James River and Kanawha Canal Historic District

This linear district follows the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal through Richmond and into Henrico County, from the Ship Lock at the foot of Peach Street to the area of Bosher's Dam. It includes earthen canal cuts, granite locks, stone bridges and bridge abutments, basins, culverts, a pumphouse and the towpath. The canal grew from the James River Company, chartered in 1785 with George Washington as honorary president, and was expanded after 1835 by the James River and Kanawha Company. The Tidewater Connection, finished by 1854, used five stone locks to carry larger boats down to tidewater and supported Richmond's port. The nomination praises the locks' chiseled granite ashlar as works of art and calls the canal a major engineering feat. Railroads ended canal traffic after the system was sold in 1880, and tracks were laid on the towpath. Some features have since disappeared or been altered.