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Montgomery Bell Tunnel
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Montgomery Bell Tunnel (interior view)
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| Nearest city: | White Bluff, Tennessee |
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| Built: | 1819 |
| Governing body: | State |
| MPS: | Iron Industry on the Western Highland Rim 1790s-1920s MPS |
| NRHP Reference#: | 94001188 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | April 19, 1994[1] |
| Designated NHL: | April 19, 1994[2] |
The Montgomery Bell Tunnel, also known as the 'Patterson Forge Tunnel, in Cheatham County, Tennessee, is a 290-foot (88 m) long tunnel through limestone rock which was the first "full-scale" water diversion tunnel built in the United States. It is also apparently the first "full-scale" tunnel of any type in the United States, according to histories of tunneling. It was built in 1819 by Montgomery Bell using the labor of slaves.[3]
It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994.[2][3] It is now included in Harpeth River State Park.[4]
It was built at about the same time, but apparently slightly before, the 450-foot (140 m) Auburn Tunnel of Pennsylvania's Schuylkill Navigation Canal, which began use in 1821.
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