TVA Hydroelectric System NRHP
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NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2015) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form This form is used for documenting property groups relating to one or several historic contexts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 168). Complete each item by entering the requested information. For additional space, use continuation sheets (Form 10-900-a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer to complete all items X New Submission Amended Submission A. Name of Multiple Property Listing Historic Resources of the Tennessee Valley Authority Hydroelectric System, 1933-1979 B. Associated Historic Contexts (Name each associated historic context, identifying theme, geographical area, and chronological period for each.) 1. The Character of the Tennessee Valley and the Coming of TVA 2. The Tennessee Valley Authority, 1933-1945 3. The Tennessee Valley Authority, 1945-1979 C. Form Prepared by name/title Andra Martens/Cathleen Collett/Phil Thomason/Rebecca Hightower date 11/11/2015 organization Thomason and Associates telephone ....:6=-1.:....:5=---=3..::.8..::.5_-4:....:9:...:6:...:0:.__ _____ street & number P.O. Box 121225 email [email protected] city or town Nashville state TN zip code 37212 ~~~~~----------------------------------- D. Certification Date of Action 1 NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2015) Alabama, Georgia Historic Resources of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kentucky, North Hydroelectric System, 1933-1979 Carolina and Tennessee Name of Multiple Property Listing State Table of Contents for Written Narrative Provide the following information on continuation sheets. Cite the letter and title before each section of the narrative. Assign page numbers according to the instructions for continuation sheets in National Register Bulletin How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form (formerly 16B). Fill in page numbers for each section in the space below. Page Numbers E. Statement of Historic Contexts E-3 – E63 1. The Character of the Tennessee Valley and the Coming of TVA 2. The Tennessee Valley Authority, 1933-1945 3. The Tennessee Valley Authority, 1945-1979 F. Associated Property Types F-64 – F-82 G. Geographical Data G-83 H. Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods H-84 I. Major Bibliographical References I-85 – I-93 Additional Documentation 94-174 Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service, PO Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Project (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2015) Alabama, Georgia Historic Resources of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kentucky, North Hydroelectric System, 1933-1979 Carolina and Tennessee Name of Multiple Property Listing State E. Statement of Historic Contexts 1. THE CHARACTER OF THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AND THE COMING OF TVA Introduction This multiple property documentation form includes twenty-five hydroelectric projects constructed between 1933 and 1979 as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Hydroelectric System in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee. (Mississippi and Virginia, served in some portion by TVA, are not included in this MPS as only hydroelectric projects built by TVA on the main stem (Tennessee River) and its tributaries are addressed. There are over 150 total TVA sites, including substations, fossil plants, and utility cooperatives within the region.) This documentation form provides the background and history of architectural resources associated with these projects within the ownership of the TVA. Within this documentation form are the property types of powerhouses, dams, navigational locks and lock control buildings, visitor buildings, recreational buildings, maintenance buildings, and other buildings and structures specifically associated with TVA’s missions of hydroelectric power, flood control, navigation, improvement of quality of life, and recreation. The TVA had such a major impact on the historic landscape of the region, this document is arranged to provide an overview of the pre-history and historical settlement of the Tennessee River basin. The context then discusses the early uses of the river for navigation, commerce, and hydroelectric power. The establishment of the TVA and its history to 1945 is then presented along with its impacts and significance to the region. This discussion is then followed by a historical narrative of the TVA from 1945 to 1979. These sections address areas of significance relating to the TVA’s influence across the Tennessee Valley region in agriculture, architecture, conservation, engineering, military, industry, recreation, social history, and transportation. Property types are then presented along with registration requirements and supporting documentation. The twenty-five hydroelectric projects that are intended to be nominated are the primary projects built by the TVA on the Tennessee River and its tributaries between 1933 and 1979 (Figure 1). The multiple property submission discusses only those built by the TVA and does not include those built prior to 1933 that were acquired by the agency, including: 1. Blue Ridge Dam, 1930, Fannin County, Georgia 2. Great Falls Dam, 1916, White and Warren Counties, Tennessee (NR-listed 6/5/1990) 3. Ocoee No. 1 Hydroelectric Station, 1911, Polk County, Tennessee (NR-listed 7/5/1990) 4. Ocoee Hydroelectric Plant No. 2, 1913, Polk County, Tennessee (NR-listed 10/31/1979) 5. Wilbur Dam, 1912, Washington County, Tennessee 6. Wilson Dam, 1924, Lauderdale and Colbert Counties, Alabama (NR-listed 11/13/1996) 7. Nolichucky Dam, 1913, Greene County, Tennessee In addition to these pre-TVA projects, there are a series of smaller dams built on Bear Creek in Alabama and Beech River, Beaver Creek, and Clear Creek in Tennessee. These small dams were built for recreation and flood control in the 1960s and 1970s. They are not associated with or E-3 NPS Form 10-900-b (Rev. 01/2009) OMB No. 1024-0018 (Expires 5/31/2015) Alabama, Georgia Historic Resources of the Tennessee Valley Authority Kentucky, North Hydroelectric System, 1933-1979 Carolina and Tennessee Name of Multiple Property Listing State significant to the TVA hydroelectric system and are not included as part of this multiple property documentation. The properties associated with the TVA Hydroelectric System may be eligible under National Register Criteria A and C and under Criterion Consideration G. Under Criterion A, the TVA Hydroelectric System is significant in the improvement of quality of life in the Tennessee Valley Region through generation of electrical power, control of seasonal flooding, navigation, and creation of public recreational facilities. Under Criterion C, the TVA Hydroelectric System is significant for its engineering and architectural character. Although all twenty-five of the hydroelectric projects were planned more than fifty years ago, actual completion of four of the projects did not occur until the late 1960s and 1970s (Nickajack, Tims Ford, Normandy, and Tellico), invoking Criterion Consideration G for properties not yet of fifty years of age. The last project, the Tellico Dam, was delayed for many years and was not completed until 1979. Even though they are less than fifty years of age, these four projects are integral to the TVA’s overall unified hydroelectric system. The period of significance for the hydroelectric system spans from 1933 to 1979, which represents the period spanning from the year the TVA was enacted to the completion of the final project in the system. The Geography of the Tennessee Valley as the Backdrop for TVA Development Geographically, the Tennessee Valley includes a crescent-shaped, 41,000-square-mile watershed of the Tennessee River and its tributaries. Seven states are considered Tennessee Valley states, but only five are included in the Tennessee Valley Project Area for this nomination. The region of the Tennessee Valley is the area served by the TVA power grid, with 155 municipal and electric cooperatives receiving their power from the TVA in an area covering 80,000-square-miles.1 The Tennessee River begins where the Holston and French Broad Rivers converge in Knoxville and then extends 652 miles to the confluence of the Ohio River. The river is fed by a number of tributaries upstream from Chattanooga including the Clinch, Little Tennessee, and Hiwassee. West of Chattanooga, the river goes through a mountainous gorge, flows into northern Alabama, then through