The lock, built in 1830, is now used primarily during the summer months by pleasure craft.

[1][2] The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was conceived in the early 19th century as a means to transports raw materials and goods between the harbor of Portland, Maine and the upland interior as far north as Bridgton and Harrison on Long Lake.

The canal was completed in 1830, the year Songo Lock was finished, and operated as a commercial transport enterprise until 1870.

The lock underwent enlargement and some modernization in 1911 by the Sebago Lake Improvement Company, which was developing the area as a summer resort destination.

[3] When built in 1830, the lock was 90 feet (27 m) long and 26 feet (7.9 m) wide, and was built to one side of an artificial rubblestone island, part of a scheme to divert the slow-flowing river around the construction site.