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Manchester in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Manchester Canal

 
 
Manchester Canal Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 24, 2010
1. Manchester Canal Marker
Inscription. The still water in front of you once flowed freely to the right. It once spun the water wheels and turbines of several paper companies (like the one to your left), ...grist mills (where the grain elevator is now to your right) ...and an electric generating station (the remains of which are also to your right.) Today it is home to turtles, ducks and muskrats.

The canal was dug by black African slaves and white Irish immigrants. Water came into the canal at the Manchester Dam (¼ mile to your left along the Floodwall Walk) and once returned to the river at a point now just below the I-95 bridge (you can see it along the Slave Trail)but now ends about ½ mile to your right along the Floodwall Walk where the power lines cross the river.

Pictured above is the Dunlop Mills building. It was located across the street from where you are standing. Through the 1800s industries in Manchester drew water power from the canal.

In the 1700's the land around you was a grassy field called the Manchester Green. It was a periodic gathering place for farmers to trade livestock and had a ferry service of row boats and rafts to access the tiny town of Richmond across the river. It is interesting to note that the land along the canal to your left is once again in public
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ownership-and is intended to become a public park.
 
Erected by Bridging Boundaries International.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansBridges & ViaductsIndustry & CommerceParks & Recreational AreasSettlements & SettlersWaterways & Vessels.
 
Location. 37° 31.588′ N, 77° 26.143′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Manchester. Marker can be reached from Hull Street Road (U.S. 360) near East 1st Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Richmond VA 23224, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Transitions (within shouting distance of this marker); Manchester Lodge No. 14 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mayo's Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Slavery Challenged (approx. 0.4 miles away); The African Church of Manchester (approx. 0.4 miles away); Heron Rookery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Pipeline Trail (approx. 0.4 miles away); James River & Kanawha Canal (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.
 
More about this marker. On the upper right is a picture of "Dunlop Mills"
 
Manchester Canal image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 24, 2010
2. Manchester Canal
Southern States Grain Towers image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 24, 2010
3. Southern States Grain Towers
Manchester Dam on the James River image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 24, 2010
4. Manchester Dam on the James River
Manchester Canal image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 24, 2010
5. Manchester Canal
Diversity Park and Floodwall Walk image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, April 24, 2010
6. Diversity Park and Floodwall Walk
Dunlop Mills, South Richmond, Chesterfield County, VA image. Click for full size.
Historic American Buildings Survey, April 25, 2010
7. Dunlop Mills, South Richmond, Chesterfield County, VA
Library of Congress [HABS VA,21-RICHS,1-]
Dunlop Mills, South Richmond, Chesterfield County, VA image. Click for full size.
Historic American Buildings Survey, April 25, 2010
8. Dunlop Mills, South Richmond, Chesterfield County, VA
Library of Congress [HABS VA,21-RICHS,1-]
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,225 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on April 24, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.

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Mar. 19, 2024