Great Ship Lock

The first Great Ship Lock was built in 1816. It connected the navigable part of the James River with the Richmond city dock, which extended for 10 blocks to the west. The lock raised sailing ships and steamboats approximately 13 ...

28th St Draw Bridge / Great Shiplock Canal

"The Tidewater Connection"

28th St Draw Bridge

The lift bridge before you was built by the Norfolk and Southern Railroad in 1929 to serve the paper mills along the Pamunkey River at West Point.

A moveable bridge was always necessary to allow ships ...

Great Ship Lock

Captain John Smith’s Adventures on the James

James River Park System

Despite the presence of a large Indian village just below the falls—or perhaps because of good relations with the local ruler Parahunt and his father Powhatan—Capt. Francis West built ...