Hatton Ferry

Hatton Ferry is a poled cable ferry located 5.5 miles west of Scottsville, Virginia on the James River. It is the last poled ferry in the United States. The ferry crosses the river upstream of Scottsville between Albemarle County and Buckingham County.

A seasonal service, the Hatton Ferry operates on a weekend schedule from April to October. In 2009 the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) ended funding and operation of the weekend. Ownership was then transferred to the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society (ACHS) as the result of a campaign led by ACHS President Steven G. Meeks. The ferry is now managed by the "Hatton Ferry" a non-profit organization established by the ACHS to oversee the day to operation of the ferry.

The Hatton Ferry is a flat-bottomed boat with its deck only a few inches above the waterline. Two cables are attached to each of the boat's ends and guided by an overhead wire connecting the two river banks about 700 feet away. The cables control the ferry in its passage, allowing the stern to swing downstream while stabilizing the prow.

The boat is caught at an angle by the regular current and floats across the river. As the ferry approaches the riverbank, the ferryman cranks a hand winch to retract the cable at the boat's stern. With a few jabs of the ferryman's pole at the trip's end, the ferry slips onto its landing.

James A. Brown began operating a store and ferry at this site in the late 1870s. A few years later, he bought the land and the store became a stop on the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad which was built along the towpath of the James River and Kanawha Canal in the 1880s.

In 1914, James B. Tindall purchased the store, ferry, and ferry rights. He operated the ferry until 1940 when it was taken over by the Virginia Department of Highways. A new ferry was built by the Virginia Department of Transportation, and it was rededicated in September 1973. The dedication ceremonies included actor Richard Thomas, who played the character John-Boy Walton on the TV series, The Waltons, and Mrs. Doris Hamner, the mother of Waltons creator and writer Earl Hamner, Jr., who lived at nearby Schuyler provided the basis for the fictional stories.

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