From the 'Turnback Tuesday' archives: Housatonic River Dam

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features the Housatonic River Dam.

The Housatonic Water Co. was organized in 1866 for the purpose of erecting a dam across the river. The dam was built in 1870 near the present-day Yale Boathouse.

A short canal was built on the Derby side while a much longer canal was built on the Huntington side that later became Shelton.

On Jan. 21, 1891, the dam burst from damage wrought by freshets and ice blocks. Even after it was rebuilt, ice and heavy water flows continued to damage the Housatonic River Dam until the Stevenson Dam was built upriver in Monroe in 1918.

[First published on this date in 2017.]

Thanks goes to Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesing local history each week.

From the 'Turnback Tuesday' archives: Dam collapse in 1891

*Coincidentally this Turnback Tuesday photo came up in my Facebook memories today. It was originally posted on this date in 2016.

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This week’s “Turnback Tuesday” photo was taken in 1891, just after the Housatonic Dam collapse on January 22nd of that year. Due to faulty construction, a buildup of ice combined with a heavy freshet washed away approximately 250 feet of the dam. This photo was taken on the Derby side of the river, most likely along Roosevelt Drive.
Thanks goes to the Derby Public Library staff for sharing interesting local history each week.

Safety fence installed at Fountain Lake dam in Ansonia

City of Ansonia photo

Mayor David S. Cassetti inspects new fencing at Fountain Lake dam.

ANSONIA - For decades it was a safety hazard, oftentimes discussed at aldermen meetings dating to previous administrations. 

This past week, the steep drop at Fountain Lake dam and spillway was finally corrected with the installation of approximately 175 feet of chain link fence. 
The fence was installed by Walsh Bros. Fence of Orange, and was purchased with funding collected from property blight liens.

The fence extends across both the front dam spillway and rear, facing the lake.

“This was a needed correction to the dam,” said Cassetti. “It was clearly a hazard, and now the fence makes this beautiful walking trail a much safer route. I want to thank Ronda Porrini and our Building Department for drawing our attention to this and getting it addressed.”

Fountain Lake also includes a fishing dock (recently repaired through an Eagle Scout project by Jonathan Palmieri) and picnic tables added last summer along the trail. 
Cassetti said he hopes to add cooking grills alongside the picnic tables soon.

City of Ansonia photo

Fountain Lake fishing dock that was recently repaired by Jonathan Palmieri as an Eagle Scout project.

This is a press release from the Mayor's office.

'Turnback Tuesday' features Housatonic River Dam

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features the Housatonic River Dam. The Housatonic Water Co. was organized in 1866 for the purpose of erecting a dam across the river. The dam was built in 1870 near the present-day Yale Boathouse. 
A short canal was built on the Derby side while a much longer canal was built on the Huntington side that later became Shelton. 
On Jan. 21, 1891, the dam burst from damage wrought by freshets and ice blocks. Even after it was rebuilt, ice and heavy water flows continued to damage the Housatonic River Dam until the Stevenson Dam was built upriver in Monroe in 1918.


Thanks go to the Derby Public Library for sharing this interesting local history.