James River and Kanawha Canal
Encyclopedia
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal
in Virginia
, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast.
Personally surveyed and planned by George Washington
himself, the canal was begun in 1785 under the James River Company, and later restarted under the James River and Kanawha Canal Company. It was only half completed by 1851. It was an expensive project which failed several times financially and was frequently damaged by floods. By the time it was halted, it had only reached Buchanan
, in Botetourt County, Virginia
, even though it was largely financed by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Board of Public Works
. When work to extend the canal further west stopped permanently, railroads were overtaking the canal
as a far more productive mode of transportation.
After the American Civil War
, when funds for continued financial support were not available from the war-torn Commonwealth or private sources, the canal project did poorly against railroad competition, and finally succumbed to damage done by massive flooding in 1877. In the end the canal's right-of-way was bought and the canal itself was largely dismantled by the new Richmond and Allegheny Railroad
as tracks were laid on the former towpath. The R&A became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
in the 1890s, and much of the former canal route is now an important line for eastbound West Virginia bituminous coal
headed for the Peninsula Extension
to reach coal pier
s on Hampton Roads
at Newport News
and worldwide export aboard large collier
s.
, Kentucky
, and to the north bank of the Ohio
river. He was searching for a way to open a water route to the West. He believed that was the key to helping Virginia to become an economic powerhouse in what would become the United States
quite a few years later.
In those times, waterways were the major highways of commerce. Early developments along the east coast of the colonies tended to end at the fall line
(the head of navigation) of the rivers that emptied into the Atlantic directly (e.g., the Hudson River
) or into its great Bays (e.g., the Delaware
and the Chesapeake
). Such early communities in Virginia included what we now know as Alexandria
on the Potomac River
, Fredericksburg
on the Rappahannock River
, Richmond
and Lynchburg
on the James River
and Petersburg
on the Appomattox River
.
It was known by then that the Ohio River
flowed into the Mississippi River
, which flowed into the Gulf of Mexico
. It was also known that the Allegheny Mountains
formed the Eastern Continental Divide
, and that there was apparently no inland waterway to sail between the two large watersheds.
By 1772, Washington had identified the Potomac and James rivers as the most promising locations for canals to be built to join with the western rivers. His preference was the James, as the Potomac led to rivers in land disputed with Pennsylvania
and would be equally helpful to Maryland
. The James could be aligned with the Kanawha River
(in what is now West Virginia
), and would best serve only Virginia, which was his priority. In 1785, the James River Company was formed, with George Washington as honorary president, to build locks around the falls at Richmond. By then, Washington was quite busy with the affairs of the new nation. In 1789 he would be elected its first president.
, and John Marshall
, opened in 1790 the first commercial canal in the United States, stretching from Richmond to Westham and paralleling the James for 7 miles (11 km). The canal supplemented existing bateaux transportation on the James River. Bateaux, flat-bottomed boats laden with tobacco
hogsheads, floated down the James to Richmond and returned with French and English imports, furniture, dishes, and clothing.
The canal boats were packets, which drew more water than the smaller capacity bateaux. Mules and horses pulled the packet boats along the towpaths. Locks were necessary at points where the river had rapids. The American Revolutionary War
and the War of 1812
each slowed construction. Work was slow, expensive, and very labor intensive through the rocky terrain of Virginia's Piedmont region, a transitional area between the sandy coastal plain
and the mountains. Enslaved African-Americans did most of the labor thus made another major contribution to Virginia's wealth. Typically the slaves were hired from plantation owners who lived near the route of the canal. After work stalled for a number of years, the canal company went broke and gave up.
In 1820, the Commonwealth (state) of Virginia took control of the James River and Kanawha Canal and resumed construction. It received the financial help of state funds through the Virginia Board of Public Works
. Work stalled yet again, however. In 1835, construction of the James River and Kanawha Canal resumed under the new James River and Kanawha Company, with Judge Benjamin Wright
as Chief Engineer. He was assisted by his son Simon Wright, Charles Ellet Jr., and Daniel Livermore. By 1840, the canal was completed to Lynchburg
. Service was inaugurated by William Henry Harrison
who was elected president that same year. In 1847, Walter W. Gwynn
was hired as Chief Engineer of the James River and Kanawha Canal, with Edward Lorraine as his assistant.
The canal eventually extended 196.5 miles (316 km) west of Richmond to Buchanan
by 1851. There, the plan was to link it to the James River and Kanawha Turnpike
to provide passage through the most rugged portions of the mountains. The goal was to reach the Kanawha River at its head of navigation, about 30 miles (48.3 km) east of today's Charleston, West Virginia
. The portage necessary made competition with the railroads a real threat. Construction of a planned railroad across the portage route was delayed by the American Civil War
. However, both war damage and interruption in the flow of commerce along the canal did great harm to it.
(1861–1865) was never completely repaired, though Armistead Lindsay Long
had come in as Chief Engineer following his service in the war. Finally the canal could not compete with the railroads' better efficiency.
By the time the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
was built through to the Ohio River in 1873, the doom of the canal as a through route was clear. To connect with the railroads, the James River and Kanawha Canal Company was authorized in 1876 to build the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway to connect the westernmost point of the canal with the railroad.
However, in 1878, both the canal and the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway were sold to the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad
company, which built tracks along the towpaths. That railroad was sold to the C&O. Thus Clifton Forge became the division point of the large east-to-west system that resulted when the pioneer roads were combined under the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.
Today, CSX trains loaded with coal from the mountains follow the old canal route, much of it at a gentler "water level" gradient. They are headed to port at Newport News
on Hampton Roads. The Buckingham Branch Railroad
, a short-line railroad, has a lease to operate the original C&O alignment over the former Virginia Central Railroad
, including the Mountain Subdivision.
Visitors can also visit Three Mile Lock or Pumphouse Park located behind the Carillon
in William Byrd Park
. This park was a mark at 3 miles (5 km) for the old canal system. It contains parts of the old 18th century locks, gatekeeper's house, and the City's 1901 historic water pumping station called the Byrd Park Pumphouse. The City is working on plans to return the pumphouse to some form of public use by restoring its old dance floor (original upper level was built for public events) and opening the oldest section for tours. Several historical markers about the canals themselves and the City of Richmond are dispersed throughout the length of the restored portion of the canal. The park is popular with fisherman and dog lovers, and is near the Ship Yard
.
The western entrance of the Richmond portion of the Canal lies near the village of Sabot
in Goochland County
while eastern entrance lies in the city near the Richmond Deepwater Terminal. Sufficient waterflow appears to be provided by Bosher Dam
, an 1835 structure located on the western side of the city.
Much of the route of the connecting James River and Kanawha Turnpike
portage through West Virginia is today the Midland Trail
, a National Scenic Byway
.
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. It then included one contributing building, nine contributing sites, and 21 contributing structures.
It goes along the James River
and includes various canal locks of the Kanawha Canal.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast.
Personally surveyed and planned by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
himself, the canal was begun in 1785 under the James River Company, and later restarted under the James River and Kanawha Canal Company. It was only half completed by 1851. It was an expensive project which failed several times financially and was frequently damaged by floods. By the time it was halted, it had only reached Buchanan
Buchanan, Virginia
Buchanan is a town in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Buchanan is located at ....
, in Botetourt County, Virginia
Botetourt County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,496 people, 11,700 households, and 9,114 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 12,571 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
, even though it was largely financed by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Board of Public Works
Virginia Board of Public Works
The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's internal transportation improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds in private companies, which were the forerunners of the...
. When work to extend the canal further west stopped permanently, railroads were overtaking the canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
as a far more productive mode of transportation.
After the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when funds for continued financial support were not available from the war-torn Commonwealth or private sources, the canal project did poorly against railroad competition, and finally succumbed to damage done by massive flooding in 1877. In the end the canal's right-of-way was bought and the canal itself was largely dismantled by the new Richmond and Allegheny Railroad
Richmond and Allegheny Railroad
The Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was built along the James River along the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond on the fall line at the head of navigation to a point west of Lynchburg near Buchanan, Virginia, and combined with the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway Company to...
as tracks were laid on the former towpath. The R&A became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
in the 1890s, and much of the former canal route is now an important line for eastbound West Virginia bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
headed for the Peninsula Extension
Peninsula Extension
The Peninsula Extension which created the Peninsula Subdivision of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was the new railroad line on the Virginia Peninsula from Richmond to southeastern Warwick County...
to reach coal pier
Coal pier
A coal pier is a transloading facility designed for the transfer of coal between rail and ship.The typical facility for loading ships consists of a holding area and a system of conveyors for transferring the coal to dockside and loading it into the ship's cargo holds...
s on Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
at Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
and worldwide export aboard large collier
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
s.
Planning a route to link western waters
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a project first proposed by George Washington when he was a young man surveying the mountains of western Virginia, which at the time consisted of what is today West VirginiaWest Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and to the north bank of the Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
river. He was searching for a way to open a water route to the West. He believed that was the key to helping Virginia to become an economic powerhouse in what would become the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
quite a few years later.
In those times, waterways were the major highways of commerce. Early developments along the east coast of the colonies tended to end at the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
(the head of navigation) of the rivers that emptied into the Atlantic directly (e.g., the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
) or into its great Bays (e.g., the Delaware
Delaware Bay
Delaware Bay is a major estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the Northeast seaboard of the United States whose fresh water mixes for many miles with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in area. The bay is bordered by the State of New Jersey and the State of Delaware...
and the Chesapeake
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
). Such early communities in Virginia included what we now know as Alexandria
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
on the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
on the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
, Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
on the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
and Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
on the Appomattox River
Appomattox River
The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately long, in central and eastern Virginia in the United States, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century...
.
It was known by then that the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
flowed into the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, which flowed into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. It was also known that the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
formed the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide
The Eastern Continental Divide, in conjunction with other continental divides of North America, demarcates two watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean: the Gulf of Mexico watershed and the Atlantic Seaboard watershed. Prior to 1760, the divide represented the boundary between British and French colonial...
, and that there was apparently no inland waterway to sail between the two large watersheds.
By 1772, Washington had identified the Potomac and James rivers as the most promising locations for canals to be built to join with the western rivers. His preference was the James, as the Potomac led to rivers in land disputed with Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and would be equally helpful to Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The James could be aligned with the Kanawha River
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
(in what is now West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
), and would best serve only Virginia, which was his priority. In 1785, the James River Company was formed, with George Washington as honorary president, to build locks around the falls at Richmond. By then, Washington was quite busy with the affairs of the new nation. In 1789 he would be elected its first president.
Building the canal
The James River Company, promoted by such men as George Washington, Edmund RandolphEdmund Randolph
Edmund Jennings Randolph was an American attorney, the seventh Governor of Virginia, the second Secretary of State, and the first United States Attorney General.-Biography:...
, and John Marshall
John Marshall
John Marshall was the Chief Justice of the United States whose court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court of the United States a coequal branch of government along with the legislative and executive branches...
, opened in 1790 the first commercial canal in the United States, stretching from Richmond to Westham and paralleling the James for 7 miles (11 km). The canal supplemented existing bateaux transportation on the James River. Bateaux, flat-bottomed boats laden with tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
hogsheads, floated down the James to Richmond and returned with French and English imports, furniture, dishes, and clothing.
The canal boats were packets, which drew more water than the smaller capacity bateaux. Mules and horses pulled the packet boats along the towpaths. Locks were necessary at points where the river had rapids. The American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
each slowed construction. Work was slow, expensive, and very labor intensive through the rocky terrain of Virginia's Piedmont region, a transitional area between the sandy coastal plain
Coastal plain
A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in eastern South America. The southwestern coastal plain of North America is notable for its species diversity...
and the mountains. Enslaved African-Americans did most of the labor thus made another major contribution to Virginia's wealth. Typically the slaves were hired from plantation owners who lived near the route of the canal. After work stalled for a number of years, the canal company went broke and gave up.
In 1820, the Commonwealth (state) of Virginia took control of the James River and Kanawha Canal and resumed construction. It received the financial help of state funds through the Virginia Board of Public Works
Virginia Board of Public Works
The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's internal transportation improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds in private companies, which were the forerunners of the...
. Work stalled yet again, however. In 1835, construction of the James River and Kanawha Canal resumed under the new James River and Kanawha Company, with Judge Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright
Benjamin Wright was an American civil engineer who served as Chief Engineer of both the Erie Canal and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1969 he was declared the "Father of American Civil Engineering" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.Wright was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut to Ebenezer...
as Chief Engineer. He was assisted by his son Simon Wright, Charles Ellet Jr., and Daniel Livermore. By 1840, the canal was completed to Lynchburg
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
. Service was inaugurated by William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
who was elected president that same year. In 1847, Walter W. Gwynn
Walter Gwynn
Walter Gwynn was a civil engineer and soldier who became a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
was hired as Chief Engineer of the James River and Kanawha Canal, with Edward Lorraine as his assistant.
The canal eventually extended 196.5 miles (316 km) west of Richmond to Buchanan
Buchanan, Virginia
Buchanan is a town in Botetourt County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,233 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Buchanan is located at ....
by 1851. There, the plan was to link it to the James River and Kanawha Turnpike
James River and Kanawha Turnpike
The James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to facilitate portage of shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western reaches of the James River via the James River and Kanawha Canal and the eastern reaches of the Kanawha River....
to provide passage through the most rugged portions of the mountains. The goal was to reach the Kanawha River at its head of navigation, about 30 miles (48.3 km) east of today's Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. The portage necessary made competition with the railroads a real threat. Construction of a planned railroad across the portage route was delayed by the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. However, both war damage and interruption in the flow of commerce along the canal did great harm to it.
Competing with railroads
Railroads began to emerge with more efficient transportation beginning in the 1830s, long before the canal was finally completed. Damage which the canal incurred during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865) was never completely repaired, though Armistead Lindsay Long
Armistead Lindsay Long
Armistead Lindsay Long was a brigadier general for the Confederate States of America, and the author of the 1886 book Memoirs of Robert E. Lee.-Early life and career:...
had come in as Chief Engineer following his service in the war. Finally the canal could not compete with the railroads' better efficiency.
By the time the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
was built through to the Ohio River in 1873, the doom of the canal as a through route was clear. To connect with the railroads, the James River and Kanawha Canal Company was authorized in 1876 to build the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway to connect the westernmost point of the canal with the railroad.
However, in 1878, both the canal and the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway were sold to the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad
Richmond and Allegheny Railroad
The Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was built along the James River along the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond on the fall line at the head of navigation to a point west of Lynchburg near Buchanan, Virginia, and combined with the Buchanan and Clifton Forge Railway Company to...
company, which built tracks along the towpaths. That railroad was sold to the C&O. Thus Clifton Forge became the division point of the large east-to-west system that resulted when the pioneer roads were combined under the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.
Today, CSX trains loaded with coal from the mountains follow the old canal route, much of it at a gentler "water level" gradient. They are headed to port at Newport News
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
on Hampton Roads. The Buckingham Branch Railroad
Buckingham Branch Railroad
Buckingham Branch Railroad is a Class III short-line railroad operating over 200 miles of historic and strategic trackage in Central Virginia...
, a short-line railroad, has a lease to operate the original C&O alignment over the former Virginia Central Railroad
Virginia Central Railroad
Virginia Central Railroad was chartered as the Louisa Railroad in 1836 by the Virginia Board of Public Works and had its name changed to Virginia Central Railroad in 1850. It connected Richmond with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad at Gordonsville in 1854, and had expanded westward past the Blue...
, including the Mountain Subdivision.
Legacy
In the second half of the 20th century, portions of the old canal, locks and turning basins became the source of renewed interest in Richmond, Lynchburg and at other points along the line. As part of Richmond's revival and redevelopment of its waterfront, a portion of the canal was restored. Now boat rides and a canal walk area are featured. Richmond's Canal Walk extends for 1.25 miles (2 km) parallel to the old Haxall and James River and Kanawha canals. Several historical exhibits about the canals themselves and the City of Richmond are dispersed throughout the length of the restored portion of the canal.Visitors can also visit Three Mile Lock or Pumphouse Park located behind the Carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
in William Byrd Park
Byrd Park
Byrd Park is a public park located in Richmond, Virginia, USA north of the James River and adjacent to Maymont. The park includes a mile-long trail with exercise stops, monuments, an amphitheatre, and three small lakes: Shields , Swan, and Boat Lake. Boat Lake has a lighted fountain at its center...
. This park was a mark at 3 miles (5 km) for the old canal system. It contains parts of the old 18th century locks, gatekeeper's house, and the City's 1901 historic water pumping station called the Byrd Park Pumphouse. The City is working on plans to return the pumphouse to some form of public use by restoring its old dance floor (original upper level was built for public events) and opening the oldest section for tours. Several historical markers about the canals themselves and the City of Richmond are dispersed throughout the length of the restored portion of the canal. The park is popular with fisherman and dog lovers, and is near the Ship Yard
Ship Yard
Ship Yard is a rail yard on the Richmond District in Richmond, Virginia. It is just east of Triple Crossing. Ship Yard is not often used for putting together trains, but is more for storing empty cars, especially boxcars....
.
The western entrance of the Richmond portion of the Canal lies near the village of Sabot
Manakin-Sabot, Virginia
Manakin-Sabot, consisting of the villages of Manakin and Sabot, is an unincorporated community in Goochland County, Virginia, United States. It is located northwest of Richmond and is part of the Greater Richmond region. The area is home to several country clubs. Justin Verlander, pitcher for the...
in Goochland County
Goochland County, Virginia
Goochland County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 21,717. Its county seat is Goochland. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area ....
while eastern entrance lies in the city near the Richmond Deepwater Terminal. Sufficient waterflow appears to be provided by Bosher Dam
Bosher Dam
Bosher Dam is a historic but unnatural feature in the James River just west of Richmond, Virginia. A lowhead dam, also called a weir, is what paddlers ruefully call a "drowning machine," this 12-foot-high stone structure interrupts the natural flow of Virginia's largest self-contained river by...
, an 1835 structure located on the western side of the city.
Much of the route of the connecting James River and Kanawha Turnpike
James River and Kanawha Turnpike
The James River and Kanawha Turnpike was built to facilitate portage of shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western reaches of the James River via the James River and Kanawha Canal and the eastern reaches of the Kanawha River....
portage through West Virginia is today the Midland Trail
Midland Trail
For the trail's section in West Virginia see: The Midland Trail in West Virginia.The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C...
, a National Scenic Byway
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...
.
Historic district
The James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District is a 138 acres (55.8 ha) historic districtHistoric district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971. It then included one contributing building, nine contributing sites, and 21 contributing structures.
It goes along the James River
James River
The James River may refer to:Rivers in the United States and their namesakes* James River * James River , North Dakota, South Dakota* James River * James River * James River...
and includes various canal locks of the Kanawha Canal.