The first dam at this site was built in the 1830s as part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. A rock-filled timber crib, it was replaced in 1860 by the present stone dam. In 1909 a stone-faced hydroelectric plant was built into the south abutment. Inside, rope turbines still power the electric generators. The power system was considered state of the art at the turn of the century but has been superseded in most plants still remaining from that time.