HATTON FERRY
ESTABLISHED 1870
LAST HAND-POLED FERRY
IN THE UNITED STATES
Common Wealth Award Application 2011
Submitted by The Rivanna Garden Club
Table of Contents
Application
1
Journal Article
2
Proposal
3
Budget & Plant Material Possibilities
4
Hatton Ferry Brochure
5
Photos
6
The Daily Progress Article
8
Richmond Times-Dispatch Article
9
Hatton Ferry Albemarle County Plat
12
Hatton Ferry Buckingham County Plat
13
Common Wealth Award Application
Project Name Hatton Ferry
Project Address 10120 Hatton Ferry Road; Scottsville, VA 24590
Proposing Club Rivanna Garden Club
Address and Contact Person Janice Carter; 935 Windsor Road; Charlottesville, VA 22901;
Email: janhcar@embarqmail.com ; telephone: 434-295-1243
Geographical Location James River on the Albemarle County and Buckingham County sides near
Scottsville
Approximate Acreage or Size 1.7 acres (.57 acres in Albemarle County and 1.13 acres in Buckingham
County divided by the James River)
Approximate Number of Annual Visitors The site was staffed and the ferry was operated on 30
weekends during the April through October 2010 season with more than 3,000 documented visitors.
An area seasonal business estimates that there are more than 22,000 visitors to the site. There is no
estimate of the number of visitors to the popular picnic site on the Buckingham County side of the
James River. The site is open and accessible throughout the year.
How would additional funds be secured if needed? Funds are raised by donations from ferry riders
and through the generous support of philanthropic organizations and individuals. Future fundraising
activities are anticipated. The Hatton Ferry has been supported by the Rivanna Garden Club with gifts
of $1,500 in 2010 and of $700 in 2011.
How will be project be maintained? The Ferry is owned and maintained by the Albemarle
Charlottesville Historical Society. The Rivanna Garden Club will collaborate with the society in
monitoring the area.
How will the community be affected by the project? The site will be enjoyed more by visitors with the
added bonus of education about the area history and river conservation. All site improvements will
make it a more attractive facility for year round uses by the community, both informal and formal (e.g.,
weddings). Improvements should also foster tourism, an asset to the local economy.
How will the project relate to the focus of The GCV: Horticulture, Education, Conservation,
Historic Preservation, Civic Contribution, Research, and/or Beautification? Hatton Ferry is a
“contributing structure” in the Southern Albemarle Historic District. Application is being made to
have it designated as a state and national historic site as well as a Virginia Cultural Heritage Site. The
project has all the elements that the GCV focuses on: Horticulture with the addition of native plants to
control erosion; Education with the panels that give the history and importance of river transportation
in the area; Conservation of the river and its banks; Historic Preservation as the last hand-poled ferry in
the United States; Civic Contribution with the establishment of the picnic areas; Research with the
information provided on the educational panels; and Beautification with the horticultural and
hardscape improvements to the site for the enjoyment of visitors to the area.
1
Hatton Ferry Journal Article
Proposed by The Rivanna Garden Club
The last hand-poled ferry in the United States, Hatton Ferry crosses the historic James River
from Albemarle into Buckingham County. The Ferry still offers free rides across the James – a living
education in river transportation of yesteryear – and visitors can stroll river banks once peopled by
Monacan Indians.
In operation since 1870, the ferry became a casualty of VDOT budget cuts in 2009. The
Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society assumed ownership and is raising funds to keep it
operational. The Rivanna Garden Club will assist in replacing the information kiosk, providing
landscaping, and placing substantial picnic tables and trash receptacles. The Club has identified
plantings it will install both for beauty and erosion mitigation at the water’s edge, on higher banks, and
near the parking lot.
A canoe and tubing business brings over 22,000 people to Hatton Ferry annually. Educational
offerings at the ferry and nearby remnants of the Kanawha Canal also attract tourists.
By enhancing the beauty of the area, conserving the river bank and providing educational and
recreational opportunities for the public, this award would preserve a unique piece of Americana on the
James River that is an asset not only to Virginia, but to our entire nation.
2
Hatton Ferry
Proposal of The Rivanna Garden Club
Established in 1870, the Hatton Ferry crosses the James River between Albemarle and Buckingham
Counties. Operation of this last hand-poled ferry in the United States was turned over to the Albemarle
Charlottesville Historical Society in 2010 by the Virginia Department of Transportation because of
budget cuts. Under the auspices of the Historical Society, the Ferry now serves the public without
charge. The Ferry’s grounds and buildings need our help to restore, conserve, and beautify the area, as
well as to provide educational signs. Rich in geologic and historic significance, the area has been home
to Monacan Indians, settlers moving west, Union troops sent to destroy the Kanawha Canal, and early
commercial endeavors incorporating river, road, canal, and railroad transportation.
The Hatton Ferry, which ran on weekends from April through October, was used by more than 3,000
visitors during the 2010 season. The site, however, is open and accessible to the public year round.
More than 22,000 visitors enjoyed river recreation, picnics, and special events such as weddings during
2010. Site improvements making this an even more attractive and sustainable destination would foster
all of the goals of the Common Wealth Award. The Rivanna Garden Club is committed to providing
horticultural expertise, labor for plantings, and oversight of the budgeted projects.
The Hatton Ferry sites in Albemarle and Buckingham Counties need to have upgrades and
improvements. The ferry ramps and landings, parking, signage, drainage, educational panels, picnic
facilities, and erosion control are the issues that need attention. The historical kiosk information needs
to be updated and expanded to tell the story of the ferry, the river, the history, and the environs. People
picnic on both sides of the river so both of these areas need to be improved with picnic tables, trash
and recycling receptacles, signage, and landscaping. Landscaping would involve the areas around the
signage and on the hillsides to control erosion and to improve drainage.
Friends of Hatton Ferry, which operates under the auspices of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical
Society, a 501 (c) 3 organization, is the primary fundraiser and manages the donations and the
operation of the Ferry. Roughly half of the $38,500 that has been raised to date has come from small
donations of $25 to $500, an indication of local and national interest in preserving this historic
site. The James River Runners, a neighboring recreational canoeing, rafting, and tubing company, has
been extremely helpful with in-kind donations as well as watching over the property on weekdays.
The Rivanna Garden Club has contributed $2,200 as an expression of our support. The Friends of
Hatton Ferry are committed to operating the Ferry well into the future. Therefore, the bulk of their
funds are designated to the running of the Ferry, while the Common Wealth Award would allow the
improvements discussed in this proposal to be made.
The support of the Garden Club of Virginia would enable us to create an area that will be used and
enjoyed by the many visitors to this unique attraction, a place that resonates with the history of the
James River and the ordinary people who crossed it. It exemplifies the ingenuity of our ancestors in its
role as a nexus for river, railroad, and highway transportation. Conservation and beautification of the
land with grading, seeding, and specific plantings; research and education; historic preservation; and
civic contribution --- these benchmarks of the Common Wealth Award are all embodied in this project
to improve the Hatton Ferry.
3
Proposed Budget for Site Improvements and Educational Materials
$ 2,000
1,500
500
1,000
1,500
500
2,000
3,500
1,500
New interpretive signage on the history of the ferry, river, and
transportation
Welcome sign made of Albemarle soapstone. Mounting and
installation with limited landscaping of both the
Albemarle and Buckingham welcome signs.
New signage on the ferry to replace VDOT issue
Installation of wooden bollards with rope or boards between the
posts as a barrier to keep vehicles off the grass and away
from identified picnic areas
Additional picnic tables
Trash and recycling containers
Grading and reseeding
Partial cost of new ferry ramp on the Buckingham County side
(seeking other funding for remainder of $6,000
estimated)
Ground stabilization and plants (see attachment) to control
erosion around ferry house and on banks
________
$14,000
Total needed for the project
Plant Material Recommendations
Recommended plant material to attract wildlife, beautification and restoration of river side
banks (mitigation of eroding banks):
For embankments at waters edge:
Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush
Betula nigra River Birch
High dry banks:
Lindera benzoin Spicebush under planted with
Rhus copallina Shining Sumac ‘Gro-Low’
Viburnum prunifolium Blackhaw Viburnum
Wet areas around parking area:
Ilex verticillata Winterberry ‘Red Sprite’ and ‘Apollo’
Clethra alnifolia Summersweet Clethra ‘Hummingbird’
Cornus amomum Silky Dogwood
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