Stevenson Dam, Monroe, Connecticut:
In 1917, construction began on Stevenson Dam connecting the towns of Monroe to Oxford. It’s still one of the largest dams in Connecticut and one of the most complicated civil engineering projects ever attempted in the state. The site includes three contributing structures: the Stevenson Dam, the Stevenson Dam Bridge and the Stevenson Powerhouse. Harnessing the Housatonic River also resulted in the creation of Lake Zoar.
The dam’s origins trace back to 1905, when J. Henry Roraback founded the Rocky River Power Company to produce hydroelectricity on the Housatonic. Roraback’s company was a predecessor to the Connecticut Light & Power Company, now part of Eversource Energy. Eversource later sold Stevenson Dam to FirstLight Power. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Today, the dam is outdated and considered high hazard potential according to the National Inventory of Dams.
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