Landsford Canal State Park

For details on our visit check out our Landsford Canal State Park Field Report

Once part of an ambitious plan to connect Charlotte North Carolina to the port of Charleston via the Catawba and Wateree River, the ruins of Landsford Canal stand alone as the last of the great Catawba River Canals and an early attempt to connect a nation. Click here for about Landsford Canal’s history.

While much of the canal has been washed away on the downriver side, the earthen walls of the upriver side are still clearly visible even if not their full 10 foot depth. The five locks – four lifting and one guardlock at the upstream section are still mostly intact. None of the bridges have survived, but the stone foundations are still intact. Ruins of stone culverts and retaining walls still stand in their original locations.

Visiting Landsford Canal State Park

Established in 1970 when Duke Power donated 194 acres in Chester County the state park has grown to 448 acres and encompasses the entirety of the original two miles of the Landsford Canal. While the central feature of the state park are the ruins of the canal, people also flock to the park to marvel at the wildlife, gaze at the Spider Lilies that bloom every spring in a spectacular display amongst the raging waters of the Catawba River, or just to have a picnic surrounded by nature.

Hiking at Landsford Canal State Park

Landsford Canal Trail

The highlight of a visit to the state park is the Canal Trail along the ruins of the old Landsford Canal. The trail is about 1.5 mile long and runs from the picnic area in the main park to the south entrance. Along the way you’ll pass the diversion dam in the Catawba River, the guardlock upstream that let water into the canal, and the lifting locks near the south entrance. Along the way the ruins of much of the stone work and retaining walls can be seen. Interpretive signage along the way points out distinctive features of the ruins.

Landsford Canal Spider Lilies and the Nature Trail

The Nature Trail is a little over a half mile long and ends at the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily overlook. At one time, rivers throughout the southeast would fill with white flowers in late May and early June as this aquatic plant would bloom. Today the ones in the rapids of Landsford Canal State Park are the last on the Catawba River and one of only a handful in the entire world.

Along the trail is the home of a nesting pair of Bald Eagles. From lat February to early June they can be seen caring for their hatchling next to the river.

Canoe Access at Landsford Canal State Park

The same ting that made the river impassable for barges makes it a great place for adventurous kayakers. The rapids on the Catawba River within the park boundary are normally class I or II, but can grow to Class III at times. Notices at the park entrance and at the canoe put-in note current river conditions.

Picnicking/Fishing/Playground at Landsford Canal State Park

There’s a single picnic shelter in the main area of the park near the playground along with restrooms. The shelter can be reserved, but there are lots of tables scattered around, most right next to the river. The playground is a smaller than at other parks and is between the main picnic area and the restrooms.

Lots of people fish in the area just upstream from the picnic area near the canoe put in.

Museum at Landsford Canal State Park

The old lock keeper’s house from the Rocky Mount Canal down river was brought to the park and turned into a museum. It’s open by appointment only and easy to miss. Latest information is that the park is in the process of moving the exhibits from the lock keeper’s house to the park office. There’s currently no timeline for the move.

Lock Keeper’s House At Landsford Canal State Park

It’s not far from the main enhance to Landsford Canal State Park, but the lock keeper’s house is hard to find and lots of people miss it. Originally located at the Rocky Mount Canal downriver from Landsford, the lock keeper’s house was moved here in the 1970’s, restored, and converted into a museum. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been open regularly for many years and has fallen into disrepair.

You can still visit and walk around the outside. There’s a gravel road to the left as you pass the ranger’s home when entering the park that will take you right to the lock keeper’s house. Or, directly across the road from the stop sign as you exit the main parking lot, there’s a hill in a small clearing that you can climb up. The house is at the top of the hill.

Note: There’s a map on a kiosk at the south entrance to the park that has a lock keeper’s house near the lifting locks. That’s where the Landsford Canal Lock Keeper’s house once stood, but there’s nothing left of it now. The only stone house at the park is the one above.

Landsford Canal History

Along this rocky stretch of the Catawba River sits a tract of land that that has played a vital role in the lives of the surrounding people for over a thousand years. Long before Tomas Land acquired the property in 1754, it was used by native people like the Catawba as a ford to cross the river.

Its importance as a river crossing continued during the American Revolution when it was used as a staging ground by Patriot general Thomas Sumter before the battle of Hanging Rock. The British Army under Lord Charles Cornwallis also used the ford as they withdrew from Charlotte after the Battle of Kings Mountain.

A few short decades later Thomas Land’s Ford, by now just called Landsford, would become a vital link in the 19^th Century Internal Improvements push to connect outlying areas of South Carolina to the Port of Charleston.

Internal Improvements and Landsford Canal

After the war of 1812, the Port of New Orleans began to overshadow Charleston as the most important commercial hub in the nation. In an attempt to revitalize the port, a series of projects were undertaken around the state designed to make it easier to move freight to and from the port and within the State.

The State Road was built from Charleston to North Carolina, and canals were built to make the state’s waterways navigable.

Along the Catawba River, a series of four canals were built to open a water route between North Carolina and Camden. The shallow river flowing over exposed bedrock made the river a challenge to navigate. The area around Landsford was the most treacherous. An elevation change created a series of rapids that made this part of the river impossible to traverse.

Construction on the canal system began in 1819, and would take 4 years to complete. Landsford was the last and northern most canal in the system. Built under supervision of Scotsman Robert Leckie by both Irish Masons and the local enslaved population, the canal ran along 2 miles of the Catawba river at its most treacherous point.

A total of four lifting locks were required for the thirty-two feet of descent along its length. A rock diversion dam was built along the upriver section to channel water into the canal system, and a guard lock to regulate the amount of water added. The canal was twelve feet wide and ten feet deep with three bridges crossing it, a number of culverts diverting streams under the canal so as not to damage it, and a mill powered by the flowing waters at the canal’s midway point.

A Family Tragedy During Landsford Canal’s Construction

Robert Leckie’s days working on Landsford Canal turned into the darkest time in his life. Within 20 months he would loose his entire family. First his two year old son George Bomford Leckie in died in August 1822 followed by his aunt Mary Wilson the following month. On January 23, 1823 his wife Mary died, and his 22 year son James Taylor Leckie on May 19, 1824.

After his wife’s death, he constructed a unique enclosure around their graves at the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church not far from the Landsford Canal work site. The burial plot is completely surrounded by a 7 foot high stone wall. Leckie didn’t build an entrance to the enclosure, but instead, he designed it with stones protruding outward to form steps.

Robert Leckie’s problems didn’t end with the death of his family, though. In 1824 another engineer, John Gouty, was brought on to supervise the canal constriction. Leckie protested that Gouty was not honest and was taking dangerous shortcuts in the construction of Landsford Canal. Unfortunately, Leckie’s concerns were ignored. In the end, he left South Carolina still being owed money for the work he did on Landsford Canal.

The canal cost over $122,000 to build, but was never a financial success. Opening in 1823, one of the locks collapsed in 1824 due to a poor foundation. The repairs were costly and the canal was out of commission for a long time. Even after the collapse, the canal system wasn’t well maintained. By 1836 competition from railroads was taking its toll on the canals. Maintenance requirements were ignored and they fell into disrepair. By 1840, river traffic had ceased and the canals were abandoned.

Final Thoughts About Landsford Canal State Park

Landsford Canal is a small but well maintained state park that’s a great place for a day trip. The picnic tables all have great views of the Catawba River and have provided grills.

Although the park boasts two main hiking trails, the Nature Trail and the Canal Trail, both follow the same general path down stream. The Canal Trail splits off from the Nature Trail but then reconnects and they run together to the Spider Lily Overlook. The Canal Trail then splits off again and runs to the south entrance to the park. The only thing you miss by taking the Canal Trail instead of the Nature Trail is the eagle nest. But since both trails are out and back, you can take a different path back than you took out.

Although the Nature Trail runs closer to the Catawba, neither trail has great views of the river. A row of trees separates the trail from the river for most of its run. But that does make a nice shady hike during the summer.

The only real complaint I have is that some of the signage could be better. There is a map on the kiosk when you first enter the picnic area, but somehow I missed that on my visit. I got to the trails just by heading down river to see what was there. The signage for where the Canal Trail first splits off really isn’t that great either. But keep in mind that the only trail splitting off runs to the canal.

Perhaps the biggest signage issue was at the Spider Lily Overlook. This one has a sign pointing in the direction of the Canal Trail, but nothing pointing to the lily overlook. If you were to just turn here, you’d never know that you were only a few feet from a great view of the river and the spider lilies when in bloom.

See Also: Landsford Canal State Park Field Report.

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