BGuthrie Photos: SC -- Columbia -- Riverfront Park and Historic Canal

SC -- Columbia -- Riverfront Park and Historic Canal:

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[1] RIVERP_071205_002.JPG	[2] RIVERP_071205_003.JPG	[3] RIVERP_071205_005.JPG
[4] RIVERP_071205_007.JPG	[5] RIVERP_071205_008.JPG	[6] RIVERP_071205_011.JPG
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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. RIVERP_071205_002.JPG: Little Red Schoolhouse 1867-1913
2. RIVERP_071205_007.JPG: Historic Columbia Canal: Completed originally in 1824 as a transportation canal, the Columbia Canal was reconstructed in the 1890s to provide water for hydroelectric generation, powering the first mill in the world to run completely on this type of power source. Today the canal serves as a source of hydroelectric power, the source of water for the Columbia water plant, and the site for the Columbia Riverfront Park. October 1983
3. RIVERP_071205_011.JPG: Water system
4. RIVERP_071205_019.JPG: The "USC 3-D at 3 Rivers" exhibit features three-dimensional works of art inspired by and created for Riverfront Park. Sculptors from the University of South Carolina's Art Department visited the park, seeking to draw inspiration from its history, its beauty, and its landscape. They they created unique, site-specific works that represent their impressions. These works have been installed throughout the park for public display.
5. RIVERP_071205_041.JPG: Capital City Passage of The Palmetto Trail: The Capital City Passage is the 9th passage to be opened on the 400 mile Mountains to the Sea Trail. It is the first urban segment of the trail and uses the city's sidewalks to connect The Fort Jackson Passage to Riverfront Park. The trail will eventually continue north following the Broad River. The corridor of this urban passage truly highlights all that is great about Columbia. The passage spans from Fort Jackson on one end to Riverfront Park on the other. You will walk through beautiful neighborhoods, past city parks and schools, as well as the Horseshoe at USC and the steps of the State House. The Palmetto Trail: South Carolina's Palmetto Trail is being developed to provide access to serenity, natural beauty, and the sense of freedom one receives from a simple outing in the woods, along a lakeshore, or up a mountain slope. Stretching through the Lowcountry near McClellanville to Oconee State Park in the Upcountry, when complete, the trail will offer users the chance to experience the dozens of habitats and ecosystems that comprise our great state.
6. RIVERP_071205_042.JPG: Columbia Canal: Originally constructed between 1819 and 1824 by the State government, the Columbia Canal enabled water borne freight to pass safely around the shoals and rapids at the head of the Congaree River. Originally, the canal was just over three miles long, beginning at the foot of Richmond Street and ending at the present site of the Olympia quarries. The original canal served Columbia as an important transportation route until the coming of the railroads some twenty years later. In 1863, a large part of the canal was leased to the Confederate Government for the construction of a powder mill just above the Congaree Bridge, The mill was destroyed by Sherman in 1865. The canal was reconstructed from 1888 to 1891 to be used as a source of hydro-electric power, providing electricity in 1895 to the first hydroelectrically powered textile mile in the world. The construction of the new municipal water plant on the canal in 1906 gave the canal and second important function. Today, in addition to the canal's importance as a source of water and electricity, the Columbia Canal offers visitors a unique recreational facility.
7. RIVERP_071205_055.JPG: The walls of the old prison are on the left
8. RIVERP_071205_059.JPG: Columbia Water Plant: Columbia residents relied on private wells until 1820 when Abraham Blanding built the first waterworks in Seaboard Park, behind what is now the U.S. Post Office on Assembly Street. Water was pumped up to a "standpipe" on Arsenal Hill using a Watt-type steam engine. The water the flowed by gravity to homes and businesses. To honor Blanding for his work, City Council renamed Walnut Street in his honor. Blanding was a lawyer, engineer, and also served as the first principal of the Columbia Male Academy. In 1903, the City Council appointed a commission on water and waterworks, chaired by Dr. J.W. Babcock. This commission developed a new City waterworks at its present site. Completed in 1906, many parts of the original plant are still in use today. These two pump houses on the canal levee were used to pump up to 7 million gallons of water per day from the Broad and Saluda rivers. The pumps were powered by a waterwheel turned by water flowing from the canal. These pumps were used until the 1970s. Today, the Columbia Canal Water Treatment Plants draws its raw water supply from the canal itself, and has a potential capacity of 100 million gallons per day. In 1983, a second water plant was opened at Lake Murray.
9. RIVERP_071205_063.JPG: Columbia Waterworks: The S.C. Legislature established Columbia's first water works in 1818. Colonel Abraham Blanding funded and constructed the water works were Finlay Park now stands. A Watt steam engine pumped water from underground springs to a tank on Arsenal Hill. Blanding sold the water works to the city in 1835. As Columbia grew, the city issued bonds to build a new water works on the Congaree River. It was destroyed by a flood in 1890 and rebuilt with new water-powered pumps and a filtration system. When the filtration system failed, plans were made to construct a new facility on the site used today. Completed in 1906, the new plant had six on million gallon-per-day filters. Water flowing through the canal powered a waterwheel that pulled water from the river. The pumps stayed in operation until the 1970s. The plant has been updated over the years to meet increasing demand and stringent water quality regulations. Many original buildings and much of the historic equipment remain. The current waterworks pulls water from the canal to the treatment plant above, providing up to 72 million gallons a day. An additional plant at Lake Murray has a capacity of 55 million gallons per day.
10. RIVERP_071205_067.JPG: Christopher Columbus
11. RIVERP_071205_081.JPG: Now unused power plant
12. RIVERP_071205_104.JPG: Hydro-Electric Plant: In 1891, the Columbia Canal was extended nearly three miles up the Broad River, and the portion of the canal below Gervais Street was abandoned to prepare the canal for use as a source of hydro-electric power. The diversion dam, entry lock, bulkhead, and waste weir were built at that time. In 1892, the canal was sold by the General Assembly to the Columbia Water Power Company. After selecting a site above Gervais Street, the General Electric Company was constructed to built 14 sixty-five horsepower alternating motors to be installed in the ceiling of the cotton mill to be constructed at the site. The mile was completed in April, 1895, and production began on June 11, 1895, the first mill in the world to be powered by such means. In 1896, the Columbia Hydro Plant was built and furnished electricity to a growing Capital City. In addition, the plant produced supplementary power for Columbia Mills, and provided all the electricity needed to operate Columbia's Street Railway System. Today, the Columbia Hydro Plant is the oldest functioning plant in the SCE&G power system. The cotton mill is now the site of the South Carolina State Museum.
13. RIVERP_071205_123.JPG: Hydro electric plant
14. RIVERP_071205_146.JPG: The old penitentiary again
15. RIVERP_071205_183.JPG: The 1894 power plant
16. RIVERP_071205_185.JPG: 1894 Power Plant: When initially planned in the late 1800s, the textile mile east of here, now the State Museum, was to operate on water power. As construction progressed in 1893, engineers realized that the mill was too far away from the water source to effectively run the machines. Consequently, in 1894, the Columbia Water Power Company constructed the Columbia Mill Power House on the Columbia Canal to provide hydroelectric power to the Columbia Duck Mill. Using sixteen 65-horse-power motors on AC current, this mill was the first in the world to operate completely on electric power. The 1894 structure no longer exists. In 1896, another power plant was constructed downstream and remains in operation today.
17. RIVERP_071205_188.JPG: SC Penitentiary: "A penitentiary is a little world within itself. It has laws, for both the officer and the convict." -- Thomas Lee, First SC Penitentiary Superintendent, 1868. In 1866, South Carolina began construction of its first state prison. Prior to that, county jails housed convicted felons. Granite from a quarry north along the Broad River was shipped down the canal to make the main structure. The first inmates arrived from Williamsburg County in 1868, three years before the prison was finished. Throughout its history, the prison always seemed overcrowded. Known as Central Correctional Institution (CCI) during the 20th century, it closed in 1993. All that remains are portions of the granite and brick wall.
18. RIVERP_071205_207.JPG: The 1896 power plant
19. RIVERP_071205_220.JPG: Gervais Street Bridge: The first bridge at Gervais Street was a covered wooden structure built in 1827 by the Columbia Bridge Company. It remained until 1865 when Confederate soldiers burned it and other bridges to delay the advance of Sherman's troops. Rebuilt in 1870, the bridge was privately owned until 1912 when Richland and Lexington counties bought it. The current 1,415-foot-long bridge opened in 1927. It was considered remarkable for its time due to its use of reinforced concrete and its status as South Carolina's widest roadway. The Gervais Street Bridge was the only bridge in Columbia spanning the Congaree River, until the Blossom Street Bridge was built in 1953.
20. RIVERP_071205_229.JPG: Gervais Street Bridge
21. RIVERP_071205_232.JPG: Harnessing Water Power: Downstream from where the current Gervais Street Bridge now stands, Dr. Frederick W. Green owned an operated a lumberyard, and ran a gristmill to grind flour and corn. A native of New England, Green came South in the 1830s. Water from the canal ran his business. Until the end of the 19th century, most communities had at least one gristmill. Larger towns, such as Columbia, had at least one lumber operation. This mill was one of several that existed along the Broad and Congaree Rivers to provide milling services for a growing population.
22. RIVERP_071205_240.JPG: 1896 Power Plant: To meet growing demands for electricity, the Columbia Water and Power Company constructed this power plant, the Columbia Hydro Plant, in 1896. It replaced the 1894 power facility upstream. This Hydro Plant provided power for city lights, trolleys, and manufacturing plants. Still operated with its original turbines, it is owned by the City of Columbia, and operated by SCE&G. The brick powerhouse contains seven turbine generators with a total capacity of 10,600 kilowatts, and produces about 48 million kilowatt-hours per year.
Description of Subject Matter: Originally constructed between 1819 and 1824 by the State government, the Columbia Canal enabled water borne freight to pass safely around the shoals and rapids at the head of the Congaree River. Originally, the canal was just over three miles long, beginning at the foot of Richland Street and ending at the present site of the Olympia quarries.

The original canal served Columbia as an important transportation route until the coming of the railroads some twenty years later.

In 1863, a large part of the canal was leased to the Confederate Government for construction of a power mill just above the Congaree Bridge. The mill was destroyed by General Sherman in 1865.

Clarence fishing for more bream The canal was reconstructed from 1888 to 1891 to be used as a source for hydro-electric power, providing electricity in 1895 to the first hydro-electric textile mill in the world. The construction of the new municipal waster plant on the canal in 1906 gave the canal a second important function.

Today, in addition to the canal's importance as a source of water and electricity, the Columbia Canal offers visitors a unique recreational facility. Columbia, in addition to being the first-planned capital in America, was also the first city named for the famous explorer Christopher Columbus. There is a nice statute of Columbus along the canal.

The above was from http://www.columbiasouthcarolina.com/parks-city.html
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