Constructed in the early 20th century near the southwest end of the Tennessee River Gorge, the Hales Bar Dam was the first main-river, multipurpose dam built on the Tennessee River, and one of the earliest major dams to be constructed across a navigable channel in the United States. Today its historic powerhouse is one of the few vestiges of this mishap-plagued engineering feat.
In 1904, Chattanooga engineer Josephus “Jo” Conn Guild, Sr., made an offer to build both the lock and dam with private funding in exchange for the rights to the dam’s electrical output. At the time, the project was the largest development of its kind in the region.
Construction began in October 1905 and was scheduled for completion two years later, but the project faced issues from the start. These were mostly associated with its crumbling limestone foundation, as well as the river’s tumultuous waters, including whirlpools and shoals. By 1910, only the lock and powerhouse had been completed. The dam finally began operating on November 13, 1913, but not before the deaths of many workers that built it. Because of this, some consider the dam’s former location haunted…