of Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
, purchased the charter of the Proprietors of Locks and Canals, incorporated it into the new Merrimack Manufacturing Company
Merrimack Manufacturing Company
The Merrimack Manufacturing Company was the first of the major textile manufacturing concerns to open in Lowell, Massachusetts, beginning operations in 1823.- History :...
, and widened and deepened the Pawtucket Canal. This allowed them to use it for hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
purposes. In 1825, the canal company was reorganized again and separated from the Merrimack Manufacturing Company, under the leadership of Kirk Boott
Kirk Boott
Kirk Boott was an American Industrialist instrumental in the early history of Lowell, Massachusetts.-Biography:...
. This allowed the city of Lowell to grow quickly, as many other manufacturing corporations were founded in Lowell to take advantage of the waterpower sold by the Proprietors of Locks and Canals. In the mid-19th century, the company was under the leadership of James B. Francis
James B. Francis
James Bicheno Francis was a British-American engineer, who invented the Francis turbine.-Early years:James Francis was born in South Leigh, near Witney, Oxfordshire in England, United Kingdom...
, inventor of the Francis Turbine
Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....
, after he took over when George Washington Whistler
George Washington Whistler
George Washington Whistler was a prominent American railroad engineer in the first half of the 19th century....
left to work on Russia's railway system.
The company still exists today, housed in the same building as Boott Hydropower (a division of Italian power company Enel
Enel
Enel may refer to:*Enel SpA, an Italian electricity company*Enel , a fictional villain in the One Piece manga and anime series*Enel, meaning third in the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, cf. Awakening of the Elves...
), which has a small power plant
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
on the Northern Canal in Lowell.