D – South Hadley Public Library and its Park

[Park in the South Hadley Library parking lot.  Walk into either the library or the northern attached park as you wish.]

VIDEO and Panoramic Video

The South Hadley Library and its attached park sometimes have a view of the wooden dam of 1848 but in winter you can notice its affect on the ice flow pattern since it stops most ice.  From the central stairwell of the library notice the view down the spine of the granite dam.  Near the door of the History Room on the second floor check out the schematic of the Holyoke Dam technical drawing.  This History Room has some information on the dam.  The wooden dam had its back constructed in 1848 (completed October 22 1849) and its large front apron constructed in 1855.  It crossed the Connecticut River fully but had a gatehouse in Holyoke to divert water into the Holyoke Canal System and a double spillway in South Hadley Navigation Canal to lead water into the navigational South Hadley Canal and into the Bardwell Industrial Canal.

Check out the park since you can have a close view of the many features of the dam.  See the double gatehouses to the right.