Existing comment:
Tidewater Connection Locks
In 1854 the Tidewater Connection Locks linked the canal basin to the Jame River tidewater below Richmond. The system contained five granite locks, each measuring 15 x 100 feet. This resulted in a flight of water stairs that lowered boats a total of 69 feet within a distance of 3½ blocks. A sixth lock, the Great Ship Lock, was located just 1½ miles east near Pear Street. Traffic on the canal peaked in the late 1850's following completion of the Tidewater Connection Locks. However, the canal suffered heavily with the expansion of railroads. In 1880 the canal was sold to the predecessor of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway System (now CSX) and the towpath was largely converted to rail beds. |