The first graphic is a drawing that Venture Richmond sent today of the proposed damage to the Kanawha Canal for the proposed amphitheater. They propose slicing the south bank of the historic canal and infilling the canal to make a smooth slope. The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) passed a resolution against damaging the canal.
The second map uses a 1877 Beers Atlas to identify the location of the proposed damage to the canal.
Click here and here for more on the controversies regarding the proposed development for this area.
There are many important connections of Oregon Hill to the canal. Samuel Parsons, whose home survives at 601 Spring Street, was a noted General Superintendent of the canal and oversaw its expansion to Lynchburg in 1840. The Messler family, who lived in the Jacob House now moved to 619 W. Cary, ran a canal boat building business in the penitentiary basin near where the amphitheater is proposed. Here is a link to an1865 photo of the Messlers building a canal boat. http://www.mdgorman.com/images/shipyard1.gif
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