As part of the early Catawba-Wateree River navigation system, the Rocky Mount Canal (aka Great Falls Canal) cost $202,000 and eight years to complete. It included fifteen (15) lifting locks and one guard lock - that provided 122 feet of lift along its length of five miles. All structures were made of stone. The canal was closed in 1838.

This canal was not a continuous channel, but a combination of excavation, dams, and slackwater pools around the most difficult stretch of river in the state. The canal is now under waters of several reservoirs, collectively called Wateree Lake.

The stone lockkeeper's house remains at the site in poor condition. The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism plans to move this relic to the Landsford Canal Park.