Photo courtesy of Army Corps of Engineers

Celebrates

Dale Hollow Dam

75th Anniversary

by Beth Underwood

When the United States Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1938, a number

of flood control projects such as dams, levees and dikes sprang up throughout the country. Primarily, these projects were utilitarian in nature. But in the Upper Cumberlands of Tennessee, one particular project not only changed the face of the landscape, it evolved into one of the nation’s premier destinations for natural beauty, outdoor and water recreation.

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That project was Dale Hollow Dam and Reservoir.

In years leading up to the project, the nation had suffered devastating floods, including the great Mississippi flood of 1927. In its wake, Congress determined that flood control should fall to the Federal Government. Under this new authority, the Army Corps of Engineers studied areas of Tennessee, ultimately determining that at a narrow point in the Obey River valley, adjacent to the mount of the Dale Hollow, was the perfect location for a new dam.

The Dale Hollow area had been named for William Dale, who’d settled in the Willow Grove area in 1808. Over the course of more than 100 years, he and his descendants had tended the 449-acre farm-turned-plantation. But in 1942 a once-lively and thriving area became an underwater ghost town.

To make way for the dam and reservoir, the entire valley town of Willow Grove was flooded. Timing couldn’t have been worse. Along with the rest of the nation, the men of Willow Grove were marching off to fight in World War II. But the homes they bid farewell would no longer exist when they returned—assuming they would.

It was a great irony, considering the project’s goal was to prevent future flooding in areas prone to ravaging waters. And although the people of Willow Grove were paid for the homes and land, no amount of money could replace their physical and emotional losses.

“We don’t want to overshadow the people that sacrificed for this to happen,” said Sondra Carmen, Park Ranger and Natural Resource Specialist for the Army Corps of Engineers. “A lot of people lost everything they had.”

The project, designed and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, moved quickly. Construction work went to

private contractors, creating hundreds of jobs in the area and drawing in workers from Tennessee and Kentucky. By 1943, the massive concrete-gravity dam had been completed. Standing at 1,717 feet long and 200-feet tall, the dam paved the way for the resulting reservoir, whose waters covered more than 27,000 acres and spanned six counties in both Tennessee and Kentucky.

The entire project was not yet complete, though. Three years after World War II ended, construction on the hydroelectric power plant began, and additional power-generating units added in 1948, ’49, and ’53.

Word of the new man-made lake spread quickly. By the early 50s, houseboats and motorboats dotted the waters, and campers pitched tents along the shore line. All the while, the dam stood silently in the background, protecting the surrounding areas from flooding and generating power on demand.

Today Dale Hollow Dam continues to protect and power the surrounding area, in some cases with original equipment.

“The real story is the people behind the construction as well as those who run it today, silently preventing flood damage and providing power,” said Carmen, who's been with the Corps of Engineers for 30 years. “When people go home at night and start turning on lights or their TV, for example, we’re generating that electricity on demand.”

Daily operations at the dam require an incredible skill base, Carmen noted, saying that while routine repairs are part of overall maintenance, the power plant, or power house as it is known, has never broken down since it was put into operation. It’s a testament to the original construction as well as those who make sure it continues to run as a welloiled machine.

Throughout its history,

BY THE NUMBERS

•Dale Hollow Lake and Dam control 935 square miles of runoff drainage.

•The dam is 1,717-feet long and 200-feet tall.

•Dale Hollow Lake has 620 miles of shore line and more than 27,000 acres of surface water.

•Dale Hollow provides enough

power to satisfy 45,000 homes.

•The world-record smallmouth bass, weighing in at 11 pounds, 15 ounces, came from the waters of Dale Hollow Lake.

•Dale Hollow is home to the largest Federal trout hatchery east of the Mississippi, and produces 1.5 million trout annually.

Photo courtesy of Army Corps of Engineers

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the dam and power plant have been put to the test, said Stanley Carter, Power Project Superintendent for Dale Hollow Power Plant.

“There have been times when the local area has been disconnected from the national grid,” he said. “Dale Hollow Power House has provided power until the connection repairs could be made, such as the case when the tornado went through Macon County several years ago. Dale Hollow was the sole supplier of power to Celina and the Moss area for several days until repairs to TVA lines could be made.”

with its care are committed to preserving the qualities that attract people from around the world. The combination of rock strata, steep forested hillsides, and under-developed shorelines help to foster the crystal clear waters—a slice of paradise like no other.

“We want to be good stewards of the resource and the taxpayers, and we take very seriously care of those we’re entrusted to take care of,” Carmen said. “It’s a precious jewel and I’m very honored to be a part of it.”

Thanks in no small part to the dedication of people like Sondra Carmen and Stanley Carter, the sacrifices made by a number of small Tennessee towns and farms many years ago are not forgotten. Today, the project known as Dale Hollow Dam and Reservoir, known by many as Dale Hollow Lake, pays daily homage to those sacrifices by nurturing and protecting a thriving sportsman’s paradise in the heart of the nation. If there could be a wish three-quarters of a century since its creation, it would likely be a simple one: that the next 75 years usher in more of the same.

He also pointed to the role Dale Hollow plays in the overall flood prevention plan for the Cumberland, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers.

“We hold the runoff waters from rains and slowly release this water as needed,” he said, “and (it is safely) discharged as the water level recedes from the rain event.”

While all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes may go largely unnoticed by the public—only 10 people work directly at Dale Hollow Power House and Dam—those involved in the day-to-day operations realize just how vital a role they play.

ABOUT THE COVER

Photo by Jade Lechner-Kirby

The great-grandchildren of Lemual Smith are among the countless beneficiaries who have regularly enjoyed Dale Hollow Lake’s splendor over its 75 years of existence. Lemual Smith, who lived in the Moss, TN and Clay County, TN area, was hired as foreman for the United States Army Corps of Engineers at the onset of the Dale Hollow Dam and Lake project. He was in charge of clearing the land on area farms and communities that would eventually be flooded in order to create the lake. He also worked on the Wolf Creek and Old Hickory dams. His great-grandchildren are (oldest to youngest) Isaac, Eli, Andrew, & Lily Smith.

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“We’re really proud of what those guys do,” Carmen said.

Today, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Nashville District continues to operate the entire project, from the powerplant and dam to the reservoir, which covers nearly 25,000 acres of land and 27,700 surface acres of water.

Beyond those employed by USACE, Dale Hollow Dam and Lake has prompted plenty of indirect employment opportunities, as well. Boating, fishing, and camping equipment sales, local restaurants, 15 marinas in both Tennessee and Kentucky, and other water recreation businesses mean jobs for local residents.

“There’s not a lot of big industry in the area, so people coming to the lake provides a good living for a lot of people.”

While Dale Hollow continues to grow as a getaway destination, those entrusted

MYSTERIES, ANOMALIES AND ORAL HISTORIES

Here are a few lesser-known facts

about Dale Hollow Lake:

The creation of Dale Hollow Dam and Reservoir led to the relocation of more than 2,000 known gravesites. Most were relocated to private property around the lake.

There are 211 known natural oil wells (plugged and capped off) underneath the lake.

According to oral histories, Overton County, Tennessee, was considered as a possible location for the Manhattan Project. Although that assertion can’t be confirmed, nor is it formally written in USACE operational documents, “it’s highly possible they were scoping out the area,” said Sondra Carmen, Natural Resource Specialist and Park Ranger for USACE. “Had that happened, the future of the whole region could have been changed.”

FAREWELL TO A TOWN

On July 18, 1942, the residents of Willow Grove gathered together for one last picnic before saying goodbye to the land that had served them for generations. At the urging of the townspeople, Dr. Edward Clark addressed the citizens of the Dale Hollow Reserve area and guests, encouraging them to carry on in spite of the situation. Below is an excerpt from his speech:

“We the people in this Valley are soon to have to seek new homes somewhere. All that has been dear to us, we are going to have to turn our back upon and leave. Many of us have sons in that awful conflict that is raging now and will have for the balance of this war. Many of you have other sons who will be inducted in to the service, and I am telling you now, many of them will be sacrificed in the conflict and before it is over their blood will be spilled on foreign soil. All of the sad things I know anything about and all the horrible things I know anything about, it is war and hell. And Sherman said war was hell, and I believe he is right.

“In addition to that problem with you we are having to give up the dearest thing that any human has ever had from a human standpoint, and that is our little castle called home. There are three words that stand out in the English language. Those words are Home, Mother and Heaven. I realize that in this great crowd of people here today who have gathered here to make contact for new homes, that majority of you will never see each other again. Some will go one way; some another. but I want to tell you that with that kind of dark picture before you, you should be thankful because we are living in a country and under a flag that so far has guaranteed to you the right of Liberty, Justice and the Pursuit of Happiness. You can and will find home in other communities. We hope and trust that after this is over and we settle back to normal you will be useful citizens and happy the rest of your lives.”

Even today, the people of old Willow Grove come together on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. The foundation of the old Willow Grove schoolhouse is visible through the lake’s clear waters, especially in the fall of each year when the lake drawdown begins—a poignant reminder of a town’s great sacrifice.

IN Honor

OF LIVES LOST

Nine men died during the construction of Dale Hollow Dam

• Alex West died in a vehicle accident hauling supplies on April 17, 1942.

•Harry Nicholson died when he fell to his death on Aug. 26, 1942.

•R.R. Langston died while working with heavy equipment on Oct. 2, 1942.

•Ress White died in a vehicle accident on his way to work on March 10, 1942.

•Fowler Dulworth died on March 10, 1943, and Herbert White died on March 11, 1943, from injuries sustained in a March 10 vehicle accident on their way to work.

•Boss Hestand fell from a raft transporting workers across the river and drowned on May 6, 1943.

• Jack Johnson and Irvin Roberts both died when trash racks fell on them on July 22, 1943.

Photo by Plas Darren Oliver I www.plasdarrenoliver.com

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