Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse
National Register of Historic Places

Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse

Haletown, Marion County, Tennessee
Listed
November 25, 2008
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
08001111

About this property

Hales Bar Dam was a hydroelectric dam once located on the Tennessee River in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company began building the dam on October 17, 1905, and completed it on November 11, 1913, making Hales Bar one of the first major multipurpose dams and one of the first major dams to be built across a navigable channel in the United States. It began operation on November 13, 1913. On August 15, 1939, the Tennessee Valley Authority, which had been established by the President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration to develop and regulate flood control and hydropower in the Valley, assumed control of Hales Bar Dam after purchasing TEPCO's assets through Eminent Domain. It had conducted a lengthy court battle that went all the way to the US Supreme Court. The TVA worked for two decades trying to fix a leakage problem that had plagued Hales Bar since its construction. But, after continued leakage and determining that expanding the dam's navigation lock would be too expensive, TVA decided to replace the dam. It built Nickajack Dam 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream. Hales Bar Dam ceased operation on December 14, 1967.

Location

1265 Hale's Bar Rd.
Haletown, Marion County, Tennessee
35.04665, -85.53454

Categories

INDUSTRY
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Louise Terrace Apartments
Industrial
0.7 mi
Marion Memorial Bridge
Industrial
1.4 mi
McNabb Mines
Listed
3.8 mi
McKendree Methodist Episcopal Church
Civil War
5.6 mi
Kelly's Ferry Road and Cemetery
Listed
6.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Nickajack Expedition (1794)
1794Early Republic
2.2 mi
Battle of Nickajack (September 13, 1794)
1794Early Republic
3.6 mi
Destruction of Chickamauga Towns (1794)
1794Early Republic
5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse listed on the National Register?

Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 25, 2008.

What type of historic resource is Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse?

Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse?

The period of significance for Hale's Bar Dam Powerhouse is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1905.

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