Mystic River - Part 2 of 3

River observation platforms and the Winter Hill Yacht Club Note: the "T" station shown is Wellington.

Amelia Earhart Dam

There are two observation platforms on this path, one close to the bridge, the other a little farther along. The second platform is close to the site of a former petroleum dock that supplied the area’s industries. As you follow the path, you will come to a gray building on your left -- the private Winter Hill Yacht Club. The existing facility is a somewhat scaled-down version of an ambitious project proposed in 1966 that called for an outdoor swimming pool, barbecue pit, skating rink and tennis courts in addition to a substantial club house and boating facilities. Follow the path past the Yacht Club and under the railroad tracks. This will lead you to the Amelia Earhart Dam and Draw 7 Park.

Legislation authorizing the MDC to build the Amelia Earhart Dam was passed in 1957. The purpose of the dam was to maintain the river at a constant depth (it was said to fluctuate tidally between 0 and 13 feet deep) and to eliminate basement flooding in low-lying areas near the river. It was also expected that reclaimed land along the river could be used to support a highway (what would later become I-93) and that the changes in the river banks would lead to improved recreational opportunities. A companion bill filed with the dam legislation called for the creation of a Mystic River recreational area comparable to the Charles River Basin. While this bill appears not to have been enacted, the MDC Commissioner referred to the Charles River esplanade as a model when justifying the MDC's 1966 taking of land on Shore Drive. Publicity released as construction of the dam was beginning described the project as the third facility of its type in the world, the other two being the Charles River Basin and the Alster Basin in Hamburg, Germany. Actual construction of the dam took place in the 1960s; a pumping station connected with dam was completed in 1976 and provides additional help in discharging storm runoff and preventing high tides.