Hatton Ferry
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Hatton Ferry is a cable ferry located west of Scottsville, Virginia on the James River. It is one of the last two poled ferries in the United States. The service crosses the river about 3 1/2 mile west of Scottsville between Albemarle County and Buckingham County.
A seasonal service, the Hatton Ferry operates on a weekend schedule from April to October. It is managed by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Albemarle County, and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
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[edit] How it works
The Hatton ferryboat is flat-bottomed. The deck is only a few inches above the waterline. A strong cable is attached to one of the boat's ends and guided by an overhead wire connecting the two river banks about 700 feet away. One cable allows the stern to swing gently downstream, following the current. The other retards a similar reaction by the prow, and together the cables control the craft in its river passage and harness the natural power of the river.
The boat is caught at an angle by the regular current and floats steadily across the river. As the ferry approaches the riverbank, the ferryman cranks a hand winch to roll up 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 riverbank landing.
[edit] 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 which was built along the towpath of the James River and Kanawha Canal 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, and Mrs. Doris Hamner, the mother of Waltons creator and writer Earl Hamner, Jr., whose lives and experiences at nearby Schuyler provided the basis for the fictional stories.
[edit] Current operations and schedule
With most regular traffic crossing the river nearby using the highway bridge at Scottsville, the Hatton Ferry operates on a weekend schedule from April to October and is managed by the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, Albemarle County and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
