Mother Brook

Brookblogging

adamg — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:27:07 -0400

Mother Brook is a blog about the country's oldest canal, which connects the Charles and Neponset rivers via Dedham and Hyde Park.

Quality service on the Mother Brook

adamg — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:36:42 -0500

A contractor for the state (I assume) has been busy in recent months dredging and re-lining the Mother Brook near where it connects with the Neponset. In the process, the company's cleared away a lot of brush and brambles and trees (oh my), exposing such things as the side of the old Morrell Builders Supply Co. building on Hyde Park Avenue (now the PMDI building). At least at Hyde Park Avenue, the work makes the brook seem a lot wider (you can also see they haven't yet taken out the three pipes that were diverting the brook for awhile):

And the story it told of a river that flowed made me sad to think it was dead

adamg — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 13:19:26 -0400

Above: What used to be the Mother Brook, from the Hyde Park Avenue bridge.

Anybody know why the Mother Brook in Hyde Park is being diverted into three pipes from the Shaw's to the Neponset River? General de-mucking and wall repair, or are they looking for something (Jimmy Hoffa's body)?

Bonus fun fact: The brook is the oldest canal in North America, built in 1639 to power mills in Dedham (although the manmade part only went from the Charles to a point just on the other side of what is now Washington Street, where it connected to a Neponset tributary called East Brook).

Dedham chimes in: Brian on myDedham wonders if Dedham should try to enforce the 170-year-old court decision under which ~~at least~~ up to one-third the Charles is supposed to be diverted into the brook; currently, it's only about a fourth.

Apology: To anybody who remembers when that song managed to top the charts. The river part popped into my head when I saw the brook bottom and now I can't get it out of my head and misery loves company, right?