Description

Cochrane Dam is a long stone dam across the Charles River with the stone bridge of South Street as a backdrop. The water falls about nine feet at this location and can be quite dramatic, especially during high water periods. Also on site are the masonry remains of the mill which once stood on this site. These include the concrete wheel pit and raceway. A little used railroad bed borders Redwing Bay with wooden trestle over the nearby Charles River.

History

The original dam at Needham's Charles River Village was probably erected in the late 1600s by the Fisher brothers, with a series of dams and mills gracing the fall line until the so-called Cochrane textile mill was leveled several decades ago. The raceway remains along with a concrete wheel pit containing several turbine or tub wheels. The MDC acquired the Cochrane Dam parcel at Village Falls in 1972, while the Redwing Bay canoe site was secured from the YMCA in 1974.

Other

Other

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