Songo Lock is the last surviving

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

of the

Cumberland and Oxford Canal The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was opened in 1832 to connect the largest lakes of southern Maine with the seaport of Portland, Maine. The canal followed the Presumpscot River from Sebago Lake through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, and ...

, a 19th-century canal in southern

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, United States. The lock is located on the

Songo River The Songo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine. The river flows from Brandy Pond at the south end of Long Lake into Sebago Lake at Seb ...

, just above its confluence with the Crooked River at the northern end of

Sebago Lake State Park Sebago Lake State Park is a public recreation area encompassing on the north shore of Sebago Lake in the New England town, towns of Naples, Maine, Naples and Casco, Maine, Casco, Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County, Maine. It opened in 1 ...

in the town of

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. The lock, built in 1830, is now used primarily during the summer months by pleasure craft. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970 and designated as a Maine Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

in 2001.

Description and history

The

was conceived in the early 19th century as a means to transports raw materials and goods between the harbor of

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

and the upland interior as far north as Bridgton and

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

on Long Lake. The canal was completed in 1830, the year Songo Lock was finished, and operated as a commercial transport enterprise until 1870. Songo Lock was one of the 28 locks built for the canal, and provides a major transit point between

Sebago Lake Sebago Lake is the deepest and second-largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of . It is possible that Sebago is the deepest lake wholly contained within the entire New England region, ...

and Brandy Pond, the southernmost portion of Long Lake. The lock underwent enlargement and some modernization in 1911 by the Sebago Lake Improvement Company, which was developing the area as a summer resort destination. It is now maintained by the state as part of Sebago Lake State Park. When built in 1830, the lock was long and wide, and was built to one side of an artificial rubblestone island, part of a scheme to divert the slow-flowing river around the construction site. The sides of the lock are granite, and its original control gates were wooden. When the lock was rebuilt in 1911, it was enlarged to be long and wide, it was given iron gates, and the walls were faced in concrete.

References

{{Presumpscot River Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Locks on the National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures completed in 1830 Transportation buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Maine Historic district contributing properties in Maine

Description and history

See also

References