Matildaville, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Matildaville was a town located along the Patowmack Canal
in the present day area of Great Falls
, Virginia
, United States
.
in 1790, began as a staging and headquarters area for construction of the canal. At its height the town boasted the Patowmack Canal Company superintendent's house, a market, grist mill, sawmill, foundry, inn, ice house, workers' barracks, boarding houses, and a number of residences. Boaters stopped there to wait their turn through the locks.
Tourists who came to view Great Falls frequently dined and lodged at one of the town's taverns. Dickey's Tavern, constructed circa 1797, was a popular destination for both tourists and sport fishermen. It was the last remaining building in Matildaville before it was destroyed by fire in 1950.
The town declined after the Patowmack Canal
closed in 1828. An attempt to reinvent to town as a textile manufacturing center, modeled after the town of Lowell, Massachusetts
, was made in 1839 by the Great Falls Manufacturing Company. The Company purchased the Patowmack Canal land at Great Falls along with several town lots. The town was re-chartered as South Lowell.
Currently all that remains of the town are a series of ruins on the grounds of Great Falls Park
.
Patowmack Canal
The Patowmack Canal is an inoperative canal located in Virginia, United States, that was designed to bypass rapids in the Potomac River upstream of the present Washington, D.C. area...
in the present day area of Great Falls
Great Falls, Virginia
Great Falls is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 15,427 at the 2010 census.Although primarily a bedroom community for Washington, D.C., one major attraction is Great Falls Park which overlooks the Great Falls of the Potomac River, for which...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The town, chartered by the Virginia General AssemblyVirginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
in 1790, began as a staging and headquarters area for construction of the canal. At its height the town boasted the Patowmack Canal Company superintendent's house, a market, grist mill, sawmill, foundry, inn, ice house, workers' barracks, boarding houses, and a number of residences. Boaters stopped there to wait their turn through the locks.
Tourists who came to view Great Falls frequently dined and lodged at one of the town's taverns. Dickey's Tavern, constructed circa 1797, was a popular destination for both tourists and sport fishermen. It was the last remaining building in Matildaville before it was destroyed by fire in 1950.
The town declined after the Patowmack Canal
Patowmack Canal
The Patowmack Canal is an inoperative canal located in Virginia, United States, that was designed to bypass rapids in the Potomac River upstream of the present Washington, D.C. area...
closed in 1828. An attempt to reinvent to town as a textile manufacturing center, modeled after the town of Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
, was made in 1839 by the Great Falls Manufacturing Company. The Company purchased the Patowmack Canal land at Great Falls along with several town lots. The town was re-chartered as South Lowell.
Currently all that remains of the town are a series of ruins on the grounds of Great Falls Park
Great Falls Park
Great Falls Park is a small National Park Service site in Virginia, United States. Situated on 800 acres along the banks of the Potomac River in northern Fairfax County, the park is a disconnected but integral part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway...
.