Image: “Diagram of Tennessee Valley Authority Water Control System” published by Standard Souvenirs & Novelties, Inc. (date unknown).
Introduction
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is one of the most long-lasting and impactful programs of the New Deal. While other organizations of the time, like the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, ended during World War II, the TVA has continued to provide power to the Southeast.
The postcard below shows the dams of the TVA in the 1940s. While the system has since grown to around 60 facilities, this exhibit only examines the infrastructure on this postcard. Included with each piece of information about the dams is a link to the TVA website and any other sources used to research the dam’s history.
All images are from the Andrew J. Bramlett Collection, unless otherwise noted.
Image: “Diagram of Tennessee Valley Authority Water Control System” published by Standard Souvenirs & Novelties, Inc. (date unknown).
History of the TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Act was signed into law on May 18, 1933. The TVA is one of the most impressive programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. At the start, it had several related goals: stopping flooding in the Tennessee Valley, providing electricity to rural areas, finding jobs for construction workers, and eventually, providing power for national defense. Several dams already built in the area were added to the TVA system. Their histories, along with the many dams built by the TVA in the 1930s and 1940s, are explored in this exhibit.
The program was not without controversy, partly because its management did not always get along and because of the flooding of communities. Power companies in the South did not like the idea of the government providing electricity, leading one company executive, Wendell Willkie, to run against FDR in the 1940 election.
Unlike many of the New Deal agencies, the TVA is still around today. It has expanded beyond its original dams to include nuclear and wind power plants. The TVA serves six states, totaling about 80,000 square miles in coverage.
Image: “Turbines in Interior of Power House of Wilson Dam at Muscle Shoals, Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Ala.” by O. S. Welch, from “Souvenir Folder of Muscle Shoals at Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia Alabama” published by the Anderson News Company (date unknown).
Postcard Maps
The two postcards below, while similar, have two noticeable differences: One has a caption describing the TVA system, while the other has a map of the Tennessee River.
The dams listed on the cards are the same: Kentucky, Pickwick, Wilson, Wheeler, Guntersville, Hales Bar, Chickamauga, Watts Bar, Fort Loudon, Douglas, Norris, Cherokee, Watauga, South Holston, the Ocoees, Blue Ridge, Appalachia, Hiawassee, Chatuge, Nottely, Calderwood, Cheoah, Santeetlah, Fontana, Nantahala, and Glenville.
This exhibit goes river by river, starting with the furthest dam downstream on the Tennessee River listed on this postcard, Kentucky Dam.
Image: “Diagram of Tennessee Valley Authority Water Control System” published by Standard Souvenirs & Novelties, Inc. (date unknown).
Image: “T. V. A. Water Control System” published by Curt Teich & Co. (date unknown).
Kentucky Dam
Kentucky Dam is the longest in the TVA system and creates one of the largest reservoirs east of the Mississippi. It is 22.4 miles from where the Tennessee River meets the Ohio. When it was completed in 1944 after six years of work, it was one of the nation’s largest dams. While Kentucky Dam is located in its namesake state, Kentucky Lake stretches into northwest Tennessee.
Image: “TVA's Kentucky Dam and Navigation Lock, Western Kentucky; The Dam is 206 Feet High and 8,650 Feet Long” published by Curt Teich & Co. (c. 1944).
Image: “Sunset on Kentucky Lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky State Line” published by the Asheville Postcard Company (date unknown).
Pickwick Landing Dam
Competed in 1938, Pickwick Landing Dam took four years to build. The massive dam is over a mile and a half wide and, at one time, had the nation’s largest turbines. It is one of several dams at Muscle Shoals. The dam was upgraded in the 1980s to allow for greater power production.
Image: “Pickwick Dam on the Tennessee River” published by Curt Teich & Co. (date unknown).
Wilson Dam
Wilson Dam can be seen as a predecessor of the TVA. In 1918, the US Government began constructing this dam at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to provide power to two nitrate fertilizer plants. While it was initially intended for the war effort, construction was not finished until 1925. It is notable for its neoclassical design, unique among the other dams on the Tennessee River.
The Muscle Shoals project was one of the most controversial public works projects before the New Deal. Many wanted to privatize it, while others felt significant public works projects like this should be government-owned. Most notably, Henry Ford attempted to purchase Wilson Dam and create a Southern industrial metropolis in Muscle Shoals. Senator George Norris led the opposition, and because of his efforts, the dam was never privatized.
In 1933, the dam became part of the TVA. Since then, its power generators have been expanded several times, and it currently provides more power than any other TVA dam. For more information about the dam and Muscle Shoals, I strongly suggest Electric City: The Lost History of Ford and Edison's American Utopia by Thomas Hager.
Image: “East View of Wilson Dam, Muscle Shoals” from “Souvenir Folder of Muscle Shoals at Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia Alabama” published by the Anderson News Company (date unknown).
Image: “Turbines in Interior of Power House of Wilson Dam at Muscle Shoals, Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Ala.” by O. S. Welch, from “Souvenir Folder of Muscle Shoals at Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia Alabama” published by the Anderson News Company (date unknown).
Image: “Power House and Wilson Dam, looking North” from “Souvenir Folder of Muscle Shoals at Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia Alabama” published by the Anderson News Company (date unknown).
Wheeler Dam
Wheeler Dam, named for Confederate General Joseph Wheeler, was the second TVA dam built. It is just upstream from Wilson Dam, also at Muscle Shoals. Construction began in 1933, the year the TVA Act was approved, and was finished in 1936. The dam was built for power generation and to make it easier for ships to traverse the shoals, which proved a navigation obstacle. Since the 1930s, countless vessels have sailed through the locks at Wheeler Dam. Perhaps the most unusual visitor to Wheeler Dam came in 1961 when a Saturn I rocket was transported down the river. Because the lock door was broken, the rocket had to be hauled around the dam on specially built roads.
Image: “Wheeler Dam at Muscle Shoals” from “Souvenir Folder of Muscle Shoals at Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia Alabama” published by the Anderson News Company (date unknown).
Image: “Wheeler Dam at Muscle Shoals” by G. W. Landrum, from “Souvenir Folder of Muscle Shoals at Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia Alabama” published by the Anderson News Company (date unknown).
Guntersville Dam
Named after the nearest town, Guntersville Dam was first proposed in 1914, years before the TVA. Construction began in 1935 and took four years to complete. It is almost 4,000 feet wide and is the second-largest project managed by the TVA. Before construction began, many Cherokee artifacts were found in the area that was flooded, which were preserved by the University of Alabama.
Image: “Guntersville Dam on the Tennessee River at Guntersville, Ala.; Between Gadsden and Huntsville, Ala.” by J. O. Forrester, published by Artcraft Studio (c. 1958).
Hales Bar Dam
This dam was built by the Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company from 1905 to 1913, well before the TVA took over control in 1939. It was the first dam of its kind built on the Tennessee River. After the TVA began to operate the dam, a variety of leaks were found. Some have attributed these problems to a Native American curse from the 1770s, which has also been proposed as a cause for the number of murders during the dam’s construction. After decades of problems, it was decided to demolish the aging structure. Though Hales Bar Dam was removed in 1968, the powerhouse still stands.
Chickamauga Dam
Located close to Chattanooga, Chickamauga Dam helped solve significant flooding problems in the city. According to the TVA, around $5,000,000,000 in flood damage has been prevented in Chattanooga. This dam was built from 1936 to 1940, and its reservoir has 810 miles of shoreline. In the past, boat tours have been available that take visitors up the Tennessee River from Chattanooga and through the locks at Chickamauga Dam. The link labeled “Chattanooga History” below has many fascinating photos from the dam’s history.
Image: “The Chickamauga Dam, Tennessee River, Chattanooga, Tennessee” by Cline Studios, published by W. M. Cline (c. 1947).
Watts Bar Dam
Watts Bar Dam, known for the summer resort that sat nearby in the 1950s, was built from 1939 to 1942. When the dam opened just weeks into World War II, it proved crucial to providing power to Eastern Tennessee, in particular to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Oak Ridge site played a vital role in processing uranium for the Manhattan Project.
Fort Loudon Dam
The Fort Loudon Dam is the farthest upstream on the Tennessee River in the TVA system. It was also the last major TVA project built on the river, with construction starting in 1940 and ending in 1944. Near the dam is the site of a British fort from the French and Indian War, which gave the dam its name. Not shown in this postcard is a bridge across the top of the dam, which was added in 1963.
Image: “Fort Loudon Dam on the Tennessee River” published by the Asheville Post Card Company (date unknown).
Douglas Dam
The construction of Douglas Dam, which began in 1942, took a little over a year to complete. According to the Tennessee Valley Authority, it was considered a world record compared to similar projects. The reservoir it created, Douglas Lake, covers 45 square miles and forced 525 families to move before their property was flooded. The reservoir initially would have flooded Dandridge, Tennessee, but local citizens successfully petitioned Eleanor Roosevelt to save their town.
Image: “Douglas Dam, Tennessee” published by the Standard News Agency (c. 1943).
Norris Dam
Located close to Oak Ridge, Norris Dam was the first TVA-built dam to be completed. It is named after Senator George Norris, who played a key role in Wilson Dam’s story. After three years of work, the dam was finished in 1936. It is located on the Clinch River. In order to promote the TVA, a park was placed on the shores of Norris Lake featuring cabins from another New Deal effort, the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park is now Norris Dam State Park and is considered to have played a crucial role in starting Tennessee’s state parks system.
While Norris Dam was under construction, a young reporter named Ernie Pyle documented its construction and life in the nearby the town of Norris, which housed many of the construction workers. While documenting Norris Dam, Pyle began to make a name for himself before gaining international recognition for his chronicling of World War II.
Image: “T. V. A. Norris Dam and Lake on Clinch River, Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “Boat Regatta on Lake, Norris Dam, Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “Looking Across Norris Dam, showing Portion of Lake, Norris, Tenn.” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “T. V. A. Norris Dam and Lake by Night, Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Cherokee Dam
Located on the Holston River, Cherokee Dam is named for the Cherokee Nation, that once covered parts of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina. Construction of the dam was very short, beginning in August 1940 and ending on December 5, 1941 – two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Image: “Cherokee Dam, Tennessee Valley Authority on Holston River, East Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Watauga Dam
Located near Watauga Dam was Butler, Tennessee, founded in the 1760s. The Watauga River often flooded the town, so improved infrastructure was essential, especially after a major 1940 flood. Construction on the dam began two years later, in 1942, but was halted due to World War II. It would not resume until 1946. Once completed, the reservoir created by Watauga Dam would flood Butler, so residents began planning to move.
The TVA offered to relocate the town, buildings and all. Land was purchased on higher ground, and the buildings of Butler were moved before the dam’s completion in 1948. It is the only incorporated town site ever flooded by a TVA dam. If water levels at the dam are low enough, the original town site can still be seen. This has only happened twice: in 1954 and 1983.
Unlike most other TVA dams, Watauga Dam is made of earth and rock instead of concrete. In addition, the Appalachian Trail passes over its top.
Image: “Watauga Lake and Dam, Eastern Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “Watauga Lake, Eastern Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “Moonlight on Watauga Lake, Eastern Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “Watauga Dam Boat Dock on the Shores of Watauga Lake in East Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
South Holston Dam
Much like Watauga Dam, the construction on the South Holston Dam (on the river of the same name) began in 1942 but was delayed due to World War II. It resumed in 1947 and was finished in 1950. The dam, located near Bristol, Tennessee, is another example of an earthen dam, opposed to concrete. Its reservoir covers over 7,500 acres and is known for its smallmouth bass fishing.
Image: “Morning Glory Spillway at South Holston Dam, Eastern Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “South Holston Lake in Eastern Tennessee” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
The Ocoees
On the Ocoee River are three dams operated by the TVA, all grouped closely together. The first, named Ocoee Dam No. 1, was built from 1910 to 1911. Ocoee Dam No. 2 was constructed from 1912 to 1913. The only dam built by the TVA is Ocoee Dam No. 3, built from 1941 to 1942. The dams are known for their whitewater rafting, and because of this parts of the 1996 Summer Olympics were held at Ocoee No. 3.
Blue Ridge Dam
Blue Ridge Dam, along Georgia’s Toccoa River, was built by the Tennessee Electric Power Company from 1925 to 1930. According to the TVA, when the dam was completed, it “was the most modern hydroelectric power production facility in the TEPCo system and the largest earthen dam in the Southeast.” Unlike some other dams now part of the TVA, it was not designed for flood control.
In 1939, the TVA purchased the dam. Blue Ridge Dam is one of the few TVA dams in Georgia. Its reservoir is called Lake Blue Ridge, or the Blue Ridge Reservoir, and is known for its recreational opportunities. Much of the lake is in the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Apalachia Dam
Apalachia Dam was built from 1941 to 1943 on the Hiwassee River. The dam is less than 1000 feet from the North Carolina / Tennessee border. Of the four dams built at this time on the Hiwassee, Apalachia Dam is the largest. Close to the dam is the original powerhouse, made of steel and concrete.
Hiwassee Dam
Located on the river of the same name, Hiwassee Dam was completed in 1940 after four years of construction. Around 1,600 men worked on the project at a total cost of $16.8 million. It was expanded in 1956 with an innovative additional turbine, the first of its kind in the United States. The turbine is so important it is considered a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
When the dam was completed, the Hiwassee Reservoir was considered very deep and remote, making it an ideal military testing ground. In the 1950s, it was used by the National Ordnance Laboratory for torpedo testing.
Image: “Hiwassee Dam and Power House, Western North Carolina.” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (before 1956).
Image: “Hiwassee Dam and Power House by Night, Western North Carolina.” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (before 1956).
Image: “Hiwassee Dam and Lake, Western North Carolina” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (before 1956).
Chatuge Dam
The reservoir of Chatuge Dam is in both North Carolina and Georgia, but the dam is north of the state line. The dam itself is a dirt embankment and was designed to generate power. Instead, it held water in case of floods and supported other dams further down the Hiwassee River. Funding for the dam was approved in 1941, and it was realized dams further downstream would require Chatuge Dam's completion soon afterwards. Because of this, construction was expedited and completed in less than six months. In the 1950s, a hydroelectric plant was added.
Image: “Lake Chatuge, Hiawasse, GA.” published by the Asheville Post Card Co. (c. 1945)
Nottely Dam
Georgia’s Nottely Dam was originally built by the TVA for flood control only. Construction began in 1941, and took about a year to complete. It was named after the river it dams. Over 90 families had to be relocated to make way for its reservoir. In the 1950s, a generator was installed so that power could be produced.
The TVA now considers Nottely Dam to be one of the “hidden gems” of its system, due to its seclusion, hiking, and fishing.
Calderwood Dam
Calderwood Dam was built by Alcoa from 1928 to 1930 to assist with Aluminum production. While its water levels are managed by the TVA, it is privately owned. It is one of several Alcoa-built dams in North Carolina and Tennessee, all of which are owned by a subsidiary called Tapoco.
Though work began at the Calderwood site in 1918, construction was halted after World War I. Construction resumed a decade later. Nearby was a company town that saw major growth in the 1950s, but it is largely abandoned now. Calderwood Dam is today well known for its scenery, especially the view from behind the dam shown in this postcard. The spot is on State Highway 15 near Vonore, Tennessee.
Image: “Calderwood Dam, on Little Tennessee River, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park” published by Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Cheoah Dam
Like Calderwood Dam, Cheoah Dam was built for aluminum production before the Great Depression. Of the dams built by Alcoa, Cheoah was the first. It was built in North Carolina and opened in 1919. At 225 feet tall, it was the tallest dam of its kind in the world when completed.
In addition to its significance in infrastructure history, it also has a Hollywood connection. The dam was featured prominently in the 1993 film The Fugitive, starring Harrison Ford.
(Note: While I do not have a linen postcard of the dam like the others in this exhibit, I do have a photographic postcard.)
Image: “Cheoah Dam, Tapoco, North Carolina, near Great Smoky Mountains National Park” published by W. M. Cline Co. (c. 1947).
Image: “Cheoah Dam - Tapoco, North Carolina” published by W. M. Cline Co. (1955).
Santeetlah Dam
The third Tapoco owned dam in this exhibit is Santeetlah Dam, built from 1926 to 1928. It was completed at about the same time construction on Calderwood Dam began. The area was very sparsely populated, and much of the surrounding land was purchased by the US Forest Service in the 1930s. In the 1940s, a real estate developer acquired some of this land and attempted to create a major summer resort. Eventually, in the 1960s, the land became a development called Thunderbird Mountain, which is now the town of Lake Santeetlah.
Image: “Lake Santeetlah, near end of Great Smoky Mountains National Park” published by Deuel News Co. (date unknown).
Fontana Dam
Fontana Dam is the largest in the TVA system and stands over 480 feet tall. Alcoa had planned to build a dam on the site, but the start of World War II allowed the TVA to start construction. The site was incredibly remote when construction began in 1942, so it was unclear to many why a power plant was needed. In fact, the power was intended mainly for weapons testing at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Because of its seclusion, a town was built around the construction site for workers. About 5,000 men and their families lived at the site. Construction was finished in 1944, and it began generating power in 1945. The TVA refers to it as “The Miracle in the Wilderness.” Afterwards, the town for workers became a summer resort.
Fontana Dam is the most visited in the TVA, in no small part thanks to its resort and its visitor center. Additionally, the Appalachian Trail crosses the top of the dam. To this day, it is the tallest dam east of the Mississippi.
Image: “Aerial View of Fontana Dam, Western North Carolina. ‘Highest Dam East of the Rocky Mountains’” published by Harry N. Martin (date unknown).
Image: “Night-Time Panorama of Visitor's Building Overlooking TVA's Fontana Dam, On the Little Tennessee River, Western North Carolina” published by Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Image: “Fontana Dam, Western North Carolina, ‘Highest Dam East of the Rocky Mountains’” published by Harry N. Martin (date unknown).
Nantahala Dam
While Nantahala Dam was built at the same time as many of the TVA dams, it was actually built by a private company. During the Great Depression, the Nantahala Power and Light Company, a division of Alcoa, worked on providing electricity to rural North Carolina. In 1942, they completed a dam near the Nantahala National Forest for just this purpose. The dam is today owned by Duke Energy.
Image: “Nantahala Gorge, Western North Carolina” published by Harry N. Martin (c. 1946).
Glenville Dam
The final dam featured in this exhibit is Glenville Dam, which is near Cashiers, North Carolina. The dam is on the Tuckasegee River and was built by the same company that built the Nantahala Dam. It was also built at about the same time and was completed in 1941. The reservoir it created was historically known as the Thorpe Reservoir but is now called Lake Glenville.
Image: “Glenville Lake as Seen from the Dam, Western North Carolina” published by Asheville Post Card Co. (date unknown).
Archive of the Past
Created by Andrew J. Bramlett
Archive of the Past covers everything historical: books, artifacts, photographs, buildings, art, music, and everything in between. Check out our social media for daily posts, and visit the exhibits page for curated collections.