Nationally Recognized Historic Park

In addition to being a great place to enjoy the outdoors and water, the Lock and Dam Park is interesting for the history it represents.  The property was originally owned by Micajah Mayo and the area is still, often called Mayo's Bar Lock & Dam.  During the mid1800's, before the lock and dam was built, the river was busy with steamboats and barges carrying freight, passengers and mail between Rome and Greensport, Alabama.  The boats had difficulty navigating some parts of the river with on of the worst points being Horseleg Shoals. At times, temporary "dams" were devised by local citizens along the sides of the Coosa to create deeper water for navigation.

Because of such problems, the U.S. Congress, after years of petitioning by Georgia and Alabama residents, began the process of making the Coosa River complete navigable.  Six locks and dams were completed, the first in 1880.  Construction of the lock and dam at Mayo's Bar began in 1910 and opened for navigation in 1913.  Recovered plans and documents which show the Mayo's Bar Dam to have been a stone filled crib similar to those built in other Coosa projects.  The dam crosses the river a distance of 209 feet from its base of the lock and appears to have been 12 feet high at its crest.

The lock is built of poured concrete measuring 40 x 120 feet with a nine foot lift.  Its steel lock gates were operated manually with gate struts.  Gears and valves allowed water in and out of the lock.  The last Lockmaster was Captain Walter F. Gray who served from 1930 until 1941 when the lock was officially closed.  An upstream guide wall of poured concrete is located on the south side of the river. Identified historic archaeological sites associated with lock and dam include a wharf site and a limestone quarry.

The lock and dam property was managed by the Corps of Engineers until 1962, when it was leased to Floyd County.  The Floyd County Public Works Department managed the property from 1962 to 1982 when the park was then turned over to the Rome-Floyd Parks & Recreation Authority for operations, maintenance and improvement purposes.  Since 1986, Federal grant funds (LWCF) matched by local funds have produced major improvements at the park.  

Site amenities now include:

Bank stabilization projects have also been coordinated in cooperation with funding by the FishAmerica Foundation.  The projects will further enhance the safety of the area for park visitors while improving the habitat for river wildlife.

Today, the 73- acre regional park serves as one of the South's most popular camp grounds and fishing areas while remaining one of Floyd County's early historical landmarks.

Lock and Dam Park is located on the Coosa River in Northwest Georgia, approximately eight miles south west of Rome.  Originally built, owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lock and dam contains modern park improvements, as will as several historic and prehistoric archaeological sites. The park is also listed in the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places.

01/10/2005