Matildaville, Virginia

Matildaville is an archaeological site in Fairfax County featuring stone ruins and foundations from a late 18th century riverside settlement. The location along the Patowmack Canal at Great Falls contains remains of mills, a foundry, and various work buildings that served the canal operation.

George Washington established this location in 1785 to support construction of the Patowmack Canal project and the emerging canal company. The settlement later became known as South Lowell and gradually declined as canal operations diminished in the early 1800s.

The ruins show how early American industrial workers and their employers lived and worked together in this riverside location. You can still see the foundations of workshops and houses that reveal how daily life functioned in this small community.

The site is located within Great Falls Park and accessible through marked trails that pass by the ruins. Interpretive signs along the pathways explain the different structures and their original purposes, allowing visitors to learn at their own pace while walking through the area.

The company that operated this settlement was one of America's first major infrastructure projects led by private investors and visionary entrepreneurs. The Patowmack Company represented an early experiment in how waterways could be engineered and controlled to drive economic growth.

Location: Fairfax County

GPS coordinates: 38.99720,-77.26280

Latest update: December 11, 2025 18:02