Tidewater Connection

Tidewater Connection Locks

East Byrd Street & 12^th Street

Richmond, Virginia

23219

The success of antebellum Richmond hinged upon the expansion of the James River, limitlessly connecting the city with the rest of the South.  Since the late eighteenth century, George Washington and other members of antebellum society labored to create a way to successfully navigate the rapids of the James River.[i] The Tidewater Connection Locks were constructed in 1854 as a project by the James River and Kanawha Company after acquiring the Richmond Dock Company.[ii] These five stone locks connected the James River tidewater to the Kanawha canal basin.[iii] These locks were fifteen by 100 feet and created a flight of stairs in which boats could be lowered from the upper basin to the lower James.[iv] The creation of the Tidewater Connection Locks allowed traffic within the canal and Richmond’s downtown to progress exponentially.  Boats were now better able to navigate the currents surrounding the James’ fall line and expand the already flourishing industries.[v]   Extensive bridgework, railroad expansion, and business ventures launched Richmond into becoming the center of manufacturing in antebellum America, creating a demand for profitable and successful means of transferring goods.  The building of the Tidewater Connection Locks filled this void and enabled the city to flourish via the banks of the James.  This site illustrates the technological development that the city underwent throughout the antebellum era and the crucial role that the James River played in the evolution of Virginia. Visitors can access the site of the Tidewater Connection Locks for free through the Riverfront Canal Walk.

---

[i] “James River & Kanawha Canal, Locks 1-5, Tenth to Thirteenth of Canal Street, Richmond, Independent City, VA,” Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC,  3.

[ii] “James River & Kanawha Canal, Locks 1-5, Tenth to Thirteenth of Canal Street, Richmond, Independent City, VA,” Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC,  3.

[iii] “James River & Kanawha Canal, Locks 1-5, Tenth to Thirteenth of Canal Street, Richmond, Independent City, VA,” Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC,  3.

[iv] “James River & Kanawha Canal, Locks 1-5, Tenth to Thirteenth of Canal Street, Richmond, Independent City, VA,” Historic American Engineering Record, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, Washington DC,  3.

[v] Leib, Jonathan I., “Robert E. Lee, ‘Race,’ Representation and Redevelopment along Richmond, Virginia’s Canal Walk,” Southeastern Geographer 44 (2), 243.