As spring's waters subside, Blackberry Dam work begins

NORTH CANAAN — Spring’s high water is roaring through an old turbine pipe and over the Industrial Monument Dam on the Blackberry River. When the river settles down, the last week or two of restoration work there will be completed.A downstream bridge, which leads to walking trails (and two homes), is also being repaired. The Friends of Beckley Furnace, credited with the furnace preservation project and acquisition of the old paymaster’s building on Lower Road as an educational center, is continuing to highlight the historical aspects of the state’s only industrial monument and now the dam with that name. Planned for this summer is a display of the two turbines rescued from the dam.The property is owned by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which makes it officially a state park. But for locals and those touring for the historical aspect, it is a delightful place to come on a summer’s day; a pretty little park with the intrigue of history about it.The dam was built well over a century ago to power first a waterwheel and later turbines for the Beckley Iron Furnace — part of the great iron period in the Northwest Corner. Restoring the crumbling structure might not have been the first option considered by the DEP. But the Friends pushed for the restoration, as well as adding some striking design elements. A railing for what has become an overlook at a precarious corner of the dam was to be protected by chain link fencing; more attractive wrought iron was installed instead. Concrete was poured behind the dam’s dark stones, which are now essentially decorative. Where new wall is exposed behind the old turbine outtake pipe, the concrete was given a textured surface to mimic the stones.Engineer Todd Pietrasiak of New England Infrastructure in Hudson, Mass., said everything went according to plan for the project, which began last summer.“There could have been some surprises. It’s a very old structure,” Pietrasiak said. “But the engineers did a very thorough job and everything went according to plan.”Factoring in the wait for the high water to subside, he estimated two to three months until completion. Landscaping still needs to be done to restore the site. Pietrasiak could not provide an estimate for the entire project, but said he would expect it to come in within the $1.3 million budget.The project included installing a new spillway door, which allowed old rusty I-beams that stuck up above the dam to be removed. Silt that had built up to nearly the top of the dam was left. “Actually, there were some surprises,” he said, correcting himself. “We found a few artifacts. We slowed the job down so they could be dug out and given to the preservation group.”Dick Paddock, a Friends member, said the artifacts were not terrifically exciting discoveries, but anything found bears investigation. There is likely much more to be found below ground between the dam and the furnace.“There were various pieces of iron and a fireback with a pattern on it, at least that’s what it looks like,” Paddock said. “I’m not sure what it would have been used for, or even if it was part of the furnace.”A fireback is used to protect the rear wall of a fireplace, and to reflect heat. Paddock said he is mostly thrilled by the way the dam restoration turned out. “They left water flowing through one of the turbine pipes, and it looks for the most part like it did before. It’s historically accurate and structurally sound.”Meanwhile, the little bridge is expected to be complete before the end of the month. A spokesperson at the DEP’s Western District headquarters said that the bridge is structurally sound. The steel is being painted. The wooden deck, with 6-by-10-inch cross-planking, covered by two lengthwise planks for vehicles, will be replaced.