The river bend 200 yards upstream was the site of the former Rife-Loth Dam. Constructed of logs circa 1880, the dam produced power for the Ram Manufacturing Company using waterwheels. In the 1890s the waterwheels generated power for Waynesboro. In 1907 the log dam was destroyed by a flood and rebuilt of stone and concrete. Captain Richard Clemmer acquired the company in 1932, and it eventually became Virginia Metal Crafters. The dam was removed in October 2011.