The Middlesex Canal Association of North Billerica, Mass., has published an in-depth paper about Boston area tide mills in its long-running periodical, Towpath Topics. The paper, by Tide Mill Institute founder and Dorchester Historical Society president Earl Taylor, describes tide mill sites from Revere to Quincy, Mass., including Boston. The paper also places the tide mills in historical context and discusses why use of tide power faded away. Link to paper in Towpath Topics.
Taylor will deliver a related presentation, Tide Mills: How They Worked and Where They Were Located, at the canal association’s meeting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, at the Middlesex Canal Museum and Visitor Center in North Billerica. Link to museum website.
The Middlesex Canal Association was established in 1962 to preserve, restore and educate the public about the 27-mile-long historic Middlesex Canal, which once connected today’s Lowell, Mass., to Boston. The canal operated from 1803 to 1853, and some portions of the canal are still visible.