Mystic Dam
Why it's listed
Mystic Dam is a 1,560-foot-long dam between Upper and Lower Mystic Lakes in Winchester, Massachusetts. Built in 1864 of granite, wood and earth, it runs between two earthen embankments lined with puddle and riprap and has a granite overfall with five grooved granite columns for stop logs. A wooden walkway with a plank railing crosses the overfall, and Barnes, Kingsley and Company of Brooklyn, New York, built the dam. It was part of the Mystic Water Works, constructed from 1862 to 1865 by the City of Charlestown, which pumped lake water to a reservoir on the site of today's Tufts University campus. Boston took over the system in 1874 and the Metropolitan Water Board in 1898, but poor water quality meant the supply was never used. The system as a whole has lost integrity, yet the dam remains a good example of its type and is the oldest dam in the Metropolitan District Commission system.
Significance in brief: The nomination links the dam to the Mystic Water Works, a small, well-integrated mid-nineteenth-century municipal water system. It is also described as the oldest dam in the Metropolitan District Commission system in Metropolitan Boston. It retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling.
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 89002282, listed January 18, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Between Lower and Upper Mystic Lakes, Winchester |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | January 18, 1990 |
| Reference number | 89002282 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Built by Barnes, Kingsley and Company, Brooklyn, New York |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is described as fair to good; the dam is out of service and the wooden fish ladder is gone except for some posts. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.43061, -71.14839 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 89002282.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6948937
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.