Power Plant and Dam No. 4

Power Plant and Dam No. 4 is a historic hydroelectric power generation station on the Potomac River, located near Shepherdstown on the county line between Berkeley and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The power plant is a tall one-story, limestone building on a high stone foundation. It is five bays long and has a gable roof. Dam 4 uses horizontal shaft turbines connected by rope drives to horizontal shaft generators. This plant is probably the last commercially operated rope-driven hydroelectric plant in the United States.[2] The building is built into a hillside, so the main floor is the top floor. The power plant was originally built by the Martinsburg Electric Company.[3]

Power Plant and Dam No. 4
Power Plant and Dam No. 4, September 1980
LocationOn the Potomac River north of County Route 5 at Scrabble, near Shepherdstown, West Virginia
Coordinates39°29′42″N 77°49′34″W
Area6 acres (2.4 ha)
Built1910
MPSBerkeley County MRA
NRHP reference No.80004437 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 10, 1980

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]

In 2013, the power plant was sold by FirstEnergy to Harbor Hydro Holdings LLC.[4] The power plant has a rated capacity of 1.9 megawatts.[5]

Building the Dam
A view of Big Slackwater, made by Dam No. 4. Towpath of the C & O Canal continues on the right

The dam was originally built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. On June 7, 1832, the contract was awarded to Joseph Hollman, and the work was completed in June 1835, at a cost of $50.803.15[6] To avoid construction costs, the canal entered the slackwater above the dam, and continued in the slackwater for about 3 miles. This area was dubbed "Big Slackwater" by the canallers.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs On-line:Dam No. 4 Hydroelectric Plant, Potomac River, Martinsburg, Berkeley County, WV".
  3. Don C. Wood (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Power Plant and Dam No. 4" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
  4. McVey, John (2013-11-02). "FirstEnergy hydroelectric stations sold". The Journal. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  5. "Dam No. 4 Hydro Station". Hydroworld.com. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  6. Unrau, p. 242


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