The Transportation Boom (1803–1835)

The canal ran 27 miles from the Merrimack River at Lowell to Charlestown in Boston, carrying tanbark from New Hampshire's forests to Woburn's tanneries and finished goods back to market. Central Square — at the intersection of Main and Wyman Streets — became increasingly the commercial heart of the growing city.

The Boston & Lowell Railroad, which opened through Woburn in 1835 and added a Woburn Loop line in 1844, further expanded the shoe making and tanning industries. By 1865, Woburn had 21 tanning and currying establishments. By 1884, 26 large tanneries employed 1,500 workers, and Woburn rivaled Philadelphia and Lynn as the nation's leading leather producer.

Source: City of Woburn Historic Woburn page; SERC Woburn Industrial History; West End Museum (Middlesex Canal); New England Historical Society.