In 1848, Wakeman
and Steven acquired a parcel of property from their
father’s 20-acre home lot, described within
the deed as follows "so mush land as may be flooded
by a brook". The dam stands several feet above
the stream and is approximately 80 feet in length
overall. Splitting, transporting, and wrestling such
stone into place with the tools and equipment available
during the mid nineteenth century required great know-how
and determination!
The dam, once constructed at
the south end of the nearly flat swamp or marsh the
extends nearly to the New Hartford Town Line, more
then a mile to the north, would have held back a great
amount of water over the properties of several owners.
The availability of such a large reservoir of water
during periods of operation would have been highly
valued by the operators of a down stream mill during
the days when water power was king.
Strangely enough, research
reveals no mill site, product produced or record of
there ever having been a mill built in association
with the dam! Old timers have told, however, of encountering
an old water wheel while harvesting ice that has been
stored for preservation beneath the water, upstream
of Cook's dam. There were also those who told of a
rumor that Wakeman and Stephen had been unable to
obtain sufficient flowage rights to flood the properties
of their upstream neighbors.
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