1852 High Water Mark on Francis Gate House - Lowell, MA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 42° 38.601 W 071° 19.770
19T E 309027 N 4723841
The 1852 water mark engraved on the stone of the Francis Gate shows the water level that the gate held back and saved the city of Lowell from flooding.
Waymark Code: WM4WE5
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 10/05/2008
Views: 19
Francis Gate is located on the western side of Lowell. One way to get there is to park in a parking lot for an ice cream establishment on Pawtucket Street, east of the intersection with Walker Street, then walk the 1/10 mile south along a stream to the gatehouse. This stream is actually a canal that takes water from the Merrimack River and it allows the water to flow into the city of Lowell. In the past the water was used to power the many textile mills in downtown Lowell; however, today the water is no longer used for power.
James Francis, chief engineer of the locks and dams company, determined that a gate was needed to prevent possible flood water from the Merrimack River to reach the city. So, in 1850, he designed and built a gatehouse with a large wooden gate that could be dropped in place when needed. Many thought this gate was way over designed, and the gate became known as "Francis' Folly."
However, in 1852, there was a great flood of the Merrimack River. When the gate was closed, the river waters were held back and the city of Lowell was saved from significant flooding. The gate gained respect and became known as the "Great Gate." Today, there is engraved in the granite wall a line with two sets of lines from the endpoints, plus the year "1852." It is located on the north face of the structure and on the west bank of the canal.
There is a plaque nearby that briefly tells the story. The Lowell National Historic Park also has several good sources - The web site provided is to the park home page. Also, Wikipedia: (
visit link) .
The gate was needed at least two more times. A mark with the year "1936," is painted on the building structure much higher than the 1852 mark - I'll leave that for someone else to waymark. In the spring of 2006, the gate had to be closed again when a combination of record rain fall and snow melt combined to flood many communties along the Merrimack River.