The Wrightsville Dam was a 19th-century dam on the lower

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

between Wrightsville and

Columbia, Pennsylvania Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,222. It is southeast of Harrisburg, on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, ...

. The low-head dam was constructed in 1840 to impound the waters of the Susquehanna to provide a slackwater pool to allow the safe passage of canal boats from the

Pennsylvania Canal The Pennsylvania Canal, sometimes known as the Pennsylvania Canal system, was a complex system of transportation infrastructure improvements, including canals, dams, Lock (water transport), locks, tow paths, Navigable aqueduct, aqueducts, and vi ...

on the Columbia ( Lancaster County) side across the mile-wide rocky river to the

Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal The Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal between Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, and Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the head of Chesapeake Bay, provided an interstate shipping alternative to 19th-century arks, rafts, and boats plying the difficult waters o ...

on the Wrightsville ( York County) side.McClure, James
Where exactly is the Susquehanna River's Holtwood Dam?
York Town Square blog, York ''Daily Record'', Retrieved 2008-10-14.

References

{{coord missing, Pennsylvania Dams in Pennsylvania Dams on the Susquehanna River Buildings and structures in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in York County, Pennsylvania Dams completed in 1840

See also

References