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HOME  >  AROUND WATAUGA LAKE  >  Watauga Dam: Part 1
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Watauga Dam, Wilbur Dam and the Wilbur Reservoir
Part 1


The Watauga Dam at Watauga Lake Tennessee

All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2007
All Rights Reserved
See links to article references at the end of the article.

part 1    Go to part 2
Or go back to "Around Watauga Lake"

August, 2007
Before the construction of the Watauga Dam, the Watauga River and Roan Creek valleys suffered several devastating floods, including the last major one in 1940. The Watauga Dam project was started in 1942, delayed by World War II and completed in 1948.


The Watauga River below the Wilbur Dam Siam and Elizabethton Tennessee

The Dam is made of rock and earth and, in 1948 was the highest dam of that type in the world. The Watauga Lake Project used over 10 million work hours of labor. During the construction 1 man died, and 48 more suffered injuries. The project relocated over 750 families, primarily in and around "Old Butler" Tennessee, and caused the removal of more than 1200 grave sites.

2-3 miles below the Watauga Dam is the Wilbur Dam (formerly the Horseshoe Dam). Between them is the Wilbur Lake (also known as the Wilbur Reservoir). Below the Wilbur Dam the Watauga River continues on. (see photo at right).

The Welcome sign at The Wilbur Dam Tennessee

The TVA campsites and facilities around the Dams provide easy access to and abundant information about the Dams and Lakes. There are easily-accessible recreation facilities and the TVA's mission for the project includes the maintenance water quality and levels for flood control, power generation, ecological quality and recreational enjoyment.

The Welcome sign (at left and below) offers helpful maps and information to those visitors who may be learning about and visiting this unique area for the first time.

The map on the Welcome sign at The Wilbur Dam Tennessee

The Wilbur Dam, according to the TVA Welcome sign:

"Construction completed in 1912
Dam height 77 feet
Dam length 375 feet
Reservoir length 2 miles"

The Watauga Dam, according to the TVA Welcome sign:

"Construction completed in 1948
Dam height 331 feet
Dam length 925 feet
Reservoir length 16 miles
Flood Storage 360 million cubic yards"
The Old Horseshoe Freewill Baptist Church Watauga Dam Tennessee

Many of the Dam workers were housed in the Horse Shoe community between the present day dams.

"To alleviate that (post war housing shortage) problem TVA built a construction camp in the Horseshoe community, about 2 miles from the dam site. The camp included 3 workmen's dormitories, accommodating 120, 104 and 52 persons, 2 staff dormitories which provided housing for 53 persons and 11 tents which accommodated 55 men.:

~ Dan Crowe "Old Butler and Watauga Academy" 1983
"

The Old Horseshoe Freewill Baptist Church Cemetary Watauga Dam Tennessee

At right, the cemetery at the Old Horse Shoe Freewill Baptist Church in the Horseshoe community.

Go to Part 2 of this article

Links to references in this article and to sites related to the Watauga Dam and Wilbur Dam: