Dutch Gap Canal Lights (1875 - 1910)

Once located on the James River upriver from the City of Hopewell near the I-295 bridge. Originally located here was the early settlement of the "Citie of Henricus" in 1611. The canal was made by Union troops in 1864 and 1865, while trying to create a short-cut for their gunboats heading to Richmond on this winding river. The incomplete project was abandoned when the war ended. Work on the canal was resumed and was finished in 1871, cutting off nearly 5 miles around what became Farrar's Island. Two 27-foot high light posts were built, one at each end of the canal. The keeper's house was built on a bluff on the island, above the canal. The house was moved inland in 1890 because of the eroding cliff. And the flooding river often carried away the lights. In 1910, the light posts were replaced by fixed lights, and the house was rented. The house eventually fell into disrepair and was demolished. Some ruins remain. The canal was later extended further upriver (called Dutch Gap Cut-Off) and created what is now Hatcher Island. The area is now Chesterfield County's Henricus Park, but the immediate area of Dutch Gap may actually belong to Henrico County.