Shawsheen River

The Shawsheen River flows 25 miles from its headwaters in Bedford to its confluence with the Merrimack River in Lawrence. The river loses 70 feet in elevation along the way. According to legend, the name "Shawsheen" is a Native American word meaning "serpent" or "serpentine", while other sources interpret the name to mean "Great Spring" and "Beauty's Pathway". The Shawsheen was the site of grist, saw and textile mills in Andover from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century.

Shawsheen-Shawshin, Gene & Sue Flores, Memorial Hall Library Collections, https://mhl.org/shawsheen-shawshin-1692-2017

Industry

19th and 20th century businesses operating on the Shawsheen in the Town of Andover included The Ballardvale Mills on Andover Street and the American Woolen Company's Shawsheen Mills on Haverhill Street. Both companies went out of business in the 1950s.

Flooding
Rising waters in the Shawsheen have created havoc for the Town of Andover over the years. Most notably, the Shawsheen River flooded in March 1936. (See Flood - March 1936) In October 1996, Andover experienced more than 8 inches of rain in a 36 hour period and the Shawsheen River flooded. (see Flood - October 1996 ) In March 2010, the Spicket and the Shawsheen Rivers flooded. ( See Flood - March 2010 ) The Shawsheen River flooded on Mother's Day weekend in 2006 (See Flood 2006 ) when the water levels were 8.6 feet above normal.

Metropolitan Boston Water Supply Politics
In the 1880s The Committee on the Public Health of Massachusetts Legislature launched an effort to supply Cambridge and Boston with water from the Shawsheen. Ultimately the effort was defeated.

Dam Removals
Because mill dams that supplied water power in the 19th century are no longer used, the Town of Andover has worked with the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and other organizations to remove them. Dam removal can improve and restore river ecosystems for spawning fish, can alleviate flooding concerns in many cases, can enhance recreational river opportunites and can have other benefits. In 2017, The Town of Andover, along with other government and private partners began the process of removing two Shawsheen River Dams: The Marland Place Dam and the Balmoral Dam.

Recreation
The Shawsheen River offers recreational opportunities such as hiking, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Anglers are advised to consult freshwater fish consumption advisory information from state and local authorities.

Environmental Monitoring In the 1970's an environmental group called the Shawsheen River Stream Team formed to address contaminent flowing from Hanscomb Airforce Base. In the 1980s, the Shawsheen River Environmental Action Team formed to clean debris from the river. In 2001, a 501c3 non-profit, The Shawsheen River Watershed Association was formed. See below for 2000 Shawsheen River Watershed Report.

Photographs
Historical photos of the Shawsheen River can be found on Digital Commonwealth, a Massachusetts collaborative repository for special collections. The Andover Center for History and Culture also has photographs of the river in their collection.

...Regarding the name "Shawsheen".... click to enlarge

Maps, River Guides and Recreational and Safety Links

• Shawsheen River Trail, Friends of North Andover Trails
• Shawsheen Greenway, Shawsheen River Paddle Trip

• Shawsheen River Recreational Map

• AVIS Shawsheen River Reservation
• USGS, Shawsheen River Guage

References

• Town of Andover, Shawsheen Dam Removal
• Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Shawsheen River Five Year Watershed Action Plan, 2003.
• Shawsheen River Watershed 2000 water quality assessment report
• A Reconnaissance report on the feasibility of constructing a dam and channel in the vicinity of the Shawsheen River and Pomps Pond, Andover, Mass. for recreational improvement purposes / by the U. S. Soil Conservation Service in cooperation with the Essex Conservation District.
• Evidence and arguments on petition of the City of Boston for leave to take water from Shawsheen River / Committee on Water Supply of Massachusetts Legislature, of 1886. (MHL catalog and digital access link)
• Shawsheen water supply : hearing before committee on water supply and drainage, Massachusetts Legislature, 1883 (MHL catalog and digital access link)
• "For Powder Mill Square Residents flood hearing," Andover Townsman, June 24, 1999, p. 1.
• "Footbridge over Shawsheen begins to take shape," Eagle Tribune, February 14, 2005, p. 1.
• "Removing Shawsheen River dams under study," Andover Townsman, December 18, 2008, p. 1.
• "Fishing for an answer: Andover eyes removing dams to promote fish, use of Shawsheen," Eagle Tribune, March 30, 2008, p. C1.
• "State aims to recover vanishing wetlands: Shawsheen River project may help control flooding" Boston Globe May 19, 2002 p.21
• "Dams due to tumble, Andover gains aid to remove two of three, restore Shawsheen River flow" Boston Globe September 13, 2012
• "Trip down the Shawsheen becomes a messy labor of love" Boston Globe September 21, 2006
• "Crews determining the extent of jet fuel spill in Shawsheen River" Boston Globe June 2, 2014
• "As dams come down, herrings return to Shawsheen" Boston Globe June 25, 2017 (Globe Northwest p. 1)
• "What lies beneath? Trash" Boston Globe October 27, 2005, page 149
• "Builder promises better water access" Boston Globe June 17, 2004 (Globe Northwest p. 1)
• "Hopes raised for a clean Shawsheen" Boston Globe April 20, 1997 (Northwest Weekly p. 64)
• "Canoe racers dared undertow lost" Boston Globe May 14, 1984 p. 16
• "More money announced for Shawsheen River dam removal," Eagle Tribune December 23, 2015.
• "Boston's attempt to divert the Shawsheen" Andover Historical Society Newsletter Volume 34, issue 3, Fall 2009.

Footnotes

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--Stephanie (talk) 15:50, 22 April 2022 (EDT)
--Glenda 16:27, January 12, 2007 (EST)
--Kim 16:54, August 28, 2013 (EDT)

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