Landsford Canal
Encyclopedia
The Landford Canal was the farthest upstream of a series of canals built on the Catawba
and Wateree
Rivers to provide a direct water route between the upstate settlements and the towns on the fall line
. It is located along the Catawba River in Chester County
and Lancaster County west of Lancaster
. It is named for an early settler, Thomas Land, who owned the land with a ford across the Catawba River. It is the centerpiece of the Landsford Canal State Park
.
, began using slave labor and skilled laborers from the northern United States
under the supervision of Robert Leckie. It was 2 mi (3.2 km) long. It was 12 ft ( 3.7 m) wide and ten ft (3 m) deep. It had five locks
for the 32 ft (9.8 m) descent of the river.
The canal was not a financial success. In 1824, one of the locks collapsed due to a poor foundation. Canal traffic, which was never high, had apparently ceased by 1840. The granite locks and the lock keeper's house survive.
The Landsford Canal is on the National Register of Historic Places
, No. 69000163. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information, and copies of the nomination forms.
There are additional pictures, architectural drawings, and information about the lock keeper's house available from the Historic American Building Survey at the Library of Congress
. Their documentation indicates the lock keeper's house at Landsford Canal was moved from Rocky Mount Canal near Great Falls downstream.
Catawba River
The Catawba River is a tributary of the Wateree River in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The river is approximately 220 miles long...
and Wateree
Wateree River
The Wateree River, about 75 mi long, is a tributary of the Santee River in central South Carolina in the United States, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean...
Rivers to provide a direct water route between the upstate settlements and the towns on 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...
. It is located along the Catawba River in Chester County
Chester County, South Carolina
Chester County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 34,068; in 2005 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that its population had dropped to 33,228. Its county seat is Chester.-Geography and climate:...
and Lancaster County west of Lancaster
Lancaster, South Carolina
Lancaster is a city in Lancaster County, South Carolina which is in the United States and is located 35 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina and 20 miles east of Rock Hill, South Carolina. As of the United States Census of 2010, the city population was 10,160. It is the county seat of...
. It is named for an early settler, Thomas Land, who owned the land with a ford across the Catawba River. It is the centerpiece of the Landsford Canal State Park
Landsford Canal State Park
Landsford Canal State Park is a South Carolina state park located in Chester County, two miles from US 21. The park contains the ruins of the Landsford Canal built to bypass rapids on the Catawba River using slave labor between 1820 and 1825. The coming of the railroad caused the canal to be...
.
History
In 1820, construction of the canal, which was designed by Robert MillsRobert Mills (architect)
Robert Mills , most famously known for designing the Washington Monument, is sometimes called the first native born American to become a professional architect, though Charles Bulfinch perhaps has a clearer claim to this honor...
, began using slave labor and skilled laborers from the northern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the supervision of Robert Leckie. It was 2 mi (3.2 km) long. It was 12 ft ( 3.7 m) wide and ten ft (3 m) deep. It had five locks
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
for the 32 ft (9.8 m) descent of the river.
The canal was not a financial success. In 1824, one of the locks collapsed due to a poor foundation. Canal traffic, which was never high, had apparently ceased by 1840. The granite locks and the lock keeper's house survive.
The Landsford Canal is 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...
, No. 69000163. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information, and copies of the nomination forms.
There are additional pictures, architectural drawings, and information about the lock keeper's house available from the Historic American Building Survey at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. Their documentation indicates the lock keeper's house at Landsford Canal was moved from Rocky Mount Canal near Great Falls downstream.