Gravel at the Gundalow

The Friends Of Seven Bends State Park sponsored a work session last weekend. Park staff and volunteers spread gravel around the gundalow in the children's play area.

This scaled-down gundalow represents the flat-bottomed barges that once carried goods to market down the North Fork of the Shenandoah. The name, derived from gondola, was also used for barges in New England but those had sails and a different design.

The gundalows on the Shenandoah typically had flat ends because they only traveled downriver. Once they reached their destination, the lumber was sold for building materials. The crew then headed back on foot. There are buildings in Front Royal and Harpers Ferry that contain boards from gundalows.

Through My Lens