Roanoke River & Canals
History of navigation on the Roanoke
River. Why the need for a canal.
Transportation and commerce: moving farm products produced along the
Roanoke.
Dan and Staunton Rivers to Halifax and the coastal ports of Virginia and
later, North Carolina.
+/- 100' Elevation Drop from Gaston to Weldon; rapids and waterfalls
Canals in History
Topography, geology &
geography, Piedmont Plateau and Coastal Plain
Canal precedent on the East Coast
Canals were needed as a source of transportation, commerce, power
generation; later used as recreational corridors.
Anatomy of a Canal
How a canal works (locks,
aqueduct, culverts) as a means of transportation
How a canal works in the generation of power
The use of bateaux (boats) in canal transportation
Construction of the Canal
Technology of the day
Development of a quarry for the project
Use of slave and prison labor
Everything involved with building the locks, aqueduct & culverts
Life along the Canal/Historic Usage
Economic situation; in the1850s,
the canal was about to cease operations. It was revitalized during the
Civil War to transport supplies and produce. The defense of the
canal at Weldon was a strategic location for the Confederate Army. As
the railroads began to flourish after the war, the use of transportation
on the canal decreased. Later, the canal was used as a source of
hydro-electric power.
Current Usage
Recreational corridor; canoe
trail, walking trail, student running trail, boy scouts, flora &
fauna observation,
Fishing
Source of hydro-electric power at the dam
Preservation of the Canal and the
Structure
Historic construction and
evolution of the canal and building; transportation (building of the
canal, 1819-1823) to electric generation (building of the generation
house adjacent to the locks, early 1900s) to art center use (early
1990s) to Canal Museum; and interpretive recreational corridor (current
and future use).
Other opportunities nearby: tours of the dam, paper plant, textile mills
Proximity to the trail and those opportunities
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