The Fort Loudon Dam is the Tennessee Valley Authority’s northernmost dam and hydroelectric plant on the Tennessee River. Built between 1940 and 1944, it was the last TVA dam completed. Like other public projects established by Congress in the 1930s, its construction employed thousands and gave many workers new skills.
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
Drillers at Fort Loudon Dam, by Jack Delano for the United States Office of War Information, ca. August 1942
Harnessing Nature, Generating Jobs
Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 as a federal corporation to control floods, improve river navigation, provide electricity and foster economic development in the South. Nebraska Senator George W. Norris proposed the idea in 1921 and pursued it until President Franklin D. Roosevelt made it part of his New Deal program for economic recovery. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the TVA had an immense impact on jobs, industry, housing and the environment.
The Fort Loudon Dam is the Tennessee Valley Authority’s northernmost dam and hydroelectric plant on the Tennessee River. Built between 1940 and 1944, it was the last TVA dam completed. Like other public projects established by Congress in the 1930s, its construction employed thousands and gave many workers new skills.
Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
