Canal Towns: Farmington

Farmington was a central hub for the planning and development of the canal. An early concept, predating the canal itself, emerged in 1820 to divert the Farmington River south towards New Haven harbor. On January 29, 1822, a pivotal meeting of citizens from 17 towns convened in Farmington to form an investigative committee. Local residents, including Timothy Pitkin, Solomon Cowles, Lemuel Whitman, and Deacon Edward Hooker, were appointed to confer with New Haven's committee. The first meeting of the canal's charter commissioners was also held in Farmington on July 8, 1822. When surveys began, renowned engineer Benjamin Wright started taking levels at the Farmington bridge in August 1823. A significant local debate ensued over the "Eastern route," passing through the village, and a "Western route." Although initial surveys suggested the Western route was cheaper, Superintendent James Hillhouse confirmed in November 1825 that the Eastern route was adopted, stating it was less expensive and shorter by over two miles.

The most prominent canal feature in Farmington was the 280-foot-long aqueduct built to carry the waterway over the Farmington River. This structure was frequently damaged; its wing walls and east pier were reported cracked from the weight of the embankment after a freshet in 1828, and it suffered further damage in floods in 1841 and 1843. The canal was watered by a navigable feeder from the Farmington River, which had its own dam. This dam was also a point of failure, being partially or half carried away by freshets in 1828, 1839, and 1841. The town featured several basins, including "Pitkin's Basin" in the village, and the "Yellow Store Basin" (also called the North Basin) in the town center, which served as a departure point for fishing expeditions.

Several Farmington residents are noted in the canal's history. Deacon Edward Hooker meticulously chronicled canal events in his diary, detailing breaches and the launch of the first boat. This boat, the James Hillhouse, was launched on June 20, 1828, at Pitkin's Basin and was owned by local proprietors Messrs. Cowles and Dickinson. Gad Cowles, along with Samuel Deming, was appointed by the directors to oversee repairs to the aqueduct embankment in 1828. Professor John Pitkin Norton of Yale was known to organize "jolly" fishing trips that embarked from the Yellow Store Basin.

The launch of the James Hillhouse on June 20, 1828 was a major event, with 200 ladies and gentlemen taking an inaugural trip over the new aqueduct accompanied by the "Phoenix Band" and cannon fire. Another "notable day" occurred on November 12, 1828, when the first boats arrived from other towns: the Enterprise from Ithaca, NY, the Weatogue from Simsbury, and the New England from New Haven, which was greeted by the Farmington band. However, the canal banks in Farmington were notoriously unstable. A serious breach in June 1828 required 80 to 100 men and 50 yoke of oxen to repair. The most dramatic event took place during the great flood of October 1843, when a high embankment near the town center gave way, sweeping a loaded canal boat into the raging Farmington River, where it sank.