Virginia Canals & Navigations Society

VC&NS Annual Meeting a big success.

holt — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:47:40 +0000

The Annual Meeting of the VC&NS was held April 27th, 2013. The photos above are from Sat. Night.

More information to come on this event.

Marshall Expedition DVD available on the VC&NS online store

holt — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 17:38:50 +0000

The Marshall Expedition DVD

The Marshall Expedition DVD is now available on our online store. The price is $20 plus tax and shipping. This is a must have. We have a limited quantity of 10 copies to start and will order more if we run out.

Members don’t forget to ask for your 20% off discount code. If you just got your Tiller in the mail it is printed on the green paper for the Member bring in a Member special.

Canal Walk Trail video from Richmond Downtown to Maymont

holt — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 15:23:11 +0000

I found a nice video online of someone jogging from downtown Richmond up to Maymont Park. The video is a little choppy but it’s worth taking a look at. Enjoy.

VC&NS 2013 Annual Conference Registration Form

holt — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 15:06:01 +0000

Please register early for the 2013 VC&NS Annual Conference.

Click here to download the registration form.

VC&NS “Home Fund” Established

holt — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 21:01:27 +0000

After 35 successful years as a nonprofit organization researching, educating, and advocating for Virginia canals, batteaux and other historic watercraft, the Virginia Canals and Navigations Society is ready to settle down and display Virginia’s rich cultural waterway heritage. As the only nonprofit organization in Virginia specializing specifically in the historic river highways that helped found our great nation, (a once forgotten segment of history), VC&NS is uniquely positioned to create a museum of cultural waterway heritage of commonwealth and national interest. Throughout our 35 years, members have been collecting archives, artifacts and memorabilia of canal and river heritage and building navigable reproductions. It’s time to gather and share them with the public while also creating a much overdue VC&NS work place.

The VC&NS Board of Governors at their December 1, 2012 meeting launched a fund drive for the purpose of establishing a VC&NS home with space for meetings, workshops, archives, library and museum. We have begun the work of creating a funding plan, and needs assessment and exploring location possibilities. Already we are receiving offers from communities that are interested in working with us! If you would like to assist our “Home” committee, please contact Ellen Neal, (434) 263-4745 or Philip deVos, (434) 299-5249.

All donations to this temporarily restricted fund will be set aside for the express purpose of establishing a VC&NS home and if no home is established by December 1, 2017 (5 years from establishment date) then the VC&NS board of governors reserves the right to reevaluate and possibly reallocate the money towards the VC&NS general fund.

Donate now to help VC&NS establish our “Home”. VC&NS is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Your donation to this fund is 100% tax deductible.

Please send donations via usps to: VC&NS, c/o “Home Fund”, PO Box 62, Covesville, VA 22931-0062. Please write “Home Fund” on the for line of your check. You will be mailed a receipt for your tax deductible donation.

We appreciate your donation via check as that saves us transactions fees that are charged by PayPal. However, if you would like to donate and use your credit card, we accept donations via PayPal. You can use your credit card or PayPal account. Select the “Donate Now” button below. Thank you.

Marshall Expedition – Film Showing in Lynchburg a huge success!

holt — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 17:53:23 +0000

[Show as slideshow]

Photos by Doug Berry

The first public showing of the documentary film about the Marshall expedition was held at “Mason’s Field”, overlooking the James River in sight of Rusen’s Dam on November 10th, 2012.

Upon arriving around 7:00 for the 7:30 showing, my friend Doug Berry and I walked over towards a huge bonfire that lit up the night sky. I saw batteau friends everwhere. The chili was very good and visiting with many people before the showing was lots of fun. Doug Berry, a photographer from Chester, VA took photos for the night which gave me a break from that for a change.

The film was shown on a large sheet with a nice projector and sound system. Chairs were lined up before we got there and when the time came the large crowd sat down to watch the film with much anticipation.

Andrew Shaw introduced the film and you could hear many cheers and whoa’s and laughter from the crowd. Andrew said it was his first time seeing the film. I really enjoyed every minute of the showing.

Afterwards the crew of the Marshall Expedition stood up in front of the crowd and spoke one by one telling tales and blaming everything that happened on the trip on Isaac. Tales of funny things that happened, favorite foods and all sorts of things were discussed. All of the crew said this was a trip they would remember the rest of their lives.

People remained and gathered around the fire to keep warm as it was starting to get kind of cold out there after a while. What a fantastic evening spent with good friends.

Holt Messerly
VC&NS Trustee/Webmaster/Tiller Editor

Inland Waterways International supports canal in Richmond

holt — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 16:48:58 +0000

To all those interested in the future of Richmond’s historic canal:

The attached letter is from Mr. D.J. Ballinger, president of the international canal organization Inland Waterways International, containing a resolution of support for the preservation and wise use of the remains of the James River & Kanawha Canal in Richmond. Originally known as the James River Canal, it was the first operating canal system with locks in America. It first opened in 1789 and was completed into the Great Basin in 1800. The canal company elected George Washington as its honorary president and gave him a grand tour in 1791. Today, much of the canal is still intact in Richmond.

The resolution was passed at the annual World Canals Conference, held this year in Yangzhou, China, on China’s Grand Canal. For 25 years these conferences have been held annually in America or Europe, and now, for the first time, in the far east. This one was held in conjunction with the Sixth World Canal Cities Expo, which has been held annually in Yangzhou. The Chinese are making the most of their canal heritage. Communities along its length are working together to nominate the Grand Canal as a World Heritage Site, and are using it to create beautiful parks and waterways much beloved by both tourists and those who live there. Efforts like this are going on all over the world.

Richmond rightly prides itself as a River Town and has learned much from other river cities. But Richmond is also a Canal City. The technology and philosophy of canal park development is not the same as river park development. We need to work not only with other river cities, but with other canal cities and canal parks to learn how we can put our historic canal to its best use for our city. The sweep of the canal around Oregon Hill is in danger and needs our help.

Bill Trout

Letter supporting the canal in Richmond, VA from Inland Waterways International.

Richmond’s History along the canal also had a narrow gauge railroad.

holt — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:39:33 +0000

Another aspect of the historical significance of the site of Venture Richmond’s proposed amphitheater is the narrow gauge railroad tracks that are on the towpath of the south bank of the canal. This railroad track probably connected Tredegar Iron Works with the iron works on Belle Isle. The stone pillars and one section of trestle for this railroad line still survive in the James River. Since this the site of the proposed amphitheater was formerly part of the Tredegar Iron Works grounds, it is very likely that these railroad tracks were actually manufactured at Tredegar Iron Works, and they may be among the few surviving tracks made at this foundry.

These railroad tracks would have to be the first thing removed if the south bank of the canal were sliced as proposed by Venture Richmond, not only irreparably damaging the historic canal but this authentic Tredegar history as well.

Submitted by Charles Pool

Richmond, VA’s TV Channel 8 coverage of canal wall demolition.

holt — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:04:45 +0000

The Channel 8 reporter is interested in getting to the bottom of the demolition of the 150 feet of canal wall on city property. She has done three stories so far. Jennifer had some excellent quotes.

http://www.wric.com/global/Category.asp?c=190525&clipId=7869757&autostart=true

http://www.wric.com/global/Category.asp?c=190525&clipId=7873928&autostart=true

http://www.wric.com/global/Category.asp?c=190525&clipId=7878963&autostart=true

The reporter got the contractor for the 2nd St. Connector project to show her the plans for the project. I did a screen save from the footage that shows 28 feet to be demolished on Venture Richmond property (see attachment below),

yet Venture Richmond claims that they had no knowledge of any wall being removed on their property. The Liesfeld Contractor claims that the 150 feet of city owned wall somehow “collapsed” when they were removing the 28 feet of wall, although this is certainly not true since I witnessed them demolishing the wall with a “bobcat” bulldozer. The scene was obviously inconsistent with the wall collapsing; instead of large chunks of wall that had fallen over, there were only individual bricks, many of which had been broken by the bulldozer. They were already at work on putting the bricks that did not belong to them on pallets.

This raises several questions:

Who asked for this 28 feet of wall demolition — about 200 feet from the 2nd St. Connector — to be added to the work plan of the 2nd Street Connector?

Who hired Liesfeld? (Wouldn’t it be simple for the police or Commonwealth Attorney to ask for a copy of the demo contract?)

If NewMarket hired Liesfeld (as the contractor reported to the Times Dispatch), why was NewMarket hiring a contractor to work on the 2nd Street Connector project when Dominion is overseeing this project?

NewMarket was cited by the city for demolishing another portion of the same wall up to 28 feet from the city property line last year without a permit. Did they come back to finish the job? Did Liesfeld do that demolition work for NewMarket last year?

Was the demolition part of the effort to improve the sight lines for Venture Richmond’s amphitheater?

Will anyone be held accountable for this demolition? Will those responsible be required to pay for the wall’s reconstruction?

Is this just the first step in the further damage of the south bank of the canal for Venture Richmond’s amphitheater?

Thanks,

Charles Pool

Dismal Swamp Canal – Interpretive Mile Marker Sign Dedication Thursday, November 1st, 2:00 PM

holt — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:59:39 +0000

The VC&NS has received an invitation for members to attend the dedication of an interpretive mile marker sign on the Dismal Swamp Canal in honor of Mrs. Penny Leary-Smith for her dedication to the promotion of the Dismal Swamp, Dismal Swamp Canal and Camden County. If you are able to attend, we know it would mean a great deal to Penny. The ceremony begins at 2:00 p.m., and we will have shuttle vans available to transport attendees to the dedication site.

Donna Stewart, Director

Dismal Swamp Welcome Center
2356 US Hwy 17N
South Mills, NC 27976
Phone ~ 252-771-8333
www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com

Bird, Bike, Hike….take in the sights!