The Carter Hydraulic Rams were constructed circa 1924 by George Lafayette Carter to supply water to his summer residence near Hillsville, Carroll County, Virginia. A series of four hydraulic rams are housed in concrete and tile block pumphouses along an intermittent stream. A nearby gas-powered pump provided backup power, but when the rams were in operation they depended only on the flow of water for their operation. The rams were supplanted in the 1950s by an electric pump system.[3]
Carter Hydraulic Rams | |
 One of the rams in its casing | |
   | |
| Location | Off Grayson St. and US 221, Hillsville, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°46′3″N 80°43′56″W / 36.76750°N 80.73222°W |
| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1924 |
| NRHP reference No. | 02001373[1] |
| VLR No. | 237-5003 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 2002 |
| Designated VLR | September 11, 2002[2] |
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[1]
The rams can be visited while walking along the Beaver Dam Creek Trail, which is part of Carter Pines Community Park. Historical markers describe the history of these hydraulic rams.
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
- ^ David E. Roenitzer and J. Daniel Pezzoni (June 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Carter Hydraulic Rams" (PDF). and Accompanying photo