About

The historic Wilson Warehouse in Buchanan welcomes the public to a presentation on Tuesday, August 6th beginning at 7pm, “The Marshall Tunnel in Botetourt County: Drilling and Blasting a Canal to the West”. Admission is free. Virginia’s Underwater Archaeologist, Brendan Burke, will lead the audience through this fascinating pre-Civil War earthmoving project that was part of a planned expansion of the James River & Kanawha Canal to the Ohio River Basin. Up to that point the canal from Richmond, terminated in Buchanan.

The 1,900-foot-long tunnel had been abandoned when funding for the project ran out in 1856. Only recently, particularly through the efforts of Brendan Burke, has the interior of the tunnel been discovered. It is only fitting that the presentation takes place at the 1839 Wilson Warehouse, as the warehouse played a pivotal role in the function of the canal. This is the first in a series of occasional lectures, presentations and events for Botetourt County and the surrounding region at the Wilson Warehouse. The series will highlight the historical men, women and events that contributed to the development of the region.

Brendan Burke joined the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in 2021 as the State Underwater Archaeologist. He works throughout the public waters of the Commonwealth to document our shared maritime heritage. Brendan graduated from Longwood University in 2001 and completed his graduate work at William and Mary in 2006. His work with maritime landscapes takes him from the waters and beaches of the Eastern Shore to inland navigations of the Shenandoah Valley, and even further west.