From the Archives— Locks & Dams on the Rappahannock River

Today the Rappahannock River is one of the longest free flowing river on the east coast. Over a hundred and sixty years ago this was not the case. Between 1816 and 1849 twenty-two wooden locks, twenty-five stone locks, twenty dams, and 15 miles of canal were built on the river between the City of Fredericksburg and Fauquier County to facilitate trade. The effort nearly bankrupted the city and by the 1850s the project was doomed by the advent of the railroad.

What follow are photos of what remains of this thirty-three year effort one hundred and sixty years later……….



What Remains
All that is left of this effort are the decaying and over grown remains of the lock and canal system and metal spikes marking the outline of wooden dams which once spanned the river.