Modern Batteau Retracing a Historic River Expedition

This year marks the 200th anniversary of an 1812 survey expedition led by Supreme Court Justice John Marshall to establish a river route connecting the James River near Lynchburg, VA and the Kanawha River; this included a section of the Greenbrier River from Caldwell to Hinton.

Native of the James River Valley, Andrew Shaw, and his crew of batteau enthusiasts embarked on the journey this spring to recreate the historic 1812 expedition. Sponsored by a young explorer’s grant by the National Geographic Society, they built a 43’ by 7’ batteau named the Mary Marshall.

The crew  put-in on the Greenbrier at Caldwell around May 6th. We showed them our support and hospitality along the way! The boat will graciously made two pit stops for those interested in learning more about their journey. They will stopped in Talcott, WV to engage the students from Alderson Elementary. A National Park Service Ranger was on hand to provide background information on the John Marshall Expedition at this stop. They also stopped in Hinton at Batteau Beach to greet all community members and history buffs!

See the crew in:

• Alderson
• Talcott
• Hinton

To see pictures, updates, and follow their journey in real-time; http://www.vacanals.org/marshall/

 Also see our Events page for more history and event information.

River Level Prediction for Alderson

Current River Level at Alderson