Ashland Dam and Spillway

Ashland Dam and Spillway
Location Ashland, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°14′46″N 71°27′37″W / 42.24611°N 71.46028°WCoordinates: 42°14′46″N 71°27′37″W / 42.24611°N 71.46028°W
Area 14 acres (5.7 ha)
Built 1885
Architect Unknown
Architectural style No Style Listed
Governing body Local
MPS Water Supply System of Metropolitan Boston MPS
NRHP Reference #

89002289

[1]
Added to NRHP January 18, 1990

The Ashland Dam and Spillway is a historic site at the north end of Ashland Reservoir in Ashland State Park in Ashland, Massachusetts. Ashland Reservoir was constructed in 1885, impounding a portion of Cold Spring Brook, a tributary of the Sudbury River. It was built as part of Boston's second major water works effort, which impounded large portions of the upper Sudbury River, mainly in Framingham. The dam is an earthen embankment, built 83 feet (25 m) above bedrock and 54 feet (16 m) above the level of the reservoir. There is a concrete core wall about 8 feet (2.4 m) thick at the bottom and 2.5 feet (0.76 m) at the top. The spillway lies at the eastern end of the dam, and is constructed of granite rubble, and a series of steps made of granite laid in concrete. The spillway is 630 feet (190 m) long, and is naturalistically designed to resemble a brook descending through landscape. The dam was originally topped by a gatehouse; it was demolished in 1976 after repeated vandalism.[2]

The dam and spillway were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[1]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. ↑ "NRHP nomination for Ashland Dam and Spillway". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-05-11.