The Roanoke Canal Museum and Trial

HOURS

Open Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

General Admission 9 years and older:  $4.00 per person

General Admission 8 years and younger:  Free

Halifax County Residents receive a $2.00 per person discount on General Admission rates.

Guided Tours: $2.00 per person, requested minimum of 10 people per group. Groups of less than 10 people will be charged a minimum of $20.  Children 4 years and younger in a group tour are free. See the Educational Tours page for additional information.

History:
The Roanoke Canal Trail and its contributing resources tell the history of transportation on the Roanoke River from the early 1800s to today. Segments of the canal that remain intact today include portions of the 39 foot wide channel, its 10 foot wide tow path, the original aqueduct and one of the stone culverts. In 1976, the canal, the tow path, and the canal structures were added to the National Register of Historic Places. The towpath and bottom of the canal provide pedestrian access between the communities of Roanoke Rapids and Weldon, North Carolina. Visitors using the Canal Trail can experience engineering feats and explore life along the Roanoke Valley as it was in the early 1800s. The canal and the supporting structures are a living legacy to the early years of transportation, the engineering profession, and a developing way of life along the Roanoke River.
The Roanoke Canal Museum
Welcome to the Roanoke Canal Museum. Step back in time with us toward the end of the 18th century. Imagine, if you will, our forefathers. Their fight for independence behind them, they now turned toward the task of developing this country, not only socially and politically, but also economically.
At that time, the Roanoke was the most important River in the state. With "proper encouragement," this river could be used to transport goods to market.
However, there is a granite shelf in the river here in Halifax County. This creates a fall line which also creates the "great falls," a major obstacle in transporting goods.
The realization that man would have to intervene to move goods around these falls to market led to one of the greatest engineering feats of the 18th century. The Roanoke Canal.
Follow the river now and experience the creation of the canal, the development of its industries the beauty of its wildlife and the determination of its people...