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During the New Deal Era, FDR signed the TVA Act
Memphis: The vision & ethics to be able to respond to economic collapse and to transition the economy of the south.
Claiborne County: Norris Lake Project dispelled Lewis family from 1200-1500 acres in Granger, Claiborne County area of Lone Mountain. Only 200 acres actually flooded leaving much property for TVA to sell later on to developers as “lake property”
During the 1930's, TVA uses "Integrated Resource Management" to generate power, control flooding and erosion, implement reforestation, Etc.
Knoxville: TVA open to labor unions. Did not fight them tooth and nail like private companies
Knoxville: My father went to work for TVA Norris dam and entered UT rotating quarters of work and study. He eventually became an administrator for TVA and Oak Ridge. This allowed my family to have a comfortable lifestyle, but m father admitted that all of that came at a “certain cost”
Campbell County: TVA took my family’s property and dug up the cemetery and moved them to Bakers & Ford cemetery. TVA also hired some of my family to work for them. My dad worked as a welder for Coal shovels with Peabody Coal
In the latter 30's and early 40's TVA is involved with wartime demands for energy and other services
Campbell County: My family owned coal & forestry property in West Virginia through Rewland Land Co. The original land buyer offered the Appalachian people very little for their land. As a result, they lived in poverty & worked the coal mines. I am hoping to help those in West Virginia with medical problems with my inheritance of Rewland Land Co.
Huntsville: My grandparents and their family were affected by the construction of Norris Dam. Their farm in Union Co, TN (Sharp’s Chapel/Mossy Springs) fell within the flood plain area of the resulting lake along the Powell River. Their farm was purchased under eminent domain with 3,000 families moving into surrounding areas, comparable properties were at a premium. My grandparents found a hard-scrobble farm in Campbell Co. for their family, this was a sacrifice for the good of all. Nevertheless, my grandparents held no ill will toward anyone, even though my grandfather’s brother in law hung himself when he was confronted with the same challenge.
Knoxville: Young people in the 30’s along the Holston in Grainger County wanted electricity, so they supported TVA even though their land was lost.
Crossville: TVA Promises that Norris Dam Will Help with Flood Control in the Region
Rural Electrification Association established by FDR, supports development of Rural Electric Cooperatives
Campbell County: My great grandmother told me about when her home first got electricity in west Tennessee. The first thing they had was two lights and a washing machine.
Construction of Norris Dam began in 1933, just a few months after the creation of TVA, and was completed in 1936. The dam is 265 feet high and stretches 1,860 feet across the Clinch River.
Clairfield: Norris Project leads to TN State Parks at Norris, Cove Lake and Big Ridge. This led to more local recreation and an improved tourism economy.
Knoxville: 1940’s, My grandparent’s hometown, Butler, TN was acquired by TVA to build the Watauga Dam in Carter county Tennessee and flooded over. In the 1980s my mom actually was able to walk through the houses when the lake was drained. The 600 residents who lived in the town were relocated to higher ground.
Nashville: Areas were only given months to recover the archaeological treasures on the land before it was flooded and lost forever to history. Entire cultures wiped without record.
Claiborne County: Being from Norris Lake flood plain of Lone Mountain & Bear Creek my grandfather remembers numerous coffins that “floated up” with the rising of the lake.
Knoxville: Manhattan Project establishes Atomic Energy Commission (now Dept. of energy) and creation of ORNL, y-12, K-25
Memphis: Oak Ridge National Lab established. Today it is The Dept. of Energy’s largest facility.
TVA builds demands and coal plants at unprecedented rates. It would grow to become the nations largest energy supplier by the end of WWII.
Nashville: I was born on a farm with no electricity, we used kerosene oil for lighting and got our water from a spring. When I was 7 or so we got “rural electrification”. We were happy because we got lights and a refrigerator!
Knoxville: My parents moved out of Oak Ridge and purchased a farm outside of Kingston. My youth was during the Kingston boom years thanks to the Oak Ridge and TVA Steam plant, but we realized down the line that there were costs.
Nashville: TVA’s New Johnsonville Steam plant was a major employer to impoverished rural areas as a result, many viewed TVA as a savior.
Construction began on the Shawnee Fossil Plant in January 1951. The plant's first unit began operation in April 1953. Shawnee is currently the oldest TVA coal-fired power plant still in operation.
Born in 1957: Growing up near Norris Dam allowed me to see an amazing industrial structure in a mostly rural location. I feel that it influenced me to seek educational opportunities to allow me to gain employment in technical fields
Political interference kept getting in the way of getting the government to fund its projects. TVA became self-financed through the Bond financing act so it could generate revenue through issuing bonds
Memphis sells it’s natural gas plant to TVA and becomes TVA’s customer. TVA converts plant to burn coal.
TVA’s has had a huge impact on the land through strip mining since the 1960's
During the 1960's you can see TVA investing much more money into the development of nuclear as a cheap alternative fuel source.
Nashville: Loss of Brander family home to a TVA project
Campbell: 1962-1986 TVA provided power to the rural Electric coop where my father worked
The Paradise smokestacks are built tall enough “to adequately disperse coal dust into the atmosphere” Pollution!
Memphis: Allen plant called a “steam plant”, but should have been called a “coal burning power plant”.
Knoxville: I moved to Knoxville when my dad’s company, Carborundum, from New York started a division to build coal tower scrubbers. They thought they would make a bunch of money from TVA. Once again Yankees were coming to TN repeating history. After a few years the company closed up shop. We stayed.
During the 1970's and 1980's a decrease in energy demands causes sudden cancellations of several big infrastructure projects; TVA promotes energy conservation projects and works to stabilize rates
Nashville: TVA starts construction of watts bar nuclear plant, projected cost $600-700 million,
Rogersville: TVA brought electricity to my house for free in 1974 and to a different house in 1976.
Grew up near Pickwick Dam
Knoxville: TVA takes on debt and never makes money back. That debt still limits TVA today.
Claiborne County: Phones come to Sharps Chapel, Union County TN
Chattanooga: Dave Freeman appointed to head TVA board (by President Carter) in 1976. Many innovative programs & statements during his tenure.
Knoxville: Communities fight against against the construction of Tellico Dam because it would flood good farmland, flood Cherokee burial grounds/cultural sites and possibly eliminate a fish species called the snail darter. This eventually goes to the supreme court where in "TVA V. Hill" the court rules that the dam halt construction to protect the snail darter population under the endangered species act. Later congress passed amended an appropriations bill to side step the courts decisions and finish the Tellico Dam in 1979
Campbell: I worked on smokestack opacity instrumentation, installation, and electrical precipitator maintenance. At the Johnsonville Steam Plant (New Johnsonville, TN). At that time the plant had 6-8 coal-fired boilers and 16 gas-fired turbines. Quite a DIRTY plant.
Nashville: -I came together with the community to try to stop construction of the Phipps Bend Nuclear plant. Other community members were happy to have the good paying jobs made available. After 3 years and 1.5 billion dollars later the plant halted construction due to lack of demand. A 6 acre solar farm now sits on the property.
Clairfield: Tellico Dam Controversy leads to 1st Revision of Endangered Species Act
Knoxville: Lawsuit to try to stop TVA from building future construction work-in-progress into rate for present ratepayers.
Bowling Green: The house my grandfather grew up in was bought out by TVA. They tore it down and put a pump station on the land.
Huntsville: When the lake is low my family said you could see the home place in Norris dam -Mike Stanfield La Follette mayor
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