Place: Charlestown Landing No. 1, Terminus of the Middlesex Canal
Address: Rutherford Avenue at Essex Street
Neighborhood: Charlestown
Inspecting Charlestown on June 26, 2012, I located the Terminus of the Middlesex Canal. The Middlesex Canal flowed through many communities from this specific location in Charlestown up to Lowell. There are little to no obvious vestiges of this important resource anymore. Another sign about the Middlesex Canal can be found at Sullivan Square.
To visit the terminus of the Middlesex Canal, ride the Orange Line to Community College and walk up Rutherford Avenue. Or ride the Orange Line to Sullivan Square and walk down. Or ride bus route 92 along Main Street and walk out to Rutherford Avenue.
"The Middlesex Canal, constructed between 1793 and 1803, once stretched from this point to Lowell, 27 miles to the northwest. In the early 19th century, when travel over land was more difficult than water travel, the canal served as a highway for passengers, lumber, and other goods between the coast and the interior. The canal played a vital role in the economic growth of the communities through which it passed and helped spark the Industrial Revolution in America. After the introduction of rail travel, the canal was no longer economically viable and by 1853 it had fallen into disuse. Some sections of the canal are still visible today in other cities and towns along the route."
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| This sign is located at the Upper Busway at Sullivan Square Station |
To learn more about the Middlesex Canal:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesex_Canal
http://www.cambridgehistory.org/content/middlesex-canal
http://www.medfordhistorical.org/medford-history/about-medford/the-middlesex-canal/
