The dam, constructed from 1867-1870 right after the Civil War, is 637 ft. long and 20 ft. high. It was built for the purpose of harnessing water power, from the Housatonic River, for what Mr. Shelton hoped to be a spawning industrial community. There were canal’s for small boats to pass the dam at the time but they are not in use today. Mr. Shelton was very successful in bringing industry to the community and the towns population increased rapidly. However in 1975 a tremendous fire, reported to have been arson, took down the Sponge Rubber Products Co. (owned by B.F.Goodrich). This saw the decline of the industrial revolution in the area. Many companies left the area over the next couple of decades in search of lower operating costs.
I took the photograph of the dam from Riverview Park in Shelton. It should be noted that the dam suffered a catastrophic collapse in 1891. This was due to a design flaw. The dam was originally built with water flowing at a 90 degree angle. This abrupt flow caused the footings to erode and eventually wash away. The new dam, which stands today, was built with a slope to the waters flow.
The remaining bridge pictures all connect the cities of Shelton and Derby. In 2010 Shelton had a population of 40,000 and Derby 13,000. Derby is the states smallest city geographically, (& probably population wise as well), with just 5 sq. miles.
I really love your photo of Shelton from the Derby side (#6 in the series) & I would like to use it for a Facebook page I am creating to bring awareness of the extreme levels of development in Shelton, most recently the largest proposed residential/ commercial development in Fairfield county that includes a 9 story residential tower on the top of a wooded ridge- the last remaining parcel in Shelton (in Huntington really) to be developed.
Thank you for asking. Yes I’m more than happy to have you use my photograph for your face book page. There are hi-res. copies or digital files available for purchase if you wanted something for print. May I ask that you send me a link to the facebook page when completed? I’d like to make a blog entry showing use of my photo on your page! Thanks again & I’m happy to help anytime. Jay