Lock 12
Cheshire, United States
In the early 1800's, the Farmington Canal was built between Northampton and New haven; Irish immigrants dug the canal by hand. <br> The Canal locks controlled the flow of the water to compensate for the slope of the land. Farmers living nearby would answer the barge captain's horn, coming to maneuver the locks. Flat-bottomed boats were pulled by mules walking alongside the canal. <br> The barges carried goods and passengers between ports; a trip from New Haven to Cheshire cost sixty-two cents and took nearly five hours. Local children enjoyed swimming and skating on the canal. <br> It has been reported that in 1839, the <i>Amistad</i> slaves were transported on the canal from the New Haven prison to Farmington. Horsecarts then carried them to the courthouse in Hartford for trial. <br> The canal operated from 1828 to 1848; trains then became the preferred form of transportation. Lock 12 is the only restored lock remaining today. <br> <br> Composed by the Doolittle Elementary School Student Volunteers