Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Access to original Botetourt County records is not granted without an appointment and without prior discussion with an archivist. Same day access to records is not possible. Advance notice of at least one week is required so that an archivist will have time to inspect the requested records. An archivist may determine that some materials cannot be served due to their physical state. The records were heavily water damaged and as a result are extremely fragile and can be severely moldy. Persons with mold or dust sensitivity may want to avoid research in these records. Patrons must consult with Archives Research Services prior to a visit to the Library of Virginia to view any original Botetourt County records.

Use Restrictions

These materials can be extremely fragile and moldy due to extensive water damage. An archivist may determine that a record is too fragile or damaged to be served. Patrons must consult with Archives Research Services prior to a visit to the Library of Virginia to view any original Botetourt County records.

Preferred Citation

Botetourt County (Va.) Maps of the land taken for the use of the James River and Kanawha Canal, 1848 circa. Local government records collection, Botetourt County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond , Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Botetourt County.

An extensive conservation project was undertaken on these records beginning in 2009. Not all of the records were salvageable due to water damage sustained in 1970 and subsequent storage conditions. All of the restored records have been encapsulated and are housed in folders 1-4 (barcodes 0007399518-0007399521). The unsalvageable maps and documents are housed in barcode 1044108 and should not be served to the public due to their physical state.

Historical Information

Botetourt County was named for Norborne Berkeley, baron de Botetourt, the royal governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770. It was formed from Augusta County in 1769, and part of Rockbridge County was added in 1785.

On 1970 December 15, a fire gutted the Botetourt County courthouse in Fincastle, Virginia. The court records were not burned but were heavily water damaged. Many of the court papers are extremely fragile today as a result of this water damage and some are not useable. Because of the near-loss of the Botetourt County records, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Public Records Act in 1975. The act mandated that deeds, wills, and other vital records be inventoried and microfilmed and copies of the film stored permanently in the Library of Virginia in Richmond for safekeeping. Counties could also choose to send court records to the Library of Virginia for storage and safekeeping as needed.

The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Personally surveyed and planned by George Washington himself, the canal was begun in 1785 under the James River Company, and later restarted under the James River and Kanawha Canal Company. It was only half completed by 1851. It was an expensive project which failed several times financially and was frequently damaged by floods. By the time it was halted, it had only reached Buchanan, in Botetourt County, Virginia, even though it was largely financed by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Board of Public Works. When work to extend the canal further west stopped permanently, railroads were overtaking the canal as a far more productive mode of transportation. After the American Civil War, when funds for continued financial support were not available from the war-torn Commonwealth or private sources, the canal project did poorly against railroad competition, and finally succumbed to damage done by massive flooding in 1877. In the end the canal's right-of-way was bought and the canal itself was largely dismantled by the new Richmond and Allegheny Railroad as tracks were laid on the former towpath. The Richmond and Allegheny became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway in the 1890s, and much of the former canal route is now an important line for eastbound West Virginia bituminous coal headed for the Peninsula Extension to reach coal piers on Hampton Roads at Newport News and worldwide export aboard large colliers.

Scope and Content

Botetourt County (Va.) Maps of the land taken for the use of the James River and Kanawha Canal, 1848 circa, are maps and survey records of land taken by the James River and Kanawha Canal Company and the Commonwealth of Virginia from private citizens and the town of Buchanan in order to facilitate the construction of the canal in Botetourt County.

Arrangement

Organized by inventory number.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Botetourt County (Va.) Circuit Court.
• James River and Kanawha Company (Richmond, Va.)
• Virginia. Board of Public Works.

Subjects:

• Canals -- Virginia -- Botetourt County.
• Canals -- Virginia.
• Eminent domain -- Virginia -- Botetourt County.

Geographical Names:

• Botetourt County (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.
• James River and Kanawha Canal.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Land surveys -- Virginia -- Botetourt County.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Botetourt County.
• Maps -- Virginia -- Botetourt County.
• Plats (maps) -- Virginia -- Botetourt County.