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| Origins Route Sites Operations Boats Stories Credits Epitaph |
North Gorham Pond North Gorham Pond is a popular spot with a wonderful view and several good places to swim. The pond was enlarged when the Presumpscot was damned at Steep Falls. As we have seen at Gambo, Dundee and other spots, this event also acted to preserve and protect segments of the canal. The downside is, it hid them from our sight. Such is the price of progress. But sometimes, circumstances converge to allow a brief glimpse into history. Such an event happened at North Gorham Pond in 1973. In 1973, North Gorham Pond was drained to allow inspection and repair to
the dam. This gave historians a short time to inspect, photograph and measure the Harding
Lock, which had been covered by the pond. Due to the protection provided by the water,
much of Harding was still intact. The lock was of common construction, wooden sides and
bottom were ballasted by stones laid dry. The plan and layout of The Harding Lock is shown
below. This was the general plan used at all the locks with the only variations being the
drop, 8 or 10 feet and the quality of the stone used. The guard locks and Sand Bank lock,
now under Dundee Pond, were all of cut granite. The remainder were of dry laid stone or
loose rubble. |
When the pond was drained, Ernest Knight
photographed the area to document the path of the canal. We are fortunate to have some of
those photos. They give us a chance to see beneathh the water and back in time. The first image shows the remnants of the towpath running from
upper right towards the lower center of the picture. The canal bed, still submerged is
visible. This picture can be compared with an image shot from almost the same angle in the
Fall of 1998. The second image is of the downstream end of the Harding Lock. The laid stone walls are clearly visible,
as are some of the timbers and iron for the gates seen at the bottom of the lock prism. The Cumberland and Oxford ran across what is now North Gorham Pond and
passed through Great Falls Lock before working it's way into the woods and on to the
Whipple Lock. Most of Great Falls lock is gone buried under the Great Falls power station
Although a sliver of the lock can be seen behind the station next to a small group of
trees. From Westbrook take Route 25 west to Route 237 at Mosher Corner. Follow Route 237 6 or
7 miles to The North Gorham Road on the right. Take the North Gorham road about 3 miles to
North Gorham Pond. This route follows the track of the canal quite closely through Little
Falls. From North Gorham Pond we can travel back towards the guard locks and basin and see
some well preserved remains. So lets move on to the Middle Jam Lock. |
