All of the Rappahannock Navigation, of which the Rapidan Canal is a part, is located in the Piedmont region of Virginia.

Organized in 1816, The Rappahannock Company sought to build a navigable, 50-mile system of dams and locks on the Rappahannock River and the lower part of the Rapidan River to facilitate the movement of commercial goods between Fredericksburg and the furthest reaches of the navigation.

[5] The Rappahannock Company had started plans for the Rappahannock Navigation as early as 1816, "...but a national recession and the promoter's inability to raise funds delayed actual construction until early 1829"[6] and only ten miles of the originally planned navigation were completed before the project was abandoned.

The Rappahannock Company failed in 1853[8] and the navigation was abandoned entirely by 1855 since it was no longer profitable, if it ever had been, and because of the encroachment of newer, faster, and cheaper rail transportation provided by the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.

The engineers of the Rappahannock Company, determined to save costs, built the canal on the north side of the dam.

"The other cost-cutting measure which was to plague the company was the use of wooden rather than stone locks - cheaper at first, but more costly in the long run as they decayed and required rebuilding.

The tow embankment was protected by a long and massive stone wall,[3] much of which is still visible today.