Hatton Ferry
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Hatton Ferry is a poled
cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
located 5.5 miles west of
Scottsville, Virginia Scottsville is a town in Albemarle, Buckingham and Fluvanna counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 566 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Charlottesville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History According tScottsville's ...
on the James River. It is the last poled ferry in the United States. The ferry crosses the river upstream of Scottsville between
Albemarle County Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...
and Buckingham County. A seasonal service, the Hatton Ferry operates on a weekend schedule from April to October. In 2009 the
Virginia Department of Transportation The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Building in downtown ...
(VDOT) ended funding and operation of the weekend. Ownership was then transferred to the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (ACHS) as the result of a campaign led by ACHS President Steven G. Meeks. The ferry is now managed by the "Hatton Ferry" a non-profit organization established by the ACHS to oversee the operation of the ferry.


How it works

The Hatton Ferry is a flat-bottomed boat with its deck only a few inches above the waterline. Two cables are attached to each of the boat's ends and guided by an overhead wire connecting the two river banks about 700 feet away. The cables control the ferry in its passage, allowing the stern to swing downstream while stabilizing the prow. The boat is caught at an angle by the regular current and floats across the river. As the ferry approaches the riverbank, the ferryman cranks a hand winch to retract the cable at the boat's stern. With a few jabs of the ferryman's pole at the trip's end, the ferry slips onto its landing.


History

James A. Brown began operating a store and ferry at this site in the late 1870s. A few years later, he bought the land and the store became a stop on the
Richmond and Allegheny Railroad The Richmond and Alleghany Railroad was built along the James River along the route of the James River and Kanawha Canal from Richmond on the Fall Line at the head of navigation to a point west of Lynchburg near Buchanan, Virginia, and combined ...
which was built along the towpath of the
James River and Kanawha Canal The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for a ...
in the 1880s. In 1914, James B. Tindall purchased the store, ferry, and ferry rights. He operated the ferry until 1940 when it was taken over by the Virginia Department of Highways. A new ferry was built by the Virginia Department of Transportation, and it was rededicated in September 1973. The dedication ceremonies included actor Richard Thomas, who played the character John-Boy Walton on the TV series, ''
The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book '' Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 fil ...
'', and Mrs. Doris Hamner, the mother of Waltons creator and writer Earl Hamner, Jr., who lived at nearby
Schuyler Schuyler may refer to: Places United States * Schuyler County, Illinois * Schuyler County, Missouri * Schuyler, Nebraska, a city * Schuyler County, New York * Schuyler, New York, a town * Schuyler Island, Lake Champlain, New York * Schuyler C ...
provided the basis for the fictional stories. The Hatton Ferry is the last poled ferry in the United States.


Current operations and schedule

With most regular traffic crossing the river nearby using the highway bridge at Scottsville located five miles downstream, the Hatton Ferry operates on a weekend schedule from early April to the end of October (river levels permitting) and beginning with 2010 is now owned and managed by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society.


VDOT ceases operation

Amid budget cuts VDOT ceased funding for the ferry as part of its 2009 service reductions.VDOT FINALIZES SERVICE AREA PROPOSALS
, Press release, VDOT, May 20, 2009 retrieved 12 Jul 2009.
Albemarle County appropriated $9,300 to keep the ferry running through October 1, 2009,Board of Supervisors Approves Hatton Ferry Funding
Press release, Albemarle County, July 1, 2009, retrieved 12 July 2009.
although the funding may be made up from donations to the ACHS.Historical Society hit with Hatton tab
Hawes Spencer, The Hook, 12 July 2009.
In early 2010, VDOT transferred title to the Hatton Ferry to the non-profit 501 (c) 3
Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society The Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society was founded in 1940 and is the leading steward of the history of Albemarle County, Virginia and Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in ...
. The Society will continue operation. Operations will be funded from donations.


References

{{reflist


External links


Hatton Ferry website

Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society website


* http://www.historicbuckingham.org website Crossings of the James River (Virginia) Transportation in Albemarle County, Virginia Ferries of Virginia Cable ferries in the United States