Canal House & Pitkin Basin

The Farmington Canal and Its Connection to the Mende Africans

From 1828 to 1848, a canal ran through Farmington, stretching between Garden Street and the Farmington River. Boats docked at a canal basin, which is now the location of a parking lot. Pitkin Basin, situated nearby, is notably the site where Foone, one of the Mende Africans, tragically drowned while swimming. It was also here, at the Canal House, that the Mende Africans embarked on the Farmington Canal to travel to other towns, where they performed exhibitions and raised funds for their eventual return to Africa.

This site is open to the public.