Power Plant and Dam No. 4 is a historic
hydroelectric power generation station on the
Potomac River, located near
Shepherdstown on the county line between
Berkeley and
Jefferson County, West Virginia. The power plant is a tall one-story, limestone building on a high stone foundation. It is five bays long and has a gable roof. Dam 4 uses horizontal shaft turbines connected by rope drives to horizontal shaft generators. This plant is probably the last commercially operated rope-driven hydroelectric plant in the United States. The building is built into a hillside, so the main floor is the top floor. The power plant was originally built by the Martinsburg Electric Company.
It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
In 2013, the power plant was sold by
FirstEnergy
FirstEnergy Corp is an electric utility headquartered in Akron, Ohio. It was established when Ohio Edison acquired Centerior Energy in 1997. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the distribution, transmission, and generation of electri ...
to
Harbor Hydro Holdings LLC. The power plant has a rated capacity of 1.9 megawatts.
Building the Dam
left, 200px, A view of Big Slackwater, made by Dam No. 4. Towpath of the C & O Canal continues on the right
The dam was originally built for the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. On June 7, 1832, the contract was awarded to Joseph Hollman, and the work was completed in June 1835, at a cost of $50.803.15
[Unrau, p. 242] To avoid construction costs, the canal entered the slackwater above the dam, and continued in the slackwater for about 3 miles. This area was dubbed "Big Slackwater" by the canallers.
See also
*
Power Plant and Dam No. 5
Power Plant and Dam No. 5, also known as Honeywood Dam, comprises a dam on the Potomac River, originally built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and a power plant built to take advantage of the river's flow to generate hydroelectric power. The da ...
References
External links
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Buildings and structures in Berkeley County, West Virginia
Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, West Virginia
Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
Historic American Engineering Record in West Virginia
Hydroelectric power plants in West Virginia
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Berkeley County, West Virginia
Potomac River
Dams completed in 1910
Dams in West Virginia
Energy infrastructure completed in 1910
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Energy infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places
1910 establishments in West Virginia
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