Dedham Manufacturing Company/B.B.& R. Knight Mill Dam on Mother Brook, Dedham, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 14.800 W 071° 08.000
19T E 324002 N 4679367
The dam at this location is at the fifth and lowest water privilege along Mother Brook, and is the site where cotton and woolen textiles were manufactured.
Waymark Code: WM3NVM
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2008
Views: 37
The dam is lowest of at one time five dams along Mother Brook in Dedham (three survive today). The dam was built for the Dedham Manufacturing Company, owned by James Read. The Boston neighborhood of Readville is named for him. James Read built one of the earliest cotton textile mills in the country; it was established in 1814, after Slater's mills in Pawtucket, and about the same time as the Boston Manufacturing Mills in Waltham. The mill changed names over time to Smithfield Mills and then B. B. & R. Knight Mills. The dam is located within the current boundary of the city of Boston (when it was built it was within the town of Dedham), along River Street, about a 1/10 mile east of the intersection of River Street and Turtle Pond Parkway. The closest parking lot is near this intersection (the lot at the dam is privately owned).
Today, a remnant of one of the brick mills buildings (built much later than the original mill) exists as apartments. There is an access road which is an extention of Knight Street (not passable by automobile), where people can walk to and over the dam. The pond upstream extends beyond the River Street bridge, but is not more than a half mile long. Though people do fish on the stream, in general, it is not recommended. There are no other recreational activities available on the brook or pond, though there are athletic fields and walking paths nearby.
The dam today is a reinforced concrete structure with a sloping spillway where the water cascades gently and reforms the brook below. There is also a walkway with railings over the dam.
Mother Brook, itself brook that is supplemented by water from the Charles River via a canal that was dug in 1639. The water diverted from the Charles River provided additional water power for the mills on this brook.
Waterway where the dam is located: Mother Brook
Main use of the Water Dam: Other
Material used in the structure: masonry
Height of Dam: About 5 feet
Date built: 01/01/1814
Fishing Allowed: yes
Motor Sports Allowed: Not Listed
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