Embrey Dam Lock - Rappahannock River - Waterway Locks, Planes and Lifts on Waymarking.com

In 1854, the Fredericksburg Water Power Co. built a wood and stone crib dam across the Rappahannock River. A stone lock on the southern end controlled the water flow into the city canal and allowed passage for canal boats. The canal was used to provide water power to Fredericksburg.

In 1909, a bigger concrete dam was built to generate electricity and a power plant was established where the canal entered the Rappahannock. VEPCO (Virginia Electric and Power Co.) took over the plant's operation in the 1920s. They ran it until shutting it down in the 1960s. The canal was no longer used to supply power and the city eventually took over the dam.

By 1998, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries recommended the dam be removed to aid passage of migrating fish. In 2004, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers blew the dam up.

Today, the fish run free and only vestiges of the dam remain including the old lock and crib abutment. It can be accessed by the Rappahannock Canal Trail off Fall Hill Dr. in Fredericksburg.

References:

• History Of The Embrey Dam
• Off The Beaten Path: Embrey Dam
• On site information

Waterway Name: Rappahannock River Connected Points: Linked the Rappahannock River with the city canal Type: Lock Date Opened: 01/01/1854 Date Closed (if applicable): 01/01/1960 Elevation Difference (meters): 7.00 Site Status: Remnants Web Site: [Web Link]

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