Hodges Village Dam, a

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

flood control project on the

French River (Massachusetts) The French River is a river in south-central Massachusetts and northeastern Connecticut, USA. The river rises near Leicester, Massachusetts, and flows generally southwards through Auburn, Oxford, and along the town line between Webster and D ...

Oxford, Massachusetts Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,347 as of the 2020 United States Census. It was the birthplace of Clara Barton, the first president and founder of the American Red Cross. History Pre-Co ...

was built in 1959 as a response to the 1936 floods which took lives and caused tremendous property damage in the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

basin of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. The western side of the French River is open to hunting, fishing, hiking, and boating. There are more than 18.2 miles of hiking trails on the property, as well as motorized bike trails on the west side of the river. ATV's and quads are restricted from the area. However, motorized bikes are allowed only on the west side of the river. There is a frisbee golf course that runs alongside the dam. The 90 mile Midstate Trail passes through the project. Hodges Village Dam is managed as a unit with the nearby

Buffumville Lake Buffumville Lake is a , capacity United States Army Corps of Engineers flood control lake project located in Charlton, Massachusetts Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,315 at the 2020 ...

References

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Cited Dec. 6, 2007. {{coord, 42, 07, 12, N, 71, 52, 46, W, display=title Dams in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Worcester County, Massachusetts United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams completed in 1959