Cape Cod Canal

Cape Cod was known as a ship's graveyard but the Cape Cod Canal, proposed in 1776 and built in 1914 became a vital shipping link and a marvel of engineering.

For centuries, the shoals and high winds around Cape Cod turned its waters into a ships' graveyard. In 1623, Miles Standish proposed a shorter, safer passage by building a canal linking Cape Cod Bay with Buzzards Bay, and in 1776, George Washington ordered the first of many surveys. All attempts failed until 1914, when the Cape Cod Canal opened as a private toll canal. The widest sea-level canal in the world, the Cape Cod Canal continues to be an engineering marvel, a vital shipping link, and a summer destination. These rare images from the Nina Heald Webber Collection at Historic New England survey the canal's development from unsuccessful building efforts in the 1800s, through its 1909-1914 construction, and subsequent improvements in the 1930s.

Founded in 1910, Historic New England owns and operates 36 historic sites dating from the 17th to the 20th century and serves the public by preserving and presenting New England heritage. Timothy T. Orwig graduated from Boston University with a master of arts degree in preservation studies and a doctorate in American and New England studies. Currently a lecturer at Northeastern University, Orwig is the author of Historic Photos of Boston (2007) and articles in Historic New England magazine.