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The Story of Watauga Lake
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We were greeted at the door of the Butler Museum one Saturday afternoon by our volunteer guide, George Walker, whose family had owned property in Old Butler. The museum is a solidly-constructed, inviting building designed and built with contributions from many organizations including the alumni of the Watauga Academy. Workers included a crew from Northeast Correctional Complex in nearby Mountain City. The story of the TVA Watauga Dam project is dramatic by any measure but its impact on the local history, geography and, in particular, the individuals and families directly affected by the project, merits the attention of anyone connected to the area. There is no better place than the Butler Museum to learn about the early history of the Watauga Valley, the events of the 1930s and 1940s which led to the building of the dam and to the rebirth of Butler in its current location. |
The museum is set up as a series of vignettes of former businesses, schools and other themes such as the agriculture and typical home life. Each contains many original artifacts from the old town. At left the Blue Bird Tea Room served as a place for mountain people to gather particularly when they came to town on weekends. Poet Harry Fontaine explains in his poem, "The Tea Room" from his delightful second book of poetry "I Remember 'Old Butler' " (1984) that he never remembers tea being served or ever "seeing a blue bird" there! But area citizens enjoyed the ice cream treats served there. |
Because the citizens removed most everything from Old Butler down to the foundations of most buildings, a remarkable set of artifacts remain and many have been donated to the museum. Seen in the photo at right, the Stout Barber Shop is re-created with many of its original tools and fine old barber chair. Also in the museum are items from the General Store, the Post Office and the Drug Store. The exhibits are filled with original old calendars and signs specially arranged to re-create the ambience of these community businesses. " Across Tennessee there are towns that no longer exist, buried under man-made lakes that were created in the name of progress, flood control and cheap electricity. There are also communities moved to make way for lakes. One of those is Butler, a small community located in upper east Tennessee that was moved to higher ground to make way for Watauga Lake. Today there is a small museum in Butler that contains artifacts and pictures from the way Butler used to look. This snapshot of a small Tennessee town tells you a lot about life in small town Tennessee in a bygone era. It also reminds us of the price paid for the luxuries we enjoy today. " |
Recommended Links:
Recommended Reading from the Watauga Lake Magazine Bookstore:"Images of America: Old Butler" |
