Forgotten History: The Big Dam

The next time you find yourself in Southbridge MA take a drive up West Street and look to the right along the stone wall you will see a concrete structure. On top of the slab is a large rusted relic.

This is part of what is left of the workings of “The Big Dam” of the Hamilton Woolen Mill. It was destroyed in the flood of 1955. You can read about the flood and listen to radio broadcasts by clicking here. Let's learn about the dam.

The mill was incorporated in 1831. It was a textile mill and powered by the waters of the Quinebaug River. As the mill grew it required more water. This was done by buying the water rights along the main river and the feeder ponds and lakes. In 1865, the company bought a large piece of land in Holland and built substantial works creating what is now known as the Hamilton Reservoir.

There were several small ponds throughout the mill complex and one large pond. The large pond was created by “The Big Dam “.

Standing by the remains of the dam we see the workings of the sluice gate. This controlled the flow of water used by various buildings to run the machines.  

Looking into the cement structure we can see the actual gate. The large gears worked together to raise and lower the gate. The dam would have extended across the river. The top of the dam would have been just below the top of the housing.

There may have also been a sluiceway on the other side of the river that led into the mill building that was located there. Looking to the left all the ground you see was covered in water. The lower athletic fields behind the school were all underwater.  

This wasn’t the first dam at this location. Over time the first dam was replaced with two others. Each was larger than the previous one. The last dam was built in 1872,

When the dam broke in 1955 the area was severely flooded. Because of the surge, several other dams further along the Quinebaug River were also destroyed.

I apologize because I never wrote where I found these photos. It was on a website but where - I don't remember. They are from the Bill Kroll Collection of flood photos. The top picture shows the water overflowing the stone wall along West Street. This wall is still there today. The brick structure is the gatehouse. It enclosed the large gears that are still there. The bottom picture was taken right before the dam broke. You can also see how big the "Big Pond" was.

The Hamilton Woolen Company closed in 1934 after a major strike by the textile workers. This strike affected almost every textile mill along the east coast. An interesting side note is when the strike was ended the mill owners decided not to reopen and very soon after the business was sold to J P Stevens a non-union company from the south. In my opinion, the owners were planning to sell the company as soon as the strike was called. 

After the 1955 flood, the dam was never rebuilt. Instead, the government built a series of flood control dams along the Quinnebaug to prevent this from happening again. The area was cleaned up and what you see is how it was left.

In future posts, we will explore more forgotten history in the area including a ghost town that was destroyed when the flood control project took it over.