07/16/2023
This week’s post of this page’s new series, ‘Tour the Town’, is focused on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Information regarding the trail and its history is down below. Check back in every week for a new location and make sure to recommend the place you want to see next in the comments!
Overview
The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail runs next to the Farmington Canal in Connecticut
and the Hampshire and Hampden Canal in Massachusetts. In total, it is 81.2 miles long and goes from New Haven, Connecticut, all the way up to Northampton, Massachusetts. Almost all of the trail is paved and attracts thousands of people each day. Out of the canal’s previous 28 locks, only one lock remains today. Lock 12 in Cheshire, Connecticut is the only restored lock along the original canal line and is incorporated into the Lock 12 Historical Park. Located in southern Cheshire, the area includes a parking lot, bathrooms, a small museum, a basketball court, and a dirt trail. While there, you can step directly off the trail and see the large, old, wooden gates along the cobble-lined canal that once carried boats across Connecticut. The flat-bottomed barges carried goods and passengers between ports and were pulled by mules alongside the canal. A trip from New Haven to Cheshire cost sixty-two cents ($21.50) and took nearly 5 hours.
In total, the trail (the part in Cheshire) has 4 parking lots and 3 bathrooms (different locations).
History
The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is built on the former New Haven and Northampton
Company (NH&N) railbed which was constructed adjacent to the Farmington Canal. It stretches along the Farmington Canal in Connecticut as well as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal in Massachusetts. The history of this canal first dates back to 1821, when a group of New Haven businessmen came together to build a canal which ended up taking 10 years to complete. By 1828, the first sections of the canal were in use. By 1835, the canal was officially fully open. The canal had a solid impact on local businesses and industries which helped smaller towns like Cheshire grow. The most prominent factory in Cheshire was Ball & Socket, one of the largest metal button manufacturing at its peak. Now, it is being renovated into a hub of creative activity to go along with retail spots. [More info regarding Ball & Socket Arts is at the bottom of this post]. 1847 was the last full year the canal company did business, as the next-door rail had become the more cost and time-efficient transportation option. The ownership of the canal and railway switched hands many times which included NH&N, NH, Penn Central, Conrail, and finally Guilford, who abandoned segments of the line throughout the 1980s. The Connecticut Department of Transportation then purchased most of the line for railbanking purposes. The process of railbanking is the act of buying and preserving railroads for possible future use. Then, in 1991, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), provided states the ability to utilize federal funds to finance the restoration of neglected railroads in rail trails. Work on converting unused sections of the line began in the early 1990s, with the first sections of the trail opening in 1993. Now it has transformed into a popular trail with thousands of people using it daily.
Ball & Socket Arts
Averaging 2.5 million gross tons per year at its peak, Ball & Socket became one of the
world’s largest manufacturers of metal buttons. For many years, it was the largest employer in Cheshire and brought about many economic benefits. After 144 years in business, however, changing markets brought an end to its manufacturing in 1994. The property was then sold to Dalton Enterprises, who owned it until Ball & Socket Arts bought it back in 2014. Ball & Socket Arts is a non-profit group of Cheshire residents whose goal is to transform the old button factory into a hub of creative activity to go along with retail spots. “It was designed to be a place where art and community could come together, while also supporting new and existing local businesses.” Currently, Sweet Claude’s Ice Cream is the first business to move in, with Artsplace projected to move in, in 2024. For more information, please head to ballandsocket.org
Trail Rules & Etiquette
- Park open from sunrise to sunset.
- Dogs must be on a leash and restricted at all times to the right of the path.
- Animal waste must be cleaned up and disposed of.
- No horses, skateboards or unauthorized vehicles allowed.
- Park users must stop and yield at all intersections.
- Stay on the right when using the 10 foot wide paved path.
- Passing is allowed, give an audible warning and pass safely.
- The trail is not a speedway. Max speed is 10mph.
- Please be considerate of Park users and use common courtesy on the trail.
Please note that not all posts will be this long or include this many photos. The trail is extremely long and old which gave it the ability to provide a lot of material.
Just as a disclaimer, this account is not run through the town of Cheshire and merely posts images of it. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the town, please head to cheshirect.org
Also check out our account on Instagram: town_of_cheshire
