Dundee Canal

Last updated

Dundee Canal
Dundee Canal 1997.jpg
Dundee Canal (right) in 1997, with Passaic River in the center. Looking southeast, with Garfield on the left bank of the river and Passaic on the right. The Dundee Dam with headgate for the canal is in the foreground, and the former Dundee Textile Mill is seen between the river and canal.
Specifications
Length1.8 mi (2.9 km)
StatusAbandoned
History
Original ownerDundee Manufacturing Company
Construction began1858
Date of first useJuly 1861
Date completed1861
Date closedc. 1930s
Geography
Start point Clifton, New Jersey
End point Passaic, New Jersey
Beginning coordinates 40°52′57″N74°07′37″W / 40.8825°N 74.127°W / 40.8825; -74.127 (Dundee Dam)
Ending coordinates 40°52′23″N74°07′00″W / 40.873°N 74.1167°W / 40.873; -74.1167
Connects to Passaic River

The Dundee Canal was an industrial canal in Clifton and Passaic in Passaic County, New Jersey. It was built between 1858 and 1861 and ran parallel to the Passaic River. It supplied hydropower and water for manufacturing. There was interest by some members of the business community to modify the canal to support navigational uses, but the canal was never used for that purpose.

Contents

The Dundee Canal, along with the advent of railroads, stimulated rapid economic and population growth in Passaic and the surrounding area through the late 19th and early 20th century.

Description

The canal was about 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long. The Dundee Dam across the Passaic River was located at the north end of the canal, between Acquackanonk Township (present-day Clifton) and East Passaic (present-day Garfield), and it provided water for the canal. The dam was the lowest hydropower site built on the river, just above the tidal zone. [1]

History

Founding and 19th century operations

The Dundee Manufacturing Company (DMC), incorporated 1832, built the Dundee Dam across the Passaic River c. 1833, replacing an earlier wing dam it had built c. 1830. The dam was designed to supply water power to clothing mills in the area. [2] The company also built a 12 feet (3.7 m) deep, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) long canal c. 1833, adjacent to the site of the later Dundee Canal. It operated the short canal for a few years. [1]

In 1857 the New Jersey Legislature authorized the company to raise the water level of the dam, and this action flooded adjacent areas and created Dundee Lake. [3] The flooding of various properties led to calls by area manufacturers and other community members to make the canal into a navigable waterway. This would have been an unusual combination of uses for a single canal.

The DMC, which had reorganized in 1850, built the Dundee Canal between 1858 and 1861. This canal was not financially successful for navigation, and the company went into receivership in 1864. It reorganized as the Dundee Water Power and Land Company (DWPLC) in 1872, and the company's new emphasis on supplying water and selling land was more lucrative.

The Dundee Canal's reliable water supply (both for power and manufacturing processes), and the availability of railroad service in the area (from branch lines that became part of the Erie Railroad) attracted manufacturing businesses to Passaic for the next several decades. The population in Passaic doubled between 1860 and 1880 (to 6,500). Several large textile mills were founded, including the Botany Worsted Mills, established in 1889. [4] By 1900 the city population was 25,000.

With increased urban development in the late 19th century, the canal water became dirtier and therefore less usable by the adjoining textile mills, but the water source was still useful for other industries, such as rubber and paper manufacturing, as well as for fire protection. [4]

20th century

Industrial use of the canal declined significantly during the Great Depression, and woolen manufacturing also declined. The canal continued to accumulate a large quantity of trash, and in the late 1930s the City of Passaic leased a portion of the canal, installed a culvert and paved it over, for parking lots and other public uses. After World War II ownership of the canal changed several times. A group of investors bought the DWPLC in 1946, and the company was sold to the Hackensack Water Company in 1974. Much of the remainder of the canal was destroyed starting in 1997, as the moribund waterway was used to extend the New Jersey Route 21 freeway and replace the old surface route over city streets. The canal bed was filled and used as a foundation for the highway from approximately its headwaters to Dayton Avenue. [4]

Dundee Canal Industrial Historic District

Dundee Canal NJ 109129pv.jpg
Location map of Passaic County, New Jersey.svg
Red pog.svg
USA New Jersey location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Nearest city Passaic, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°52′25″N74°7′12″W / 40.87361°N 74.12000°W / 40.87361; -74.12000
Area66 acres (27 ha)
Built1858
ArchitectKick, Ludwig; et al.
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Functional industrial
NRHP reference No. 98001640 [5]
NJRHP No.2351 [6]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1999
Designated NJRHPNovember 5, 1998

The Dundee Canal Industrial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1999. The district comprises the canal and several former textile mills, including the Botany Worsted Mills; the Acquackanonk Water Company Site; and related structures. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Route 21</span> State highway in northern New Jersey, US

Route 21 is a state highway in northern New Jersey, running 14.35 mi (23.09 km) from the Newark Airport Interchange with U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1-9) and US 22 in Newark, Essex County to an interchange with US 46 in Clifton, Passaic County. The route is a four- to six-lane divided highway known as McCarter Highway on its southern portion in Newark that serves as a connector between the Newark and Paterson areas, following the west bank of the Passaic River for much of its length. It also serves as the main north–south highway through the central part of Newark, connecting attractions in Downtown Newark with Newark Airport. The portion of Route 21 through Newark is a surface arterial that runs alongside the elevated Northeast Corridor rail line through the southern part of the city and continues north through Downtown Newark while the portion north of Downtown Newark is a freeway. Route 21 intersects many major roads including Interstate 78 (I-78), Route 27, and I-280 in Newark, Route 7 in Belleville, and Route 3 in Clifton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passaic, New Jersey</span> City in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Passaic is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality, with a population of 70,537, falling behind Bayonne, an increase of 756 (+1.1%) from the 2010 census count of 69,781, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,920 residents (+2.8%) from the 2000 census population of 67,861. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 69,128 in 2022, ranking the city the 546th-most-populous in the country. Among cities with more than 50,000 people, Passaic was the fifth-most-densely-populated municipality in the United States, with more than 22,000 people per square mile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passaic River</span> River in New Jersey, United States

The Passaic River is a river, approximately 80 miles (130 km) long, in Northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburban northern New Jersey, called the Great Swamp, draining much of the northern portion of the state through its tributaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Falls (Passaic River)</span> National Historical Park of the United States

The Great Falls of the Passaic River is a prominent waterfall, 77 feet (23 m) high, on the Passaic River in the city of Paterson in Passaic County, New Jersey. The falls and surrounding area are protected as part of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, administered by the National Park Service. The Congress authorized its establishment in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures</span>

The Society for Establishing Useful Manufactures (S.U.M.) or Society for the Establishment of Useful Manufactures was a private state-sponsored corporation founded in 1791 to promote industrial development along the Passaic River in New Jersey in the United States. The company's management of the Great Falls of the Passaic River as a powersource for grist mills resulted in the growth of Paterson as one of the first industrial centers in the United States. Under the society's long-term management of the falls, the industrialization of the area passed through three great waves, centered first on cotton, then steel, and finally silk, over the course of over 150 years. The venture is considered by historians to have been a forerunner for many public–private partnerships in later decades in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Canal</span> Canal in New Jersey

The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a 107-mile (172 km) common carrier anthracite coal canal across northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals in Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its western terminus at Phillipsburg, New Jersey to New York Harbor and New York City through its eastern terminals in Newark and on the Hudson River in Jersey City. The canal was sometimes called the Morris and Essex Canal, in error, due to confusion with the nearby and unrelated Morris and Essex Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusta Canal</span> United States historic place

The Augusta Canal is a historic canal located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. The canal is fed by the Savannah River and passes through three levels in suburban and urban Augusta before the water returns to the river at various locations. It was devised to harness the water power at the fall line of the Savannah River to drive mills, to provide transportation of goods, and to provide a municipal water supply. It is the only canal in the US in continuous use for its original purposes of providing power, transport, and municipal water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acquackanonk Township, New Jersey</span> Township in New Jersey, United States

Acquackanonk Township was a township that existed in New Jersey, United States, from 1693 until 1917, first in Essex County and then in Passaic County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ringwood Manor</span> United States historic place

Ringwood Manor, located in Passaic County, New Jersey, was the site of an ironworks and home to a number of well-known ironmasters from the 1740s to the late 19th century. The current manor house was not built until 1807.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark Thread Company Historic District</span> Historic district in New Jersey, United States

The Clark Thread Company Historic District, located at 900 Passaic Avenue, East Newark, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, is a large mill complex. Begun in 1875, it was a major manufacturing site of the Clark Thread Company, the world's leading manufacturer of sewing thread, until 1935. The complex was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1978 for this association. It now functions as an industrial park housing a diversity of businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Highlands Dam</span>

North Highlands Dam is a structure on the Chattahoochee River at the northern edge of the Columbus, Georgia, United States. It is approximately 4.2 miles (6.8 km) north of 9th Avenue in downtown Columbus. The dam was built in 1899 to provide power for the former Bibb City Mill. It was one of the first large dams constructed in the South. The North Highlands Dam was owned by the Columbus Electric and Power Company, until that utility was purchased by Georgia Power in 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1926 Passaic textile strike</span> Labor action in New Jersey, U.S.

The 1926 Passaic textile strike was a work stoppage by over 15,000 woolen mill workers in and around Passaic, New Jersey, over wage issues in several factories in the vicinity. Conducted in its initial phase by a "United Front Committee" organized by the Trade Union Educational League of the Workers (Communist) Party, the strike began on January 25, 1926, and officially ended only on March 1, 1927, when the final mill being picketed signed a contract with the striking workers. It was the first Communist-led work stoppage in the United States. The event was memorialized by a seven reel silent movie intended to generate sympathy and funds for the striking workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NX Bridge</span> Bridge in Newark and Kearny, Northeastern New Jersey

The NX Draw is an out-of-service railroad bridge on the Passaic River between Newark and Kearny, New Jersey. It is the 13th bridge from the river's mouth at Newark Bay and is 6.5 miles (10.5 km) upstream from it. The bascule bridge, built by the Erie Railroad and once part of its Newark Branch, has been abandoned in the raised position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winooski Falls Mill District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Winooski Falls Mill District is located along the Winooski River in the cities of Winooski and Burlington, Vermont, in the United States of America. It encompasses a major industrial area that developed around two sets of falls on the river in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belleville Turnpike Bridge</span> Bridge in North Arlington, in New Jersey

The Belleville Turnpike Bridge is a vehicular moveable bridge spanning the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey 8.9 miles (14.3 km) from its river mouth at Newark Bay. Also known as Rutgers Street Bridge and Route 7 Bridge, it is the fourth fixed crossing to be built at the location, today the tripoint of the municipal and county lines of Belleville in Essex, Kearny in Hudson, and North Arlington in Bergen. Commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, which owns and operates it, the vertical lift bridge opened in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monadnock Mills</span> United States historic place

The Monadnock Mills are a historic mill complex in Claremont, New Hampshire. They extend along the southern bank of the Sugar River on both sides of Water Street, between the Broad Street bridge to the east, and the junction of Main and Water Streets in the west, where they abut the industrial area formerly associated with the Sullivan Machinery Company; there also a small number of surviving elements on the north side of the river opposite this area. The complex represents the surviving elements of what was once the largest manufacturing complex in the upper Connecticut River watershed area, and one of its oldest. The mills were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Many of its buildings have been repurposed to other uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eighth Street Bridge (Passaic River)</span> Bridge in Passaic and Wallington, New Jersey

Eighth Street Bridge is a road bridge over the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey, United States. It connects the City of Passaic in Passaic County with the Borough of Wallington in Bergen County and is jointly owned by both counties. The bridge connects Eighth Street in Passaic with County Route 507 in Wallington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Avenue Bridge</span> Bridge in Passaic & Wallington, New Jersey

Gregory Avenue Bridge, earlier known as the Main Avenue Bridge, is road bridge over the Passaic River in northeastern New Jersey, United States. It is the 7th bridge to be built at the river crossing. Originally built in 1905 as a moveable bridge, it has been in a fixed closed position since 1985. A four lane road carries traffic between Passaic & Wallington at the Passaic and Bergen county line.

References

  1. 1 2 Raber, Michael S. (March 1986). "Dundee Canal, Headgates, Guardlock & Uppermost Section" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  2. Conservation Resources, Inc. (2010). "Dundee Park Riverfront Greenway: Historic Dundee Dam." Archived June 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2011-10-03.
  3. "Dundee Water-Power Company; Property Owners Along the Passaic Want to Enforce Its Charter". New York Times. August 4, 1881.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Marvin A.; Scheerer, E. Madeleine (December 1997). "Dundee Canal Industrial Historic District" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  6. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places-Passaic County" (PDF). New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection, Historic Preservation Office. September 6, 2011. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2014.