The Glorious Ruins of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine

Out and About for the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine Aug. 25-31
August 24, 2011
Out and About for the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine Sept. 1-7
August 31, 2011

The Glorious Ruins of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in the Sebago Lakes Region of Maine


Songo Lock in Naples,  the only working lock that remains of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal
Throughout the Lakes Regions of Maine reflections of the past are evident, including remnants of the Cumberland and Oxford Canal.

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Moving timber and produce by wagon from the Sebago Lakes Region to Portland for export was slow and difficult during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1821, a group of merchants received a charter to construct a canal route from Waterford in Oxford County, through Sebago Lake to Portland. After years of difficulty raising funds, construction finally began in 1828 and the canal opened on June 1, 1830.
An elevation difference of 260 feet between the inlet at Sebago Lake and the guard lock at Portland’s waterfront was handled with a design that called for a pitch of one foot for every mile. Twenty-seven locks also helped boats move from one level to the next.
The 64-foot boats were ten feet wide, had masts that were hinged and could be dropped on the canal and raised on lakes and two drop keels or centerboards to keep the boats stable.
Boats were towed by horses that walked along a towpath beside the canal. Once the canal boats reached the Sebago Basin in Windham, they would leave the dug canal. Masts were raised and sails hoisted. Boats were poled from the Basin to White’s Bridge and then sailed across Sebago Lake to the Songo River. They had to be poled up the river to Brandy Pond and then they could sail on to Long Lake (aka Long Pond), reaching the towns of Naples, Bridgton and Harrison. The section from Harrison up to Waterford was never completed.
It wasn’t long before the railroad became a quicker way to transport goods. The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad put the Cumberland and Oxford Canal out of business after railroad construction in 1870.
Sections of The Cumberland and Oxford Canal are still visible in the Sebago Lakes Region.
Several sites are most easily accessed from the vicinity of the Gambo Recreational Area/Mountain Division Trail in Windham. This area is part of the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, and you can explore the canal, including locks and portions with stone lining. You’ll also see parts of the mill raceway and  stone foundations of several gunpowder mill buildings, including a round millhouse. Informative interpretive signs aid exploration. Of particular historical note, the Oriental Powder Mills furnished at least ¼ of the gunpowder used by Union forces during the Civil War.
Mountain Division Trail – Presumpscot River Bridge. 
Take the Mountain Division Trail northwest toward Standish/Fryeburg. In less than a half-mile, you will be on the old railroad bridge over the Presumpscot River. Look to the far side of the Presumpscot River and you’ll see stretches of the towpath of the canal. These portions are slightly underwater, due to the hydroelectric dam that replaced the earlier mill dam, thus raising the water level. Cross the railroad bridge to the other side of the river. You can see where the railroad crosses the canal.
Little Falls, Gorham. 
Look for Towpath Road. Park at the Gorham Rod & Gun Club. Follow Towpath Road on foot or bicycle to the end. The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust maintains a scenic trail along a portion of the canal towpath.
Route 35, Standish. 
Immediately after the Presumpscot River bridge on Route 35, turn right into the unpaved parking lot. Walk back up to the canal bridge for an extended view.  Only the view is publicly accessible; the canal land itself is privately owned.
Songo Lock. 
From Route 302 turn onto State Park Road. After about three miles you’ll come to the single-lane bridge over the Songo River. Parking for the Songo Lock is to your left.
The Songo Lock is the only working lock (as well as the only reasonably intact lock) remaining. While it was substantially reconstructed in 1911, with concrete instead of stone, larger width and upgraded water control mechanisms, the wooden gates are still people-powered and a State Park warden serves as lock keeper.
You can enjoy searching for these glorious ruins and then spend some time searching for a cabin, cottage, camp or condo on the waterfront. Check out all the current lakefront property listings on Sebago Lake by clicking on the green box above.

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