Much of the sophisticated system of canals, dams, gates, and tunnels built to manage water power in 19th-century Lowell is preserved today as the basis of the Lowell National Historical Park and the Lowell Heritage State Park. Pictured above is the Boott Penstock, an early channel adjacent to the Boott Mills (right).
Power Generation
YearAdded:
Image Credit:
Courtesy Flickr/Leonora Enking (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Image Caption:
Lowell Waterpower System: Pawtucket Gatehouse
Era_date_from:
1821
1984
Visionary Alexander Hamilton, the United States' first Secretary of the Treasury, visited the Great Falls of the Passaic River with George Washington in 1778. The 77-foot-high, 280-foot-wide waterfall inspired his dream of abundant, inexpensive energy as the means for economic independence from foreign markets.
YearAdded:
Image Credit:
Courtesy Flickr/Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Image Caption:
Great Falls Raceway and Power System
Era_date_from:
1792
1977
Innovations
