Norris Dam:
To Build or Not to Build?
Norris Dam
Construction at Norris Dam began on October 1, 1933 and continued for the next three years. During that time, thousands of families were removed from their home and relocated to higher ground, unemployment rates within the valley decreased, and a community developed around the new town of Norris. This was the first of numerous dams constructed in the Tennessee River Valley. Norris Dam and reservoir included land from five Tennessee counties: Union, Campbell, Claiborne, Anderson, and Grainger. The location of Norris Dam was not decided in the 1930s by the TVA, but by private power companies as early as 1911. At that time, there were already a few privately owned dams
within the Tennessee River Valley. In 1918 and 1922 the state of Tennessee and the United States government completed surveys of the area in hopes of constructing a coordinated dam system. These surveys made it clear there was a need to build a dam where Norris now sits because of the potential for flood control. Without a dam on this site, dams further downstream could not be as effective. However, it was not until the 1930s that a dam was built at Norris.
Once the government decided to build Norris Dam, the people living in nearby counties were not given the opportunity to fight it. According to Section 18 of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, the TVA had the power “to exercise the right of eminent domain for all purposes of this Act, and to condemn all lands, easements, and rights of way, and other area necessary in order to obtain a site."
While the TVA worked hard to consider those living within the valley there were times when it did not. Since the site had long been under consideration, the engineering and geological surveys had already been completed. However, due to the tight timeframe the TVA established, important social and economic studies were not done prior to the start of construction. The TVA justified beginning construction without these studies, because of the “urgent need to relieve unemployment.” For future TVA
dams, social and economic studies became standard. However, at Norris, since they were completed after the start of construction, it is probable the TVA did not fully consider their results. The studies not completed focused on “family removal, problems of access to isolated areas, or the effects of governmental purchase of real property on local government finance.” Since Norris Dam was already underway, those affected were not given an opportunity to contest the dam. According to historian Marguerite Owen, “Engineering factors determined their (Norris’) location, and the ability to adjust communities to capture potential benefits was not an element in the decision. Local benefits were expected to be small compared to the regional results achieved when Norris Dam was constructed.”
Once these surveys were completed, it was clear that almost 3,000 people were directly impacted by the construction of Norris Dam, including the properties seen above. According to one TVA publication, “approximately 2,900 rural families-the greater number of whom had lived their entire lives in the same community, were faced with the problem of seeking new homes in ‘foreign’ lands.” While this sentence is misleading, it became clear later on in the report by 2,900 families it meant families consisting of 2,900 individuals. Despite the confusion, many of these individuals were so rooted in the area that moving only a few miles was a foreign idea to them. For the purposes of its removal studies, the TVA considered all families to be white native born. According to the initial contact with each family fewer than six were identified as African-American and only two families had foreign-born heads of household. The TVA, however, does not explain if these eight families were treated any differently than the other families required to move.
Another social problem the TVA had to deal with was grave removal. Surveys of the land completed in early 1933 by the United States Army Corps of Engineer found 326 cemeteries which contained 12,005 graves. Of these, 5,226 graves were relocated at an expense of $35,535.38. The TVA gave each family three options: the TVA paid a private undertaker up to $20 per hour to remove and relocate the body, the TVA moved the remains to a site selected by the family, or the grave could be left alone and the reservoir filled over it. Only 341 people chose to use a private company and 22 graves were left as is. The TVA relocated 4,885 graves to cemeteries above the high level water mark. There were an additional 7,600 graves that were on the margins of the reservoir and were isolated, but not submerged. The TVA offered to move any of these graves by request. However, only 836 graves were relocated to accessible cemeteries. The forms below show the removal process for other TVA sits. Similar forms were used at Norris.
In addition to removing people from the land, structures, forests, and fences were removed. This process occurred between February of 1934 and April of 1936. All of the land below the anticipated reservoir level was cleared. The land closest to the high level was completely cleared, whereas in the lower parts of the valley, trees were chopped down and wired into place so they could not wash downstream. While most of the wood was disposed of, some was saved to be used in TVA construction, and a very small percent was sold to private companies. In total, approximately 4,000 buildings and foundations had to be cleared. The total cost to clear the area of both natural and manmade objects was $1,140,358.32. Of the total costs only $46,000 was spent on supplies, the remaining was spent on labor.
The dam was constructed, while the valley was cleared. It stands 265 feet at its highest point and is 208 feet thick at the base. Three spillways allow water to flow through the dam and two generators turn the water into power. All major construction was successfully completed within 18 months. Norris Dam was built so quickly because of the amount of dolomite rock located on site. Dolomite rock is the correct strength and durability to be crushed and turned into concrete. This was extremely helpful, because the plans for Norris Dam called for approximately 1,000,000 cubic yards of concrete. It also allowed the TVA to hire even more men from the area to make concrete.
In addition to a job, workers at Norris Dam received a place to live. Like many of the dams built by the TVA, the remote location meant building someplace for workers to live. At all but two sites, these dwellings consisted of temporary buildings that were abandoned or used at another site when construction was completed. At Norris and Fontana, permanent towns were constructed for the workers and their families to live in throughout construction. Once the project
was completed, the towns were sold to private citizens. The TVA chose to build a permanent town at Norris because of its need for a secondary administrative center in the headwater region of theTennessee River Valley. The town of Norris was built not only to provide housing but also as a community setting for the 2,500 employees and their families. In total, 250 single family houses, 10 duplexes, and 5 apartment buildings were built for families, along with the relocation of 30 existing farmhouses from the area. There were also a series of dormitories built for single men and women. The TVA’s goal for the town of Norris was to achieve “an essentially fine environment through plain means and minimum expenditures.” This goal was realized through an “attempt to visualize the kind of living conditions that the American people as a whole may legitimately aspire to have.” This meant that Norris was not going to be an innovative town, but had everything the typical American family could possible need. Within the town there was a cafeteria which provided meals around the clock, due to the overnight work shifts. There was also a school, a general store, a post office, and a police department.
The TVA is one of very few New Deal programs still in operation today, and it is impossible to miss the changes it made on the Tennessee River Valley. After three years of work, the TVA completed its first project at Norris Dam. The Norris Reservoir, which sits behind this dam, contains 705 miles of shoreline, much of which was eventually converted to state and national park. The entire project was estimated to cost the TVA $36,025,230. However, the project came in under budget; the actual cost was only $30,508,024. Much of this money was used to create jobs during an era of extreme unemployment. President Roosevelt saw the need for dams and jobs in the Tennessee River Valley, and he used the TVA to provided both. While not all of those who were forced off of their land understood this need, time has shown that the Tennessee Valley Authority helped decrease unemployment while it also altered the course of a river.