Living history: Scottsville unveils new park

BY CAITLIN KING

The workers are tired. The clock is ticking. And they still have boats to build.

Scottsville officials are putting the finishing touches on Canal Basin Square, a little plot linking the town's historic status as a river port with its unbridled optimism for the future.

"I would really like to see this place used for field trips for the kids," says Mayor Stephen Phipps. "It's a great way for people to learn about Scottsville's history."

In the mid-1800s, Scottsville was a major port on the James River & Kanawah Canal. The new park is located on the site of the place where goods were unloaded.

Phipps, clad in khaki shorts and a white t-shirt, crouched on hands and knees last Sunday weeding under a bush in the Square which town officials, the Scottsville Chamber of Commerce, and volunteers have been planning for six years.

"Eighty-percent of it was funded by federal grants," says Phipps, "but the town has been very supportive of this project as well. This is really what kicked off a lot of the improvements Scottsville has seen."

The once-vacant lot has been going through a dramatic transformation this past year with the addition of a stage, educational exhibits, and eight giant brick-and-concrete pylons that will hold murals in the park's outdoor transportation museum.

Phipps, who anticipates great things for Canal Basin Square, is working furiously with a group of volunteers to pull the remaining strings together before the dedication Saturday at 2pm as part of Jamesfest, a two-day event celebrating the James River and Scottsville. Jamesfest activities will be going on all day long from morning until night.

[For more details about Jamesfest, see Family feature, page 27.–editor]

Thanks to the levee completed in 1989, the mayor probably won't need to add an "Isabel" notch to this flood list.

A batteau waits for history buffs.

PHOTOS BY JEN FARIELLO

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