Lock and Dam No. 18 Historic District
Why it's listed
Lock and Dam No. 18 spans the Upper Mississippi River near Gladstone, Illinois, where the river is more than a mile wide. The district covers about 205 acres and includes a lift lock with a 10.5-foot lift, an incomplete auxiliary lock, a central control station, a dam with 13 Tainter gates and three roller gates, long earth dikes and an 11-acre esplanade. Contractors built most of it between 1934 and 1937, and it opened to navigation on September 8, 1937, as the eleventh complex of the 9-foot channel project. It matters for its role in river transportation and for its engineering. The dam's submersible, elliptical Tainter gates use a revised girder frame and are unique, since no others were built. A guard wall added in 1941 and a guide wall extension in 1951 addressed outdraft problems. Later rehabilitation replaced much machinery, yet the lock, dam and setting remain largely as they were in 1948.
Significance in brief: It is part of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Navigation Project and has been in continuous use since September 8, 1937. Its dam has unique submersible, elliptical Tainter gates with girder framing, and it was one of the first two dams in the Rock Island District to use submersible roller gates. It also reflects the project's importance in transportation, commerce, conservation, military and social history.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 04000178, listed March 10, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1.5 mi. N of unnamed cty rd. from Gladstone, Gladstone |
|---|---|
| County | Henderson County |
| Listed | March 10, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000178 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1934-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Maxon Construction Company, Inc. (lock and central control station); S. A. Healy Construction Company (dam); Rock Island District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (design; Edwin E. Abbott signed the dam drawings) |
| Architectural style | OTHER: lock and dam; NO STYLE: control station; OTHER: machinery |
| Areas of significance | Transportation, Engineering, Maritime History, Commerce, Conservation, Economics, Politics/Government, Military, Social History |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In continuous use since 1937; the lock and dam were resurfaced and most machinery replaced in-kind in the 1989-1992 rehabilitation, and the components are described as in excellent condition. |
| Acreage | 204.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.88895, -91.02506 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 04000178.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6665264
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.