Lowell Power Canal System, Power canal system in Lowell, Massachusetts, US.
The canal network extends across 5.6 miles with six major waterways operating on two levels, featuring multiple control gates and water management structures.
The system began in 1796 as the Pawtucket Canal for log transportation, then transformed in the 1820s to power textile mills under the Associates of Francis Cabot Lowell.
The canals shaped the development of Lowell into a manufacturing center, supporting ten major mill complexes that employed more than 10,000 workers by mid-19th century.
The Pawtucket Gatehouse maintains water levels throughout the canal network, while Boott Hydroelectric operates a modern power plant on the Northern Canal.
The system houses the first Francis inward-flow water turbine ever placed in service, which influenced the design of water turbines worldwide.
Location: Massachusetts
Part of: Lowell National Historical Park
GPS coordinates: 42.64556,-71.32000
Latest update: March 9, 2025 02:57
Tsongas Center
760 m
Lowell National Historical Park
1.1 km
Boott Mills
994 m
Pawtucket Falls
1.1 km
American Textile History Museum
478 m
Whistler House Museum of Art
413 m
Pollard Memorial Library
432 m
New England Quilt Museum
654 m
Merrimack Canal
535 m
Wannalancit Mills
525 m
Jonathan Bowers House
685 m
Lowell Post Office
996 m
St. Joseph's Convent and School
586 m
St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church
447 m
City Hall Historic District
549 m
The Worthen House
477 m
Lowell Museum
958 m
F. Bradford Morse Federal Building
1.1 km
South Common Historic District
1.2 km
Lowell Historic Preservation District
983 m
Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic College for Boys
375 m
Wannalancit Street Historic District
783 m
National Streetcar Museum
591 m
Pawtucket Dam
1.1 km
Portuguese Colonial Wars and Carnation Revolution memorial
1.2 km
Lower Locks
1 km
Guard Locks
769 m
Howe Building
812 mReviews
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