Landsford Canal was a vital link in South Carolina's internal improvements program of the 1820's and stands as a monument to men who typified the South Carolina spirit during this first great era of public works building: William R. Davie, a distinguished general, lawyer, educator, and statesman who dreamed of the canal and donated the land for it; Robert Leckie, an engineer and master stonemason who designed the canal and supervised its building; and Robert Mills, Joel Poinsett, and Abram Blanding, planners and builders for the South Carolina Board of Public Works during this significant period of state growth.