Historic South Mills locks get a face-lift

SOUTH MILLS, N.C.

Inch by inch, a massive crane lifted a 24-ton steel gate from the Pasquotank River at the South Mills locks Wednesday morning and gently set it on the ground.

Later, the crane set the matching gate nearby. The gates were placed on wooden blocks, where over the next three months they will be sandblasted, repainted and refitted with new bolts and braces. It's all part of a job that needs to be done about every two decades, said Joel Scussel, AtlanticIntracoastal Waterway project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Such maintenance is much easier than it was more than two centuries ago, when slaves took 12 years to dig the Dismal Swamp Canal. But many of the same struggles remain.

An average of 2,000 recreational boats pass through the South Mills locks annually to and from the 22-mile canal, which connects the Pasquotank and Elizabeth rivers. Back in the late 1700s, when George Washington was an investor, the canal was intended to enhance commerce between the states. But it was not deep enough to handle larger craft when it opened in 1805 and today, at 6 feet, it still isn't.

Private companies struggled to keep swamp muck and tree limbs from blocking passage. Since 1929, the federal government often has hesitated to provide the approximately $1.2 million needed annually to keep the historic waterway open. A spirited lobbying effort, led largely by local officials, has kept the canal funded. And, just like in 1800s, dry weather can still cause the locks to close.

Commercial craft transiting the Intracoastal Waterway use the much-deeper and better-maintained Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal to the east.

Popular with seasonal pleasure boaters, the scenic Dismal Swamp Canal passes under tall, overhanging trees. Bald eagles fly overhead and bear and deer forage along the banks. The canal is on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the national Underground Railroad Network.

At first, the locks were made of wood, and several men were needed to crank them open, said lock operator Frank Spruill. In 1829, stone locks were installed. In 1941, the locks were changed to steel, and eventually they were automated.

On a busy day during the fall or spring boat migrations, Spruill can fit about 20 boats within the 300-foot long, 50-foot wide lock basin. He can open the valves in the gate to either release or draw in 1.2 million gallons of water in about 15 minutes.

The Pasquotank River side is 8 to 12 feet lower than the canal - thus the need for the locks, Scussel said.

The locks are expected to open again in early April.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com