
Damming the Charles River
10/06/24 • 60 min
The construction of Boston’s Charles River Dam was a monumental project that transformed the tidal estuary of the Back Bay into a fresh-water basin, providing a 20th century solution to problems that the city inherited from the 19th, including issues with industrial waste, sanitation, and general public distaste for the acres of mudflats that were exposed at low tide. Temporary floodgates closed on October 20, 1908, which marked the first separation of the waters of Boston Harbor from the Back Bay’s brackish salt marsh. In the lead-up to this moment, earthen dams were constructed on both sides of the river, with a lock allowing boats to pass through the dam on the Boston side and a sluiceway to regulate water levels in the upstream basin on the Cambridge side. A temporary wooden dam was built to close the center of the river, allowing for the construction of a permanent dam made of dirt and rock. Despite facing opposition and challenges, the dam was successfully completed in 1910, resulting in the creation of the Charles River Basin, the Esplanade, and some of Boston’s most iconic sites for outdoor recreation.
Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/311/
Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/
Damming the Charles River
- “A Resume of the Charles River Basin Project,” Harvard Engineering Journal, January 1907
- “Closing the Charles River Dam,” Harvard Engineering Journal, November 1908
- “Some Pile Driving Experiments in Connection with the Construction of the Charles River Dam,” Harvard Engineering Journal, November 1907
- Annual Reports of the Charles River Basin Commission, 1903-1910
- William B. de las Casas. “The Boston Metropolitan Park System.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 35, no. 2, 1910
- News Reports
- Harvard Crimson, March 27, 1901: Hearing Friday for the Dam Near Craigie Bridge
- Harvard Crimson, March 15, 1902: Final Dam Hearing
- Springfield weekly Republican, July 31, 1903: formation of the basin commission
- Harvard Crimson, November 29, 1904: details of Charles River Dam
- Harvard Crimson, October 25, 1906: progress of the Charles River Dam
- Boston Evening Transcript, Jan 17, 1908: building the new L bridge
- Boston Evening Transcript, Sep 05, 1908: earthen dam nearly complete
- The Boston Globe, Sep 17, 1908: increase in boating accidents
- Boston Evening Transcript, Oct 12, 1908: Cambridge asks for an extension
- Boston Evening Transcript, Oct 16, 1908: sand and gravel company sues
- The Boston Globe, Oct 20, 1908: front page coverage of the dam closing
- Boston Evening Transcript, Oct 20, 1908: front page coverage of the dam closing
- Harvard Crimson, October 21, 1908: Charles River Dam Closed
- The Boston Globe, Oct 23, 1908: basin slow to fill with fresh water
- Boston Evening Transcript, Dec 09, 1908: the USS Constitution won’t fit
- Springfield Weekly Republican, December 02, 1909: stocking fish in the basin
- The Cambridge Tribune, 9 April 1910: tourin...
The construction of Boston’s Charles River Dam was a monumental project that transformed the tidal estuary of the Back Bay into a fresh-water basin, providing a 20th century solution to problems that the city inherited from the 19th, including issues with industrial waste, sanitation, and general public distaste for the acres of mudflats that were exposed at low tide. Temporary floodgates closed on October 20, 1908, which marked the first separation of the waters of Boston Harbor from the Back Bay’s brackish salt marsh. In the lead-up to this moment, earthen dams were constructed on both sides of the river, with a lock allowing boats to pass through the dam on the Boston side and a sluiceway to regulate water levels in the upstream basin on the Cambridge side. A temporary wooden dam was built to close the center of the river, allowing for the construction of a permanent dam made of dirt and rock. Despite facing opposition and challenges, the dam was successfully completed in 1910, resulting in the creation of the Charles River Basin, the Esplanade, and some of Boston’s most iconic sites for outdoor recreation.
Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/311/
Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/
Damming the Charles River
- “A Resume of the Charles River Basin Project,” Harvard Engineering Journal, January 1907
- “Closing the Charles River Dam,” Harvard Engineering Journal, November 1908
- “Some Pile Driving Experiments in Connection with the Construction of the Charles River Dam,” Harvard Engineering Journal, November 1907
- Annual Reports of the Charles River Basin Commission, 1903-1910
- William B. de las Casas. “The Boston Metropolitan Park System.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 35, no. 2, 1910
- News Reports
- Harvard Crimson, March 27, 1901: Hearing Friday for the Dam Near Craigie Bridge
- Harvard Crimson, March 15, 1902: Final Dam Hearing
- Springfield weekly Republican, July 31, 1903: formation of the basin commission
- Harvard Crimson, November 29, 1904: details of Charles River Dam
- Harvard Crimson, October 25, 1906: progress of the Charles River Dam
- Boston Evening Transcript, Jan 17, 1908: building the new L bridge
- Boston Evening Transcript, Sep 05, 1908: earthen dam nearly complete
- The Boston Globe, Sep 17, 1908: increase in boating accidents
- Boston Evening Transcript, Oct 12, 1908: Cambridge asks for an extension
- Boston Evening Transcript, Oct 16, 1908: sand and gravel company sues
- The Boston Globe, Oct 20, 1908: front page coverage of the dam closing
- Boston Evening Transcript, Oct 20, 1908: front page coverage of the dam closing
- Harvard Crimson, October 21, 1908: Charles River Dam Closed
- The Boston Globe, Oct 23, 1908: basin slow to fill with fresh water
- Boston Evening Transcript, Dec 09, 1908: the USS Constitution won’t fit
- Springfield Weekly Republican, December 02, 1909: stocking fish in the basin
- The Cambridge Tribune, 9 April 1910: tourin...
Previous Episode

The Great September Gale
September 22nd marks the anniversary of a storm. 209 years ago today, the wind was building over the sea off Boston while the skies grew dark with clouds. The next day, the strongest hurricane in generations slammed into the New England coast, causing devastation on Boston Harbor, in city streets, and in fields and forests all around the region. The storm is remembered as the Great September Gale, and it had wide-ranging effects, causing everything from a collapse in the local glass industry to a construction boom to an acceleration in westward migration from Boston and New England.
Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/310/
Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/
The Great September Gale
- “An Account of the Violent and Destructive Storm of the 23rd of September 1815,” by John Farrar, The Quarterly journal of literature, science and the arts, Volume 7
- “For the North-American Journal. Account of the September Storms.” The North-American Review and Miscellaneous Journal, vol. 2, no. 4, 1815
- Pages From an Old Volume of Life, by Oliver Wendell Holmes
- “The September Gale,” by Oliver Wendell Holmes
- Hartford Courant, Wed, Sep 27, 1815 (quotes the Sept 23 Boston Gazette)
- The (Greenfield MA) Recorder, Tue, Oct 03, 1815 (quotes the Sept 25 Boston Gazette)
- The (New York) Evening Post, Wed, Sep 27, 1815 (quotes the Sept 25 Boston Gazette)
- The New Hampshire Gazette, Oct 03, 1815
- “Boston’s First Glass Works,” The Boston Globe, Sun, Jun 25, 1899
- Historic Storms of New England, by Sidney Perley
- A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston, by Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff
- Good old Dorchester: a narrative history of the town, 1630-1893,
by Orcutt, William Dana - Early American hurricanes, 1492-1870, by David M. Ludlum
- 200th Anniversary of the Great September Gale
Next Episode

Boston’s Spooky Sea Serpent
In this episode, we dive into the lasting folklore of Boston’s sea serpent, a supposedly true tale rooted in the early colonial history of New England. The story begins with a dubious 1639 account, continues through repeated sightings in the early 1800s, and extends into the 20th century. From the beginning, skeptics poked holes in accounts of the serpent, even when the scientific Linnaean Society fell for the story hook, line, and sinker. However, the idea of a sea monster on Massachusetts shores helped transform Nahant into a summer tourist destination, drawing curious visitors eager to spot the serpent and keeping the legend alive for a century.
Full show notes: http://HUBhistory.com/312/
Support us: http://patreon.com/HUBhistory/
The Boston Harbor Sea Serpent
hoax photo " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/a2437-little-neck-sea-serpent.jpg?fit=300%2C183&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.hubhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/a2437-little-neck-sea-serpent.jpg?fit=660%2C403&ssl=1" tabindex="0" role="button" /> George Dexter’s hoax photo From Samuel Adams Drake’s book From Ballou’s- More pics from Ballou’s are coming when the Internet Archive is back online
- New England Legends and Folk-Lore, by Samuel Adams Drake
- An account of two voyages to New-England, by John Josselyn
- Brown, Chandos Michael. “A Natural History of the Gloucester Sea Serpent: Knowledge, Power, and the Culture of Science in Antebellum America.” American Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 3, 1990
- Erickson, Evarts. “When New England Saw The Serpent.” American Heritage, Volume 7, Issue 3, April 1956
- “Report of a committee of the Linnæan society of New England, relative to a large marine animal, supposed to be a serpent, seen near Cape Ann, Massachusetts, in August 1817”
- Fish Experts Study Rare Deep-Sea Oarfish in the Lab
- News Stories
- The (Greenfield) Recorder, Tue, Aug 06, 1822
- New England Farmer, Wed, Jul 03, 1833
- Boston Post, Mon, Jul 08, 1833
- Boston Post, Tue, Jun 29, 1841
- Boston Post, Mon, Jul 05, 1841
- The Springfield Daily Republican, Wed, May 24, 1854
- Springfield Weekly Republican, Sat, Sep 14, 1839
- New England Farmer, Sat, Jul 05, 1851
- Boston Evening Transcript, Mon, Aug 16, 1858
- The Boston Globe, Thu, Nov 15, 1923
- The Boston Globe, Thu, Jul 19, 1877
- “Sea-Serpent Exposed as Sunning Shark,” Harvard Crimson, November 17, 1970
- Past Spooky Episodes
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/hub-history-our-favorite-stories-from-boston-history-6039/damming-the-charles-river-75716859"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to damming the charles river on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy