Mother Brook is the modern name for a stream that flows from the Charles River in Dedham, MA, to the Neponset River in the Hyde Park section of Boston, MA. Mother Brook was also known variously as East Brook and Mill Brook in Colonial times. The original brook drained from Dedham into the Neponset River. It was lengthened by the early settlers of Dedham, beginning in 1639, to connect to the Charles River and thus to provide increased water flow. This enabled the settlers to construct and operate mills, beginning with a corn mill in the early 1640s. Dams and mills were constructed at five locations called "privileges" in Dedham and in what is now the Readville section of Boston (originally part of Dedham). Mother Brook provided water power for industrial mills of various types until late in the 19th or early in the 20th century, when steam began to replace water power and economic forces forced closure of many Massachusetts mills. None of the mills remains in operation today. The man-made extension of Mother Brook is regarded as the first industrial canal in North America. Today, Mother Brook is part of a flood-control system that diverts excess water from the Charles River to the Neponset River. The brook's flow is under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. There are three remaining dams on the stream, plus a movable flood gate that controls flow from the Charles into Mother Brook.

Dedham, Massachusetts