{"nrhp_refnum":"93001127","name":"Varney's Falls Dam","other_names":["VDHR File No. 11-68","James River and Kanawha Canal Historic D"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"1 mi. E of jct. of VA 608 and VA 609 on the James R.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gillmore Mills","county":"Botetourt County","state":"VA","lat":37.57876395400007,"lon":-79.59675106229167,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-10-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A limestone guard lock, guard wall and dam abutment on the James River and Kanawha Canal at Varney's Falls near Gilmore Mills, Botetourt County, Virginia, built between 1848 and 1851, with a towpath culvert and towpath bridge remains.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the best-preserved of the stone guard lock and dam structures on the canal's Second Division between Lynchburg and Buchanan. It shows the skill of canal construction and retains rare surviving towpath features. It is argued significant for engineering and transportation under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Beside the James River in Botetourt County stand the stone remains of a guard lock, guard wall and dam abutment built for the James River and Kanawha Canal. Contractor Charles Scott of Lynchburg received the contract in 1848, and the work was finished around 1851 using local grey limestone. The lock chamber is 100 feet long between gate recesses and 15 feet wide, with dressed, coursed ashlar walls that still carry masons' marks. A wooden crib dam once crossed the river, but the railroad pulled it out in 1881 and removed the lock gates in 1885. The stonework survived nearly intact, along with stretches of towpath, a stone culvert and an abutment of a towpath bridge about one and one-eighth miles upstream. It was listed as the best-preserved of the stone structures on the canal between Lynchburg and Buchanan, and for its value in engineering and transportation history.","period_of_significance":"1848-1881","architect_builder":"Scott, Charles","architectural_style":"OTHER: stone lock","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed current function is not in use; the stonework is described as remarkably preserved and in excellent condition, with the wooden dam and gates removed in 1881 and 1885.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.725096-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/40/6798/41679840/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/93001127.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93001127/fde0b8235d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93001127/fde0b8235d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JR%26KC_towpath_above_Varney%27s_Falls.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JR%26KC_towpath_above_Varney%27s_Falls.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41679840","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varney%27s_Falls_Dam","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16902559"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/botetourt-county/varneys-falls-dam-93001127/"}