Unionville has used Farmington River water power since the late 1700s. The first dam, built circa 1780, was just 200 yards upstream from the Route 4 bridge. The canal from this dam was on the west side of the river and was used to power Richard's Mill, which is still standing. Unionville's early industrial growth was limited due to its lack of a modern transportation system. That changed in 1828 when the Unionville Feeder Canal was opened. This canal, which provided most of the water for the Farmington Canal, was also constructed as a transportation canal. Barges were able to dock downstream of the South Main Street bridge. Unionville could now import raw materials and export finished goods to the seaport at New Haven or north to the Upper Connecticut River Valley. The increasing demand for water power resulted in a larger crib dam being constructed 300 yards upstream from the first. This dam, completed in 1832, was much taller and included a significant canal system with a holding basin for the east side of the river. The railroad arrived in 1850, and increased the demand for water power. In 1856 James Cowles built a new dam further upstream. This dam went through several upgrades to increase capacity. It was a wide gravity dam. They called it, the "Big Dam".
The Flood of 1955 eliminated most of the Big Dam, and virtually all the dams downstream. This Historical Marker is an information kiosk located 50 yards from the west abutment and wing-wall of the Big Dam. It was placed directly on the earthen dam that separated the railroad tracks from the large reservoir. The earthen dam is over 1,000 feet long and rises 10 feet above the floodplain. The east abutment for the Big Dam can also be seen across the Farmington River, along with 500 feet of the power canal that went into Unionville.
A number of industries developed. Paper production was the largest. There were also industries producing metal products, wooden furniture, as well as saw and grist mills.
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