Union Mills Canal Outlet Locks No. 1 and No. 2 [SEP] located next to body of water
Union Mills Canal Outlet Locks No. 1 and No. 2
The Union Mills Canal Outlet Locks No. 1 and No. 2 are a pair of locks along the route of a canal system that improved navigation on the Rivanna River in Fluvanna County, Virginia. Located near Crofton, these are two large locks fashioned out of dressed granite blocks. They were built between 1850 and 1854.
Until the 1850s, canal and river transportation primarily employed batteaux, but mid-century saw the construction of towpaths to enable mules
to pull boats. It was for this purpose that the Union Mills Canal and its outlet locks were constructed. The canal is approximately long, with a lock and dam complex at the upper end; it runs on the right bank of the river.
The outlet locks, situated at the lower end of the canal, are located just above the mouth of a small stream, Boston Creek, which nearby is dammed to form Lake Monticello. The lake is a resort community; although a footpath was built to the locks