A 111-year-old piece of history has come down in days after being damaged beyond repair by the raging waters flowing over the Nolichuckey Dam. The old power house, built in 1913, had suffered severe structural damage and has been torn down.
The dam and powerhouse were built by the Tennessee Eastern Electric Company in 1913. TVA took over the project in 1945 and operated it as a power production facility. But the slowed waters of the river began to backfill the river behind the dam. The sediment in the reservoir continued to accumulate to the point that TVA removed the electric generators from service between 1965 and 1972, with the powerhouse being unused since that time.
The floods from Tropical Storm Helene poured over a million gallons per second over the dam along with logs and debris that slammed into the power house for hours, knocking out walls and making the structure unstable. TVA began demolition and removal of the building when waters receded and inspections revealed the extend of the damage.
