Guntersville
Dam & Guntersville Museum
& Cultural
Center
As one among nine dams
built across the Tennessee River by the Tennessee
Valley Authority, Guntersville
Dam is located about 7 miles northwest of the town of Guntersville,
about 35 miles from Huntsville.
Construction of the dam began in December 1935 and was completed in
January 1939. The dam is named after the the town of Guntersville, which
received its name from John Gunter, an early settler of the area.
Before the nine dams were built, the Tennessee River was quite untamed
and unpredictable. People who settled in its riparian areas suffered
floods intermittently. The river was unnavigable in many areas.
Families who grew tobacco, corn, and cotton within its flood
plains suffered crop losses and had problems shipping the crops to the
rest of the nation and world. Today the nine dams ensure the people of
the Tennessee Valley adequate protection against flooding and reliable
transportation for their crops. Today the town of Guntersville mainly deals
with transporting grain shipped from the Midwest to feed the vast amounts
of livestock raised in the Tennessee Valley.
The nine
dams are maintained and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA) and the Army Corp of Engineers maintain and operate the locks in
each dam. The dams provide water supplies during times of drought, electricity
for industries and residents, and recreation.
The Guntersville Museum
has an extensive display of memorabilia from the days of the dam construction
that took ten years. It has a wonderful collection of photographs
of the construction process as well as the life in the valley before and
after the dam. The museum also has a collection of Indian artifacts
and quilting along with one or two nationally traveling exhibits.
(photos: Courtesy of Guntersville
Police)
TEACHER ACTIVITIES:
-
The teachers will be visiting the sites of the Guntersville Dam and
Lake.
-
They will be visiting the Museum and Cultural Center to discover the
history of the dam and lake and how they impacted the area ecologically,
economically, and culturally.
-
The teachers will be able to establish the facts regarding the size,
dimensions, cost of building, generating capacity and other information
on the dam.
-
They will be able to establish the importance of the nine dams and their
lakes to the people of the Tennessee Valley.
(photos by CDaniels unless noted otherwise)
Guntersville Dam Construction Started: December 4, 1935
Construction Completed: January 16, 1939
Project Cost: $54.2 million
Reservoir Coverage: 67,900 acres
Shoreline: 949 miles
Dam lenght: 3,979 ft.
Dam height: 94 ft.
Generating Capacity: 108,000 kW
The Reservoir
created
by Guntersville Dam is adjacent to the scenic Appalachian foothills.
It covers 67,900 flooded acres. Now called Guntersville Lake,
the lake has 949 miles of shoreline and provides an excellent habitat for
several species of sport fish such as bass, crappie, and bluegill.
It has made the Guntersville area a favorite spot for sports fishing
and boating. The shoreline of Guntersville Lake is home to 4 state
wildlife centers, 8 municipal parks, 3 county parks, 2 state parks
which provide access to the river.
They also contain
scenic hiking trails, and countless other recreational activities. According
to the Tennessee Valley Audobon Society it's a great place for viewing
hawks, eagles, and shorebirds; especially in winter!
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